England Edge Home in USA Match
Wednesday, 19th January 2022
Phill Beckett
England have taken a decisive lead in the 105 board match against our friends from the USA.
A draw on board 34 - https://www.iccf.com/game?id=1169138
took us to 105.5 points for the match - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=86774
Well done team!
New Title
Tuesday, 18th January 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Alan Barker with ICCF ID 211143 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert. Congratulations.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 - ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT
Sunday, 16th January 2022
Phill Beckett
International Correspondence Chess Federation
Zone 1 – Europe
https://www.iccf-europa.eu/
Andrey Pavlikov
Zonal Director
Email:
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT
16th January 2022
Dear chessfriends,
Following the decision taken in Crakow during the ICCF Congress 2013, the Candidates‘ Tournament of the European Championship 2022 will start on 15th March 2022 and be played on the ICCF Server.
The top two players from each Candidates section (tiebreaks will be used if required) will qualify for the Final.
All sections will normally consist of 13 players but, conditional upon the number of entries received, the Tournament Organiser shall have the authority to change the number of players in all sections to 11, 15 or 17.
If the number of the entries do not permit the formation of all sections of 13 (or 11, 15, 17) players, the entries of those players who have submitted entries under condition (d) below will, in ascending order from the lowest, be deferred to the next Candidates event.
Also conditional upon the number of entries, multiple entries submitted by those players holding more than one qualification may have only one entry accepted with other qualifications deferred to the next Candidates event.
The following players have the right to participate in the European Championship Candidates :
(a) players rated 2500 or over at the time of entry
(b) holders of the Grandmaster Title
(c) holders of the Senior International Master Title with a rating over 2400 at the time of entry
(d) holders of the International Master Title with a rating over 2450 at the time of entry
(f) those players who finished 1st or 2nd in a European Championship Semi-Final
(g) participants of previous or running Finals who have scored at least 45% of the possible points, if they have not earned a higher qualification and have not already used this qualification right
(h) the participants of previous or running Candidates who have scored at least 55% of the possible points, if they have not earned a higher qualification and have not already used this qualification right.
The ICCF European Championship is reserved only to those players from European countries.
Players may enter in the usual way through their National Federations or, where eligible, via the ICCF Direct Entry system. Players from those countries not members of ICCF may submit entries only via the ICCF Direct Entry system.
Entries should be reached by Tournament Organizer, Andrey Pavlikov, not later than 1 March 2022.
It is also mandatory that the qualification right to participate in the event should be specified for each entry!
Sad News
Tuesday, 4th January 2022
Phill Beckett
I am saddened to hear of the passing of Tony Morley. Tony never recovered from a stroke and passed away on 14th October. Condolences have been passed onto his family.
New Title
Tuesday, 21st December 2021
Phill Beckett
Terry Hart (ICCF ID 211382) has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert. Congratulations.
Seasonal Greetings!
Thursday, 16th December 2021
Ian Pheby
2021 has sadly been yet another difficult year for everyone. As we approach the festive season I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all of England’s players and their families for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year. I hope that 2022 will prove to be a better year for everyone. Stay safe!
I also hope that you enjoy success in your games in 2022 and beyond.
Ian M Pheby, EFCC President
GM Norm for Nigel Robson
Sunday, 5th December 2021
Phill Beckett
In the 70th ICCF Jubilee World Champions (Cross Table at iccf.com)
Nigel achieved a GM norm (he is already a GM, but they are difficult to achieve).
Well done in an incredibly strong event!
New IM Title
Saturday, 4th December 2021
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to Peter Rice who has achieved the IM title. The title medal and certificate will be awarded at the next ICCF Congress, hopefully in Glasgow next year.
GM Jonathan Penrose OBE †
Friday, 3rd December 2021
Ian Pheby
It is with great sadness that the EFCC reports the death of GM Jonathan Penrose OBE at the age of 88.
His highest ICCF rating was 2724 in 1993. He finished in third place in the ICCF World Championship 13 Final.
He represented England with great success in the ICCF Olympiads. He scored 6 out of 9 on board 1 for England in the final of ICCF Olympiad 10 which enabled England to finish in second place, narrowly behind the Soviet Union. That is England’s best performance in the ICCF Olympiad to date.
Jonathan was also an excellent ‘over the board’ player having won the British Championship on ten occasions. He was made an OBE in 1971 for his services to chess.
Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Ian M Pheby
EFCC President
New Titles
Wednesday, 24th November 2021
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to Dennis Broadway CCE and Arthur Reed CCM.
Results of the Peggy Clarke Memorial
Sunday, 21st November 2021
Phill Beckett
The Peggy Clarke Memorial has finished with a win for Antony Copsey.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85287
The following Norms were achieved;
CCE norm achieved by: Richard D Perrin, Marcin Kołodziejski & Mark J. Smith
CCM norm achieved by: Antony Copsey
Richard Webster with his CCE and CCM Medals and Certificate
Tuesday, 16th November 2021
Phill Beckett
Richard and I are both members of Worksop Chess Club and I took the opportunity to deliver his medals in person.
Worksop also boasts Oliver Graham and Mick Clarke who are regular ICCF players.
England Take the Lead in World Team Cup Knockout v Croatia
Saturday, 13th November 2021
Phill Beckett
Tim Spanton wins to give us the lead in a tight match.
This is the first positive result after 21 games.
Follow the link to see Tim's game - https://www.iccf.com/game?id=1266310
Match situation - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=94128
Nicholson Memorial Final Results
Friday, 12th November 2021
Phill Beckett
The Nicholson Memorial is now finished.
Kevin Plant emerged as the winner.
There were several norms achieved as follows;
CCE norm achieved by: Cole, Steve; Lambert, Michael H.; Munoz, Lazaro; Buchan, Allan
CCM norm achieved by: Plant, Kevin D.; Lambert, Michael H.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=86999
Friendly v Wales
Friday, 12th November 2021
Phill Beckett
We have a new friendly against our friends from Wales.
Looking at the grades the teams look well matched and it should be a close encounter.
Follow the progress of the match with the normal delay of five moves.
The match is a nice mix with lots of very experienced players on both sides and a number of new players making their debuts!
Good luck to both sides
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=95781
3rd English Veterans' Correspondence Chess Championship
Sunday, 7th November 2021
Stephen Williams
The English Federation For Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce the third EVCCC will commence on 5th March 2022. It is open only to those players who:
- are aged 60 years or over on the date the tournament starts
- and are registered or able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF.
The full Rules, tournament structure, eligibility, prizes etc. can be seen under "English Veterans CC Championship (EVCCC)" on the EFCC website here : https://www.efcchess.org.uk/bvccc.html
Entries should be received by 1st February 2022 with a fee of £10.00 by cheque or online at the EFCC website. Entries may be made by PayPal through this website quoting “3rd EVCCC”. Alternatively, cheques made payable to “EFCC” should be sent to Dr Steve Williams, 3a Priory Court, Nettleton, CHIPPENHAM, Wiltshire SN14 7NY. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.
The adjudication date shall be 31st December of the 2nd year of play, which allows approximately 21½ months of playing time.
Tournament Organiser: Stephen Williams
British Championship 2019/2021
Wednesday, 27th October 2021
Phill Beckett
Following a highly competitive competition ;
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81192
The winner is Gerard Le-Marechal by the narrowest of margins on S-B tie break after three players finished on 8.5 pts and had three wins each.
New Title
Tuesday, 12th October 2021
Phill Beckett
The player Gerard Le-Marechal with ICCF ID 212933 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF International Master. Congratulations.
New Titles
Thursday, 7th October 2021
Phill Beckett
Barry S. Sheppard with ICCF ID 211434 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master and the title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Richard Tillett with ICCF ID 212494 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.
Congratulations to both.
Richardson Memorial
Wednesday, 29th September 2021
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to our president Ian Pheby who won the Richardson Memorial by a narrow margin.
The event saw 16 year old George Wharam achieve his first IM norm.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=83519
Executive Committee Meeting
Sunday, 19th September 2021
John Rhodes
Our next Executive Committee Meeting will be held by email on Saturday 16th October, 2021.
If any EFCC Members have anything that they would like discussed at our meeting, please email me (Email John here) by 30th September 2021 at the latest.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament SF2
Wednesday, 15th September 2021
Phill Beckett
England 2 finished in equal fifth place with a +1 score. Unfortunately they did not qualify for the final.
They defeated Spain 1 and Brazil and drew with Russia, Finland and Cuba.
Their narrow defeats foiled their chance of further progress.
Individual Results;
1. Alistair Cowan 0+ 8= 0-
2. Kevin Plant 0+ 8= 0-
3. Arnold Marchant 1+ 7= 0-
4. John Vivante-Sowter 1+ 4= 3-
5. Colin Cheek 2+ 6= 0-
6. Alan Sutton 1+ 6= 1-
All the team performed solidly.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87051
Friendly Match Against Norway
Saturday, 11th September 2021
Phill Beckett
We have just started a 28 board match against Norway.
A close match is envisaged and you can follow the progress (delayed by 5 moves) here; https://www.iccf.com/event?id=95044
Sixteen Year Old On Top Board For England Team
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George Wharam has been selected to play on top board for England in the International friendly against Norway, he faces off against GM Raymond Boger who is a vastly experienced player with multiple first places in International events.
George passed 2400 at the beginning of this year and has recently achieved his first IM norm (the next one and the title is likely to follow in the near future)
Like many strong chess players George has a strong academic profile - eleven 9's at GCSE, and he took his A level maths early dropping just one mark across all the exam papers. His other A levels that he will sit this year are Further Maths, Economics and Biology and he is in the process of applying to Oxford to read Mathematics. He has won numerous Gold medals in competitions such as the UK Maths Challenge and the Biology Olympiad, often whilst several years young, and he is always setting himself new challenges and goals.
It is hoped to have a detailed interview with George in the magazine in the near future.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
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EFCC Correspondent Magazine (Summer 2021 Edition)
Pinned - Friday, 30th July 2021
Mickey Blake
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The EFCC Executive Committee are delighted to announce the publication of the 'EFCC Correspondent',
a new quarterly magazine from editor Mickey Blake.
The inaugural edition of this very high quality magazine can be viewed and/or downloaded here;
Hi-Res Edition (14.6mb) or Lo-Res Edition (3.8mb)
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North Sea Event
Wednesday, 8th September 2021
Phill Beckett
North Sea Event
Good luck to our team in the North Sea Event.
Les Ellis, Ken Owen, James Wilkinson, Arnold Marchant, Stephen Woodhouse and Stephen Rithen carry the flag for England.
This is an unusual event as there are grade limits for each board, so all the games should be very close.
Follow the progress of our team here ; https://www.iccf.com/event?id=94750
Richard Hall in World Candidates Event
Sunday, 29th August 2021
Phill Beckett
Richard Hall in World Candidates Event
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=94959
The winner and runner up qualify for the next World Championship Final !
This is a high quality catergory 11 event.
We wish Richard every success.
New Title
Sunday, 29th August 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Nigel Norman with ICCF ID 210619 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Award for EFCC President
Sunday, 22nd August 2021
Phill Beckett
Award for EFCC President
President Ian Pheby has received recognition for his years of dedicated service to the ICCF with the award of the Gold Bertl Von Massow medal.
A truly well deserved award.
New Title
Sunday, 8th August 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Anthony Steel with ICCF ID 212266 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
British Correspondence Chess Championship 2021-2023 Entries Update
Saturday, 31st July 2021
Phill Beckett
British Correspondence Chess Championship 2021-2023 Entries Update
The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC) is the premier tournament on the British CC calendar. Running continuously since 1921 and open to all British players, the BCCC has carried ICCF title norms since 2016.
The BCCC caters for players of all levels and consists of a Championship, one or more candidate’s section and a number of reserves sections.
The BCCC is organized jointly by the English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC), the Scottish Correspondence Chess Association (ScoCCA) and the Welsh Correspondence Chess Federation (WCCF).
There is a first prize of £100 and a second prize of £50.
Entries close on August 31 and play is due to commence in September 2021. Entries can be made directly to Tournament Organizer Russell Sherwood or via the National Federation. Please note that these are the only entry routes for this event.
The BCCC is a highly competitive event, and we are unable to confirm a player's final allocation at the time of entry.
Welsh https://welshccf.org.uk/content/18
For more details please contact your National Federation or Russell Sherwood
Entries and the entry fee of £12 should be received by Russell Sherwood, no later than 31st August 2021. If you have a qualification to a specific division, please state this at the time of entry.
Current Entries (as at 24/7/2021)
England: Coleman, Peter L. ,Ellis, Les ,Maguire, Gary ,Asquith, Jerry E. C. ,Brookes, John G. ,Herman, Tom ,Webster, Richard ,Bailey, Matthew W. ,Kitson, Keith ,Rawlings, Alan J. C. ,Roberts, Anthony Arthur ,Girling, Clive F. ,Grobler, David J. ,Reed, Arthur F. ,Cowan, Alastair ,Ward, Richard ,Marchant, Arnold ,Sutton, Alan B. ,Cole, Steve ,Ackley, Peter J. E. ,Bruce, Robert ,Wood, Ben A. ,Gosling, Brian G. E. ,Raby, Eugene ,Beckett, Phillip J. ,Wright, Ashley ,Mahony, Jon D. ,Ruffle, Alan ,Kent, Chris
Scotland: Buchan, Allan, Dunn John
Wales: Bishop, William ,Sherwood, Russell ,Sherwood, Helen ,Sherwood, Alexander ,Jones, Rhys ,Wakeham, Marc R. ,Jones, Gareth ,Gunn, Tom ,Robinson, Josh
Current Minimum Qualifications (as at 24/7/2021)
| Championship |
| Name | Valid to |
| Le-Marechal, Gerard | 2021 |
Candidates |
| Name | Valid to |
| Cole, Steve | 2022 |
| Lumley, Bill F. | 2021 |
| Asquith, Jerry E. C. | 2021 |
| Lockwood, Austin | 2021 |
| Pope, Paul | 2022 |
| Maguire, Gary | 2021 |
| Marks, Robert | 2021 |
| Rallabandi, Praveen Kumar | 2021 |
| Wharam, George | 2021 |
| Lockett, John | 2022 |
| Bailey, Matthew W. | 2022 |
| Beecham, C. Richard | 2021 |
| Wakeham, Marc R. | 2022 |
| Bishop, William | 2021 |
| Jones, Ian | 2021 |
| Yeo, Gareth | 2021 |
| Jones, Gareth | 2022 |
| Suffield, Mel | 2021 |
| Herman, Tom | 2021 |
| Shaw, John S. | 2021 |
It is worth noting that many players with Candidates Qualification will probably qualify to the Championship on rating.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
First World Team Cup 1st Round
Saturday, 31st July 2021
Phill Beckett
First World Team Cup 1st Round
We have 28 accepted entries for the World Team cup from a mix of National Federations, Zonal Unattached and Mixed Federation Teams.
For the 1st round we have 12 matches – a mix of 3 Team and 2 Team events. This will lead to 12 Qualifying Teams (1 per group) in four matches of 3 teams in the 2nd round, 2 matches of two teams in the 3rd round and a Final of two teams.
Draw
Group 1: Benelux, Brazil, and Philippines
Group 2: Ukraine, Poland and Portugal
Group 3: Spain, Bulgaria and Anzacplus2
Group 4: Romania, Czech Republic and World Zone
Group 5: USA and Mexico
Group 6: Cuba and Indonesia
Group 7: Russia and Argentina
Group 8: Germany and Wales
Group 9: India and Italy
Group 10: England and Croatia
Group 11: France and Switzerland
Group 12: Finland and Peru
A few statistics:
Mean Rating: 2296, Median Rating 2350
13 ICCF GM
2 FIDE GM
59 ICCF SIM
107 ICCF IM
182 CCM/4 LGM
59 CCE
16 players rated over 2500
Teams Averages range from over 2419 down to 2056 and fall roughly into three rating bands.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
First World Team Cup Round 1
Saturday, 31st July 2021
Phill Beckett
First World Team Cup Round 1
We have been drawn against Croatia in the First round of this new event. The players look evenly mathced apart from the last few boards where we hold the edge in grading.
Good luck to our team.
Follow the progress by following the link below;
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=94128
Games can be viewed live with a delay of 10 moves.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
EFCC Correspondent Magazine (Summer 2021 Edition)
Friday, 30th July 2021
Mickey Blake
'EFCC Correspondent' Magazine (Summer 2021 Edition)
The EFCC Executive Committee are delighted to announce the publication of the 'EFCC Correspondent', a new quarterly magazine from editor Mickey Blake.
The inaugural edition of this very high quality magazine can be viewed and/or downloaded here; Hi-Res Edition (14.6mb) or Lo-Res Edition (3.8mb)
The EFCC Executive Committee
Brian Jones Celebration
Wednesday, 14th July 2021
Phill Beckett
Brian Jones Celebration
This event was organised by the Yorkshire Chess Association as a celebration of Brian Jones' involvement in Yorkshire chess both over the board and by webserver.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85329
It was won in impressive style by Yorkshire's very own Oliver Graham who won by two clear points.
We were pleased to see Brian's children Nancy Lane and Lee Jones taking part.
ps. Brian is still alive and kicking!
Match v BeNeLux countries
Monday, 12th July 2021
Phill Beckett
Match v BeNeLux countries
New 101 board match against the BeNeLux Countries.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93922
Follow the progress of this large match against our chess friends from Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
We are slightly lower rated than our opponents, but we have shown that we can perform better than our ratings!
Follow the progress of the team.....
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
6th British WS Tournament - Division 3
Monday, 12th July 2021
Phill Beckett
6th British WS Tournament - Division 3
This event has just finished with lots of hard fought games featuring many English players!
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85263
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Chess 960 Match
Monday, 12th July 2021
Phill Beckett
Chess 960 Match
We suffered a heavy defeat in the Chess 960 training match against Wales.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87609
We were outgraded all the way down, but there were some close encounters!
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Ross Brennan RIP
Thursday, 8th July 2021
John Rhodes
Ross Brennan RIP
We report the very sad news that Ross Brennan died on Tuesday 29th June 2021. Ross played correspondence and over-the-board chess for Hertfordshire and Welwyn Garden City Chess Club, where he was Chairman, for many years. Ross’s untimely death has been a great shock to everyone who knew him. Condolences are being sent to his family.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
10th Veterans World Cup Final
Thursday, 8th July 2021
Phill Beckett
10th Veterans World Cup Final
We wish our President (and indeed Treasurer ) Ian Pheby every success in the 10th Veterans World Cup Final.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93731
Good luck Ian!
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Wednesday, 7th July 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Oliver Graham with ICCF ID 211824 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Semi Final of the European Team Championship
Monday, 6th July 2021
Phill Beckett
Semi Final of the European Team Championship
Follow the progress of the England Team.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93768
We wish them every success as we need to finish in the first three to qualify for the final.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Nol van't Riet Team Tournament
Sunday, 27th June 2021
Phill Beckett
Nol van't Riet Team Tournament
The pairings for the Nol van't Riet Team Tournament (under 2300) are out. England have teams in sections 1 and 3.
You can follow the progress of the teams and see the completed games when 10 are finished.
Semi Final 1 https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93623
Semi Final 3 https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93625
Best of luck to both teams.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC)
Saturday, 26th June 2021
Phill Beckett
The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC)
The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC) is the premier tournament on the British CC calendar. Running continuously since 1921 and open to all British players, the BCCC has carried ICCF title norms since 2016.
The BCCC caters for players of all levels and consists of a Championship, one or more candidate’s section and a number of reserves sections.
The BCCC is organised jointly by the English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC), the Scottish Correspondence Chess Association (ScoCCA) and the Welsh Correspondence Chess Federation (WCCF).
Further details of the tournament, including the full rules and a list of previous winners, are available on the EFCC website:
https://www.efcchess.org.uk/bcccRules.html
Last season’s crosstables can be viewed here:
There is a first prize of £100 and a second prize of £50.
Entries close on August 31 and play is due to commence in September 2021. Entries can be made directly to Tournament Organiser, Russell Sherwood or via the National Federation. Please note that these are the only entry routes for this event.
The BCCC is a highly competitive event and we are unable to confirm a player's final allocation at the time of entry. If you have a qualification for a particular section it is important that you state it with your entry.
Welsh -
https://welshccf.org.uk/content/18
For more details please contact your National Federation or Russell Sherwood.
Entries and the entry fee of £12 should be received by Russell Sherwood no later than 31st August 2021. If you have a qualification to a specific division please state this at the time of entry.
Sent by Gordon Anderson (Scotland), Phill Beckett (England) and Russell Sherwood (Wales)
EFCC Yearbook for 2021
Friday, 25th June 2021
Keith Kitson
EFCC Yearbook for 2021
The EFCC Executive Committee are pleased to announce the EFCC Yearbook for 2021.
If anyone believes any correction is required to the yearbook contents then please contact Keith Kitson, EFCC Yearbook editor. (Email Keith here) To read the online version click here.
For a downloadable / printable version click here.
The EFCC Executive Committee
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