(Newcastle Chronicle, 31 May 2024)

Handicapping in sports, from pro-am golf tournaments to spread betting, has traditionally been used to make events between stronger and weaker competitors more interesting for participants and punters wanting to bet on the outcome.

The word “handicap” derives from the phrase “hand in cap,” where bets would be placed in the cap of a neutral arbiter, who would hold the money. These days, handicaps are used in sports as varied as golf, basketball, track and field, polo and croquet, and in games such as go, shogi and chess.

Northumberland Chess Association’s Summer Handicap assigns rating handicaps, so that teams from as low as Division 6 can take on teams all the way up to Division 1 on more equal terms. A high-rated team may have to win 3.5-0.5 or 4-0 to win the match, while a lower-rated team may only have to win or draw a single game to claim overall victory in the match.

This summer, 22 teams are taking part, and the event has been revamped into four World Cup-style qualifying groups, with the top teams from each group going into the Cup semi-finals, and the second teams progressing to the Plate semi-finals. Group rankings are decided by match points, with the lower-rated team going through in the event of a tie. After two rounds, a mix of top teams and underdogs are leading their groups.

In Group A, Gosforth Empire and Forest Hall Magpies have 4 points from two matches, followed by Gosforth Regents and Jesmond on 2, and Gosforth Jedis and Newcastle C on 0.

In Group B, lowly-rated Forest Hall Badgers are the surprise leaders with 4 points, followed by Newcastle A, Newcastle University and Gosforth Salters on 2, and Gosforth Ivy and Gosforth Hawthorns on 0.

In Group C, top seeds Morpeth A are on 4 points, with Morpeth B and Alnwick on 2 and Tynemouth on 0.

And in Group D, underdogs Gateshead and Gosforth Centurions share the lead on 4, followed by South Shields and Tynedale on 2, and Leam Lane and Newcastle B on 0.

The third round takes place next week, with Group A at the Punch Bowl, Jesmond on Thursday 6th June; Group B at Gosforth Empire Club on Monday 3rd; Group C at Morpeth Rugby Club on Wednesday 5th; and Group D at The Old George Inn, Newcastle on Tuesday 4th. All matches kick off at 7:15pm, and spectators are welcome.

This week’s puzzles are inspired by “Zwischenzug,” a new book by Natasha Regan and Matt Ball on the theme of intermediate moves.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Black to play & win.

Puzzle B: Arkady Naiditsch (White) to play & draw.

Puzzle C: Mickey Adams (White) to play & win.

Puzzle D: Black to play & win.

ANSWERS

A: 1…Rc1+! 2 Rxc1 Qa1+! 3 Kxa1 dxc1(Q)+ 4 Bb1 Qc3 checkmate.
B: 1 Rg4+! Ke3 2 Rxg3 draws.
C: 1 Bf5! gxf5 (or 1…Bxf5 2 Qxf7+) 2 Rxe6 fxe6 3 Qf7+ wins material.
D: 1…Rxe3! 2 Qxf3 Rc8+! 3 Kb1 Rxf3 wins.

(Newcastle Chronicle, 17 May 2024)

For the third year running, the County Durham Chess Congress hosted a maximum capacity of 162 entries at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre last weekend.

The event, ably run by Gosforth’s Mick Riding, attracted enthusiastic amateur and club players from around the UK and abroad. The event is a personal triumph for Riding, who over four years has rebuilt the Durham Congress virtually from scratch, contributing greatly to the region’s chess recovering well from the Covid pandemic.

He has relocated the congress from a small venue in Houghton-le-Spring to a much larger central Darlington venue, close to the town’s East Coast Main Line station, and generated income through increased entries and sponsorship. Darlington Council is a key supporter of the congress, and the event is a net contributor to the local economy, attracting visitors to the town.

The Open section, with 40 entries, was won by Ukrainian junior Maksym Larchikov (Hull) on 4.5/5, followed by Joakim Niilson (Sweden) and Nicolas Skettos (Cyprus) on 4. The top North East players in the tournament were Tim Wall (Newcastle, 3.5), Nathan Ekanem (Newcastle) and David Armbruster (Gosforth) (both on 3). Ten-year-old Daniel Sewart (Newcastle), playing in his first Open tournament, had a promising performance with 2/5, winning one game and drawing two over the weekend.

The Major (Under 1900) section, with 46 entries, was won by John Cawston (York) and Nicholas Webb (Middlesbrough) on 4.5/5, followed by Paul May (Leeds) and Siu Kam Wa (Hong Kong) on 4. Among the players on 3 points were Ian Chester and Andrew Robinson (Gosforth), George Ellames (Alnwick) and Morgan French (Forest Hall).

The Minor (Under 1675) section, with 76 players, was won jointly by James Flint (Newcastle University), James Barwise (Peterborough) and Neil Druggan (Cumbria) on 4.5/5. Chris Clynes (Bishop Auckland) was among the players on 4, while Thomas Cameron (Gosforth) and Jonny Kearney (Tynedale) were in the group of players on 3.5.

In addition to the main competitions, a one-day junior tournament was held on Sunday, giving opportunities to new young players.

While the Durham Congress now attracts a wide spectrum of amateur players, it has yet to entice many titled or high-rated players. The highest-rated player in the Open this year was Northumberland Champion Tim Wall, but with an international rating of 2203, he is lowly ranked at only 227th in England.

The North East’s two highest-rated players, Alnwick Grandmaster Danny Gormally (at 2416, rated No. 42nd in England) and Newcastle International Master David Eggleston (at 2335, rated 106th in England) very rarely play in North East tournaments, preferring to play instead in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) or at tournaments abroad.

The North of England has virtually no strong titled players, with the only grandmasters living here apart from Gormally being Gawain Jones (Sheffield) and Nigel Davies (Cheshire). The UK’s strongest players generally live in London and the South East, reflecting economic trends. Rather than weekend congresses, they prefer playing other strong players at the 4NCL, which takes place over five weekends a year at various out-of-town hotels in the Midlands. As a result, few titled players tend to play in events in the North of England, as prizes barely cover the cost of accommodation and travel.

The lack of titled players at Darlington is also part of a general trend in the UK of top players staying away from traditional weekend congresses, as prize funds have dwindled in real terms compared to the British chess scene’s heyday of the 1970s and 80s. One North East event that is trying to buck the trend and help to generate more strong players for the region is the Northumbria Masters, which also takes place at the Dolphin Centre in Darlington, on 22-26 August – the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Northumbria Masters, with a prize fund of £6,500, has three tournaments giving opportunities for players to score title norms. It includes GM and IM norm all-play-alls, a Masters Open that includes invited Grandmasters, and two more FIDE-rated events aimed at amateur and club players: the Challengers (for players rated under 2000 FIDE) and the Major (for players rated under 1700 FIDE).

Entries are being taken online for all tournaments on the congress website: https://northumbriamasters.com. Inquiries are welcome from players rated 2200+ wishing to take part in the GM and IM invitational events, and can be sent to: info@northumbriamasters.com.