English Federation for Correspondence Chess

The ICCF National Federation for England

Ukraine v Rest of World

Monday, 23rd November 2020 Phill Beckett

Ukraine v Rest of World

A couple of English players are featuring for the Rest of the World.

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=90054

Good luck.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Titles

Monday, 23rd November 2020 Phill Beckett

New Titles

We congratulate Keith Franks (CCE) and K.J. Owen (CCM) on the new titles they have received.

Well done

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Match v Switzerland Start Date 20/12/20

Monday, 23rd November 2020 Phill Beckett

Match v Switzerland Start Date 20/12/20

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=89984

Follow the games with the normal delay of 5 moves.

Closely matched grades so expect a titanic struggle!

As usual we were oversubscribed so watch out for more matches in the future!

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Outstanding Result for English Player

Friday, 20th November 2020 Phill Beckett

Outstanding Result for English Player

Praveen Kumar Rallabandi one of England's leading players scored an impressive result in the German Masters -

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=79334

Play through the games, they are of the very highest class!

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Chess 960 European Team Final

Friday, 20th November 2020 Phill Beckett

Chess 960 European Team Final

Early results have England in second place following an early win by Kevin Thurlow -

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87912

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Womens World Championship Final

Thursday, 19th November 2020 Phill Beckett

Womens World Championship Final

Follow the progress of Dawn Williamson in the World Final -

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=89629

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Friendly Matches Update

Thursday, 19th November 2020 Phill Beckett

Friendly Matches Update

Webserver Match v Switzerland scheduled to start in December.

Postal Match v Sweden scheduled to start early 2021.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Match v Netherlands

Thursday, 19th November 2020 Phill Beckett

Match v Netherlands

England managed to score a win against The Netherlands. See all the games in the match -

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=79966

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

2nd English Correspondence Chess Championship Has Concluded

Thursday, 19th November 2020 Ian Pheby

2nd English Correspondence Chess Championship Has Concluded

After 21 months of play this closely contested championship has now finished. The new Champion is David Evans who finished with 8 out of 14 (2 wins, 55.5 SB ). David wins £300 and an engraved trophy for his retention. In second place was Brian Thompson who finished with 8 out of 14 (2 wins, 55.25 SB ). Brian wins £150. In third place was Praveen Kumar Rallabandi who finished with 8 out of 14 (2 wins, 55.0 SB ). Praveen wins £100. In fourth place was Richard Williams on 7½ out of 14. Richard wins £50.

Congratulations to all these players on their fine performances. The cross table may be seen at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=77967

Ian M Pheby

EFCC President

North Sea Team tournament IV

Sunday, 8th November 2020 Phill Beckett

North Sea Team tournament IV

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=77210

England finished in 8th position in this event.

Congratulations to the team, Mark Eldridge, Ian Pheby, Marek Soszynski, Richard Ward, Stephen Woodhouse, Ben A Wood, ably captained by Ian Pheby.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Announcement for the 3rd English CC Championship!

Tuesday, 3rd November 2020 Stan Grayland

Announcement for the 3rd English CC Championship!

The English Federation of Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce that the third English Correspondence Chess Championship (ECCC) will be held which will start in March 2021. All English players are invited to enter England’s premier tournament!

The entry fee is still £12.00. However, entry is free to all eligible players with an ICCF rating of 2500 or over or who are ICCF Grandmasters!

The full Rules, tournament structure, eligibility, prizes, etc. can be seen under "English CC Championship (ECCC) in the left-hand Menu, or by clicking here: www.efcchess.org.uk/eccc.html

The prize fund for this year! The Champion will receive a cheque for £200 together with an engraved trophy to retain. Monetary prizes will also be available to those finishing in second, third and fourth places of the Championship, and also for the first two places in the semi-final sections.

There shall be a Championship final, semi-finals & preliminary sections with all standards of player catered for. The games will be played on the ICCF webserver, and the tournament duration shall be approximately 22 months of playing time. The time limit shall be 40 days for each 10 moves.

Entries may be made by PayPal through the 'Online Fee Payment' section on the left hand side of this web page quoting “3rd ECCC”. Alternatively, entries may be sent to the Tournament Organiser, Stan Grayland (address: 65 Newman Way, Rednal, Birmingham, B45 9LU) with a cheque for £12.00 made payable to “EFCC”.

Free entries by eligible players with an ICCF rating of 2500 or over or who are ICCF Grandmasters should be made by notifying Stan Grayland by email.

The closing date for entries is 1st February 2021. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

All English chess players are heartily invited to enter this tournament, both for the enjoyment of the games and for friendly contact/communication.

Tournament Organiser: Stan Grayland

(Email Stan Here)

Narrow loss to Sweden in 2018 Match

Sunday, 1st November 2020 Phill Beckett

Narrow loss to Sweden in 2018 Match

England slipped to a defeat 28.5 to 31.5

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=75952

I will contact Sweden to challenge them to a return match.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Sunday, 1st November 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player Antony Copsey with ICCF ID 212104 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.

Congratulations

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

England U1800 9 v 11 Wales U1800

Saturday, 24th October 2020 Phill Beckett

England U1800 9 v 11 Wales U1800

England suffered a narrow defeat against Wales in the Under 1800 match.

The lead had changed hands several times and with the score poised at 9-9 , Wales clinched the match by winning the last two games to finish.

Well done everyone and hopefully we will get a return match soon!

Play through all the games : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85292

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

WZ-Z1 2020, World Zone - Zone 1 Friendly Match 2020

Saturday, 24th October 2020 Phill Beckett

WZ-Z1 2020, World Zone - Zone 1 Friendly Match 2020

Good luck to all the English players in the 442 board match.

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88477

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Saturday, 24th October 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

Congratulations to Richard Ward (ICCF ID 780026) on achieving the CCE title.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Saturday, 10th October 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player N. W. Jefferson with ICCF ID 210845 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Monday, 5th October 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player Brian James Herriot with ICCF ID 211523 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Europe Zone v World Zone (Update)

Saturday, 3rd October 2020 Phill Beckett

Europe Zone v World Zone (Update)

All players on the webserver will have received two emails advertising this event, one from the European zone director and one from myself.

Just for clarity, I have submitted a list of all the players who expressed an interest in matches against France, Australia etc. and were not able to be accommodated.

If you would like to play or be sure that your name was on the list forwarded to the zone director, reply to the email you received from me by Wednesday 7th October.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Saturday, 3rd October 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player Gary Maguire with ICCF ID 212175 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF International Master.

His final norm was in the current British Championship final and if he manages to win his final game he will achieve his first SIM norm.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Ladies World Championship Finals

Tuesday, 29th September 2020 Phill Beckett

Ladies World Championship Finals

In what will probably be the last Ladies Final -

England have two players qualified for the Final -

Toni Halliwell and Dawn Williamson are to be congratulated on this great achievement.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title Award

Tuesday, 29th September 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title Award

Congratulations to Phil Eastlake on the award of the CCM title.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Executive Committee Meeting

Tuesday, 29th September 2020 John Rhodes

Executive Committee Meeting

Due to the coronavirus pandemic we have decided to conduct our next Executive Committee Meeting by email instead of physically meeting in Biggleswade on Saturday 24th October 2020.

If any EFCC Members have anything that they would like discussed at our meeting, please email me by 10th October 2020 at the latest.

John Rhodes, General Secretary

(Email John here)

Congratulations on Title Award

Friday, 25th September 2020 Phill Beckett

Congratulations on Title Award

The ICCF have confirmed the award of the International Arbiter's title on Stephen Woodhouse.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

European Zone v World Zone

Wednesday, 23rd September 2020 Phill Beckett

European Zone v World Zone

The European Zone asked for 10 nominations to represent the European Zone v World Zone.

We have nominated ;

Munro P, Marchant A, Cunningham P, Bailey M, Perrin R, Hall TR, Pallett R, Cole S, Dunks PD, Illingworth JB.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Match against CCLA Kangaroos

Tuesday, 22nd September 2020 Phill Beckett

New Match against CCLA Kangaroos

We have just started a match at Under 2000 level against our friends from Australia.

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88452

You can follow the games live with the normal five move delay.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Thursday, 17th September 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player Kevin D. Plant with ICCF ID 211509 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Match Against France 2020

Wednesday, 16th September 2020 Phill Beckett

Match Against France 2020

We have just started a match against our friends from across the channel.

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88279

You can follow the games live with the normal five move delay.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

British Championship Starts

Tuesday, 15th September 2020 Phill Beckett

British Championship Starts

The strongest British Championship in living memory has just started. (It has GM norms available)

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88182

The Candidates are very strong as well.

Owing to the strength of the entry, the committee took the decision to run two sections.

Section A https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88184

Section B https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88186

There are three Reserve sections.

Section A https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88187

Section B https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88188

Section C https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88189

Of the 80 entries 51 have norm opportunities.

You can follow the games (with a 5 move delay).

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Friday, 4th September 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player K. J. Owen with ICCF ID 210370 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

Follow England's Progress in European 960 Team Final

Tuesday, 1st September 2020 Phill Beckett

Follow England's Progress in European 960 Team Final

Follow, Peter Catt, Stan Grayland, Keith Kitson and Kevin Thurlow as they defend the honour of England in the Final of the European Chess 960 Team Event.

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87912

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

British Championship Entry Now Closed

Monday, 31st August 2020 Phill Beckett

British Championship Entry Now Closed

The final entry list is below, if you have entered and your name is not on the list contact me as a matter of urgency !

Name	Country
Ackley P	ENG	Asquith J	ENG	Bailey M	ENG	Barber P	ENG	Beckett PJ	ENG	Brotherton T	ENG
Bruce R	ENG	Clark S	ENG	Cole S	ENG	Cowan A	ENG	Craven V	ENG	Donovan T	ENG
Elwood D	ENG	Franks K	ENG	Gardner A	ENG	Girling C	ENG	Graham O	ENG	Grayland SJ	ENG
Grummitt W	ENG	Hart T	ENG	Herman T	ENG	Holland EN	ENG	Hollands G	ENG	Ibbitson A	ENG
Illingworth JB	ENG	James A	ENG	Kitson K	ENG	Law K	ENG	Lockett J	ENG	Lumley W	ENG
Maguire G	ENG	Marchant A	ENG	Marks RJ	ENG	McDermott F	ENG	Medis T	ENG	Morton PS	ENG
Munro PR	ENG	Norman N	ENG	O'Mahoney M	ENG	Owen C	ENG	Perrin R	ENG	Pope P	ENG
Raby EBD	ENG	Rallabandi P	ENG	Rawlings AJC	ENG	Reed AF	ENG	Richardson D	ENG	Roberts A	ENG
Roberts S	ENG	Ruffle A	ENG	Squires M	ENG	Sutton A	ENG	Thompson B	ENG	Tibbert PH	ENG
Walsh HJ	ENG	Ward R	ENG	Webster R	ENG	Wharam G	ENG	Wood BA	ENG	Beecham CR	SCO
Buchan A	SCO	Burridge R	SCO	Clark SL	SCO	Cumming D	SCO	Hardwick ME	SCO	Lloyd G	SCO
Whittaker IP	SCO	Bailey S	WLS	Bishop W	WLS	Bullen A	WLS	Jones G	WLS	Jones Ian	WLS
Jones R	WLS	Lockwood A	WLS	Scott P	WLS	Sherwood A	WLS	Sherwood H	WLS	Sherwood R	WLS
Wakeham MR	WLS	Yeo G	WLS

Phill Beckett

International Secretary & British Championship TD

Match against Rest of Europe is Finished

Thursday, 27th August 2020 Phill Beckett

Match against Rest of Europe is Finished

This epic match played over 136 boards resulted in a convincing win for the Rest of Europe team by 48 points.

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=76242

All the games in the match can be played through!

We held them over the high boards but the strength in depth told on the lower boards.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Sunday, 23rd August 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player Kenneth Watkins with ICCF ID 212686 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Friday, 21st August 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

Richard Webster with ICCF ID 212803 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of Correspondence Chess Master.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

British Entries received up to 15/8/20 (Final Deadline for entries 31/8/20)

Saturday, 15th August 2020 Phill Beckett

British Entries received up to 15/8/20 (Final Deadline for entries 31/8/20)

If you think you have entered and your name is not on the list, please get in contact urgently !

Name	Country
Asquith J	ENG	Bailey M	ENG	Beckett PJ	ENG	Brotherton T	ENG	Bruce R	ENG	Clark S	ENG
Cowan A	ENG	Elwood D	ENG	Franks K	ENG	Gardner A	ENG	Graham O	ENG	Grayland SJ	ENG
Griling C	ENG	Grummitt W	ENG	Herman T	ENG	Hollands G	ENG	Illingworth JB	ENG	James A	ENG
Kitson K	ENG	Law K	ENG	Lockett J	ENG	Lumley W	ENG	Maguire G	ENG	Marchant A	ENG
O'Mahoney M	ENG	Owen C	ENG	Perrin R	ENG	Pope P	ENG	Raby EBD	ENG	Rallabandi P	ENG
Rawlings AJC	ENG	Richardson D	ENG	Roberts A	ENG	Roberts S	ENG	Ruffle A	ENG	Squires M	ENG
Sutton A	ENG	Tibbert PH	ENG	Walsh HJ	ENG	Ward R	ENG	Webster R	ENG	Wharam G	ENG
Wood BA	ENG	Beecham CR	SCO	Buchan A	SCO	Burridge R	SCO	Clark SL	SCO	Cumming D	SCO
Hardwick ME	SCO	Lloyd G	SCO	Whittaker IP	SCO	Bailey S	WLS	Bishop W	WLS	Bullen A	WLS
Jones G	WLS	Jones Ian	WLS	Jones R	WLS	Scott P	WLS	Sherwood A	WLS	Sherwood H	WLS
Sherwood R	WLS	Wakeham MR	WLS

Phill Beckett

International Secretary & British Championship TD

World Championship Candidate Events

Friday, 14th August 2020 Phill Beckett

World Championship Candidate Events

These are extremely strong events and England has a representative in both sections.
Qualification for the next World Final is by finishing in the first two places.

Follow the English players' progress ;

In Candidates 1 follow
Richard Hall
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87718

In Candidates 1 follow
Praveen Kumar Rallabandi
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87719

The start date is 20/9/20 so do not expect much action before then as the players will be certainly preparing intensely.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Team Match - Wales v England Chess 960

Monday, 10th August 2020 Phill Beckett

New Team Match - Wales v England Chess 960

England and Wales are contesting a Chess 960 International.

Follow the progress : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87609

We are grateful for our Welsh Friends taking several boards in order to accommodate all the England players who wished to play.

Good luck to both teams.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Monday, 10th August 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The player E. V. Foulds with ICCF ID 211580 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

2020 ICCF Online Voting Results.

Tuesday, 4th August 2020 Phill Beckett

The results of the voting for each Congress proposal at the 2020 ICCF online voting are listed below.

2020-001	Approve Services Committee Budget for 2021	47 0	Passed
2020-002	Optional Preferential Voting (OPV) for Election of Officials	32 12	Passed (2/3 majority)
2020-003	Approve the 2019 Minutes	50 0	Passed
2020-004	Approve Financial Reports	47 1	Passed
2020-005	Players' Record Keeping Requirement	40 9	Passed
2020-006	Players' Requirement to Update Personal Address	48 0	Passed
2020-007	Counting FIDE GMs	41 7	Superceded by 2020-008
2020-008	Eliminate Requirement of "5 GM" Opponents for GM Title	37 11	Passed
2020-009	Making the Triple Block Time Control System an Official Option	41 7	Passed
2020-010	Clarifying a Requirement for a Title Tournament	41 6	Passed
2020-011	Congress Allowances for ICCF Auditor	26 20	Passed
2020-012	Limiting the 10-Move Draw Rule	39 8	Passed
2020-013	Lowering Entry Fees	50 0	Passed
2020-014	2020 and Onwards - CCE and CCM Medals	19 27	Defeated
2020-016	Add a Second Payment Processor to the Server Entry Process	46 3	Passed
2020-017	Validity of “Half Qualifications” for WCCC	41 7	Passed
2020-018	Assumed Ratings	42 5	Passed
2020-019	New Tournament Format	42 6	Passed
2020-020	Special Provisions for the 70th ICCF Jubilee Events	31 17	Passed
2020-023	Clarifying Rules about Resetting Clocks after Extended Period of Down Server	48 1	Passed
2020-024	Establish “Regional” Tournaments	31 15	Passed
2020-025	Norm Tournaments: Switching of an Entry When the Player's Rating Changes	49 0	Passed
2020-027	Updates to the ICCF Voting Regulations and Electoral Procedures [2/3 VOTE]	35 10	Passed (2/3 majority)
2020-028	Electronic Awards	20 28	Defeated
2020-029	Allowing FIDE GMs to Play Free in ICCF GMN Events	38 7	Passed
2020-030	New Title: International Organizer (IO) and its Scales TO Level 1 and TO Level 2	18 27	Defeated
2020-031	Allowing TCs to Make TC-initiated Substitutions Directly	38 10	Passed
2020-032	ICCF Congress 2021-Clydebank Glasgow	47 1	Passed
2020-033	Title Norms in Chess 960	15 33	Defeated
2020-034	Limitations to the Number of Open Tournaments Organised by MFs	40 6	Passed
2020-035	Final "B" in Different Rounds of the Tournament	18 30	Defeated
2020-036	New Tournament: World Team Cup	39 8	Passed
2020-037	Friendly Matches Viewing Rules	15 29	Defeated

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Tuesday, 4th August 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

Michael J. Blake with ICCF ID 210717 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.

Congratulations.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New Title

Tuesday, 28th July 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

Antony Copsey has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Well Done.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

England Chess 960 Team

Friday, 24th July 2020 Phill Beckett

England Chess 960 Team

The Selection Committee are looking for players to represent England in the Chess 960 team event (Fischer Random Chess).

If you are interested please contact Phill Beckett before the end of July.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

IM Title

Saturday, 18th July 2020 Phill Beckett

IM Title

The title ICCF International Master awarded to player Les Ellis with ICCF ID 211229 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

CCM Title

Tuesday, 7th July 2020 Phill Beckett

CCM Title

Having recently gained the CCE title Tom Herman has quickly followed it with the CCM title.
Well done.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

ICCF Proposal Consultation

Sunday, 5th July 2020 Phill Beckett

ICCF Proposal Consultation

The EFCC are always interested in English players' opinions.
The ICCF have a number of proposals which are being voted on in the near future.
These can be viewed by clicking on the ICCF congresses tab on the sidebar and then viewing the 2020 proposals - https://www.iccf.com/message?message=1346
If you wish for your opinions to be taken into account please reply to myself.
Replies should be received by 12th July.

Phill Beckett

International Secretary

New title

Saturday, 27th June 2020 Phill Beckett

New title

Congratulations to Philip Revell on achieving a Correspondence Chess Master (CCM) title.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC)

Monday, 22nd June 2020 Phill Beckett (EFCC), Gordon Anderson (Scotland) & Russell Sherwood (Wales)

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 final, a candidates 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: http://efcchess.org.uk/bccc.html .

Last season’s crosstables can be viewed here:
Championship https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81192
Candidates https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81193
Reserves A https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81194
Reserves B https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81195
Reserves C https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81196

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 2020.

Entries can be made directly to Tournament Organiser - Phil Beckett or via the National Federation ;

EFCC - https://efcchess.org.uk/index.html (Online Fee Payment (use reference BCCC)),

Scottish - ,

Welsh - https://welshccf.org.uk/content/18.

Entries and the entry fee of £12 should reach Phill Beckett no later than 31st August 2020.

Posted by Gordon Anderson (Scotland), Phill Beckett (England) and Russell Sherwood (Wales).

World Candidates

Sunday, 14th June 2020 Phill Beckett

World Candidates

Richard Hall and Praveen Kumar Rallabandi have both prequalified for the Candidates section of the World Championship just one step away from the World Final.

These events are highly competitive and we wish both players every success.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

New Titles Awarded

Wednesday, 10th June 2020 Phill Beckett

New Titles Awarded

Tom Herman with ICCF ID 212544 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Oliver Graham with ICCF ID 211824 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.

Alan B. Sutton with ICCF ID 210709 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert..

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master is awarded to player Marek J. Soszynski with ICCF ID 211375.

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master is awarded to player Robert Marks with ICCF ID 212535.

Congratulations to all.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Richard Hall

Sunday, 7th June 2020 Ian Pheby

Richard Hall

Richard Hall, one of England’s strongest players, has recently finished in first place of two very strong tournaments. These were the Joop van Oosterom Memorial, a Category 16 tournament which can be seen at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=68635 and the Achim Soltau Memorial, a Category 15 tournament which can be seen at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=61736.

Congratulations to Richard on two excellent performances. Richard is currently representing England on board 2 of ICCF Olympiad 21 Final which is category 12 and which can be seen at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=83285.

Ian M Pheby
EFCC President

Match against USA

Wednesday, 3rd June 2020 Phill Beckett

Match against USA

We are now underway. The grades are fairly closely matched so it should be a tight match.

Good luck everyone.

Follow the games with the normal 5 move delay - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=86774

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Friendly Match v Mexico Under 1800

Thursday, 28th May 2020 Phill Beckett

Friendly Match v Mexico Under 1800

We have a new match against Mexico.
Details of the event may be found at : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=86740

As usual you can follow the match delayed by 5 moves.

Good luck to all our players.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

World Championship Semi Final

Saturday, 23rd May 2020 Phill Beckett

World Championship Semi Final

The following players have been nominated or qualified for the world championship semi final round (a little bit of a misnomer as the winners and runners up qualify for the candidates).

IM David Weldon section 2
SIM Ian Pheby section 3
GM John Pugh section 5
SIM Alan Rawlings section 6

The average grade of each section is 2435 and consists of 17 players.
We wish them every success in their sections - it will be tough.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Match v USA

Saturday, 23rd May 2020 Phill Beckett

Match v USA

This match will consist of 105 boards. We have submitted our team list to the USA and so far they have matched reasonably easily 80 boards and are working to match the rest.
We are hoping for a June start, but as you will appreciate it is a huge task.
Thank you for setting the captains a difficult task!

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Title achievements

Tuesday, 19th May 2020 Phill Beckett

Title achievements

Antony D. Cannon has achieved the title of Correspondence Chess Expert. (CCE)

Former British Champion Mark Eldridge has achieved the title of International Master. (IM)

Congratulations to both players.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

ICCF Lockdown Open

Sunday, 10th May 2020 Phill Beckett

ICCF Lockdown Open

Details of the event may be found at : https://www.iccf.com/message?message=1351

Entry fees from this event will be donated to charity.
Players may enter directly via the ICCF system or on this site via the payment section.
If you enter via this site the fee will be £5 and you should use the reference ICCF Lockdown.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament

Sunday, 10th May 2020 Phill Beckett

Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament

The teams have been selected as follows :

First team

Samuel Brennan
Barry Sheppard
Tim Spanton
Arthur Reed
Oliver Graham
Dave Grobler

Second Team

Alastair Cowan
Kevin Plant
Arnold Marchant
John Vivante-Sowter
Colin Cheek
Alan Sutton

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Gigantic match against the USA

Sunday, 10th May 2020 Phill Beckett

Gigantic match against the USA

All of you should have received an email informing you of this. 71 players have so far volunteered.
The format will be two games against one closely matched opponent. We are working towards a max grading difference of 20.
If you have not expressed your interest, please do so by 21st May in order to secure your place.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

New Title

Sunday, 10th May 2020 Phill Beckett

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Gerard Le-Marechal with ICCF ID 212933 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Invitation Events

Sunday, 10th May 2020 Phill Beckett

Invitation Events

Two events have recently been started.

The Peggy Clarke Memorial : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85287

The Brian Jones Celebration : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85329

In both cases play can be followed (with a five move delay).

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

New Friendly matches for Under 1800 players

Sunday, 3rd May 2020 Phill Beckett

New Friendly matches for Under 1800 players

We have recently started friendlies against Scotland, Wales and Indonesia.

Scotland : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85332

Wales : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85292

Indonesia : https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85291

You can follow the progress of the matches live (delayed by 5 moves).

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

New Titles

Wednesday, 22nd April 2020 Phill Beckett

New Titles

Gerard Le-Marechal has just qualified for the title of Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE).

Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Mike Richardt.

Congratulations!

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament

Tuesday, 21st April 2020 Phill Beckett

Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament

For teams of 6 grading below 2300.

Further details : https://www.iccf.com/message?message=1348

Contact Phill Beckett by email (Email Phill here)

73rd European Individual Championship, Final

Sunday, 19th April 2020 Phill Beckett

73rd European Individual Championship, Final

Congratulations and good luck to Edmund Soh who qualified and is now competing in the European Final

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85073

Phill Beckett, International Secretary

British Championship Entry Fee Increase

Wednesday, 15th April 2020 Phill Beckett

British Championship Entry Fee Increase

Following the introduction of larger sections and the increasing opportunities for title norms, the Tri-Nation committee which administers the championship on behalf of the federations of England, Scotland and Wales has agreed with the federations that the entry fee will rise to £12 in order to cover the increased game fees and section size costs.

Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

ICCF Titles Achieved

Sunday, 12th April 2020 Phill Beckett

ICCF Titles Achieved

Correspondence Chess Expert - Robert Marks
Correspondence Chess Master - Mike Richardt

Congratulations to both players.

Posted by Phill Beckett (International Secretary)

Annual General Meeting - Officer Elections

Saturday, 21st March 2020 Ian Pheby

Annual General Meeting - Officer Elections

At the recent AGM of the EFCC, the following Officers were elected:-

President: Ian M Pheby

General Secretary: John Rhodes

International Secretary: Phillip J Beckett

Treasurer: Ian M Pheby

You can contact any of these Officers directly via this page: https://efcchess.org.uk/efccStaff.html .

Ian M Pheby, President

Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting

Saturday, 14th March 2020 John Rhodes

Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting

Due to the coronavirus pandemic we have decided to conduct our Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting by email instead of physically meeting in Biggleswade on Saturday 21st March 2020.

John Rhodes, General Secretary

Praveen Kumar Rallabandi

Saturday, 14th March 2020 Ian Pheby

Praveen Kumar Rallabandi

I am pleased to report that Praveen Kumar Rallabandi (ENG) has won WCCC42/SF2, a Category 8 tournament, with a score of 8 out of 14. Praveen was unbeaten in this tournament, and he qualifies for a World Championship Candidates group.

Many congratulations Praveen on your excellent performance!

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

Sixth British Webserver Team Tournament

Tuesday, 10th March 2020 John Rhodes

Sixth British Webserver Team Tournament

The Welsh Correspondence Chess Federation (WCCF) have announced that entries for the Sixth British Webserver Team Tournament are now open. The tournament will start on 12th April 2020 and the entry fee remains at £20.00 per team. Entries should be sent to and include the team name and the names, board numbers, and ICCF ID numbers of the team captain and each of the four players, at least one of whom must be British registered. The closing date is Friday 10th April 2020. Further details can be found on the WCCF website at https://welshccf.org.uk/content/88 .

John Rhodes, General Secretary

World Correspondence Chess Championship Semi-Finals

Sunday, 8th March 2020 Ian Pheby

World Correspondence Chess Championship Semi-Finals

Entries for the 44th WCCC semi-finals are now being accepted. Details of the tournament and the qualifications to participate may be found at https://www.iccf.com/message?message=1339

English players who wish to be nominated for this tournament and have ratings 2400 or higher on the 2020/2 ICCF rating list and who do not meet the other qualification requirements listed in the announcement are invited to inform Ian M Pheby (Email Ian here) of their wish to be nominated by no later than 25th April 2020.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

Paul F. Timson†

Sunday, 16th February 2020 Ian Pheby

Paul F. Timson†

It is with great sadness that I announce that SIM Paul F. Timson has died recently after a long fight against leukaemia.

Paul was an International Master and Senior International Master, titles obtained in 2002 and 2006 respectively. His highest rating was 2585 obtained in 1991. He represented England with distinction in the 6th European team championship where Paul obtained a Grandmaster norm, and also in several Olympiads.

My condolences to his family.

Rest in peace.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

Announcement of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting.

Saturday, 15th February 2020 John Rhodes

Announcement of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting.

There will be an Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess on Saturday, 21st March 2020 starting at 12:30pm in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. Please contact the General Secretary, John Rhodes for further details. (Email John here)

John Rhodes, EFCC General Secretary

New International Arbiter

Tuesday, 4th February 2020 Ian Pheby

New International Arbiter

England has a new International Arbiter. The ICCF has confirmed that Ben A. Wood has been awarded the ICCF IA title. Many congratulations to Ben on his fine achievement! Ben will be awarded his certificate and medal at the ICCF Congress in Glasgow later this year.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

British Championship 2018/20

Saturday, 25th January 2020 Ian Pheby

British Championship 2018/20

This tournament is now finished. Congratulations to Praveen Kumar Rallabandi (ENG) for winning this Category 6 tournament with an excellent score of 9½ out of 14. Praveen was unbeaten in this tournament. Brian Thompson (ENG) finished second with 7½/14.

Praveen therefore retained his title of British champion having also won the British Championship 2017-9 tournament.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

Trevor Thomas†

Sunday, 12th January 2020 Ian Pheby

Trevor Thomas†

It is with great sadness that I announce that SIM Trevor Thomas died recently at the age of 97.

Trevor held a variety of posts within the EFCC and made a significant contribution to English correspondence chess over many years which benefitted so many players. Trevor was an International Master and Senior International Master, titles obtained in 1992 and 1999 respectively, and he was a very strong player in his day. His highest rating was 2525. He represented England on board 4 of the 11th Olympiad final with distinction.

His funeral is on Thursday 16th January 2020 at 2pm and is being held at the Carey Baptist Church in Reading (RG1 7JS). On behalf of the EFCC I have expressed sincere condolences to Trevor’s family.

Rest in peace.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

New International Secretary

Wednesday, 1st January 2020 Ian Pheby

New International Secretary

Andrew Dearnley has decided to stand down as International Secretary with immediate effect. I wish to thank him for his substantial contribution to the EFCC over many years for the benefit of English correspondence chess and England’s players.

The new International Secretary is Ian M Pheby who can be contacted (Email Ian here) on all matters.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

Invitations to German Title Tournaments

Friday, 27th December 2019 Ian Pheby

Invitations to German Title Tournaments

EFCC has received three Invitations to German Title tournaments with Title Norms available. There are minimum rating requirements as listed below. The tournaments are likely to consist of 13-17 players and will start in June 2020 (although it is the intention of the German organisers to put the tournaments on the server in early April 2020).

England has an invite for one player for each of the following tournaments:

1. For a player rated 2415+ on the 2020/2 list
2. For a player rated 2385+ on the 2020/2 list
3. For a player rated 2285+ on the 2020/2 list

If the ICCF rating of a nominated player is reduced in the time between the nomination and the start of the tournament it is possible that this player is moved to a tournament with a lower Category.

If you are interested in playing, please contact Ian M Pheby (Email Ian here) before 19th January 2020. If more than one player is interested in a particular section, the EFCC Selection Committee will decide which player to nominate.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

Seasonal Greetings!

Thursday, 19th December 2019 Ian Pheby

Seasonal Greetings!

As we approach the festive season I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all of England’s players for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

I hope that you enjoy success in your games in 2020 and beyond.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

World Correspondence Chess Championship Preliminaries

Thursday, 19th December 2019 Ian Pheby

World Correspondence Chess Championship Preliminaries

Entries for the 44th WCCC Preliminaries are now being accepted. Details of the tournament and the qualifications to participate may be found at https://www.iccf.com/message?message=1327

English players who wish to be nominated for this tournament and have ratings less than 2400 (fixed or unfixed) on the 2020/1 ICCF rating list and who do not meet the other qualification requirements listed in the announcement are invited to inform Ian M Pheby (Email Ian here) of their wish to be nominated by no later than 19th January 2020.

Ian M Pheby, EFCC President

VACANCY FOR THE POST OF EFCC TREASURER

Thursday, 28th November 2019 Ian Pheby

VACANCY FOR THE POST OF EFCC TREASURER

A vacancy will occur for the post of EFCC Treasurer from 1st January 2020.

The postholder will be a member of the EFCC Executive Committee, and he/she will be supported by members of the EFCC finance sub-committee where required. The post is not too onerous and no formal qualifications are required.

For further details about this important post please contact the EFCC President Ian M Pheby. (Email Ian here)

I take this opportunity to remind everyone that the EFCC is run by volunteers who freely give up their time to help all English players enjoy their correspondence chess. The EFCC is looking for new volunteers to join its Executive Committee. If you feel you can give a little of your time to help English players then please contact Ian at the above email address. He is looking forward to hearing from you.

Ian M Pheby EFCC President

Announcement of the 2nd English Veterans CC Championship

Tuesday, 5th November 2019 Ian Pheby

Announcement of the 2nd English Veterans CC Championship

The English Federation of Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce that the second English Veterans Correspondence Chess Championship (EVCCC) will be held with a start date on 5th March 2020. All English players aged 60 or over on that date and are registered or able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF are invited to enter!

The full Rules, tournament structure, eligibility, prizes etc. can be seen under "English Veterans CC Championship (EVCCC)"
on the EFCC website here ; http://www.efcchess.org.uk/bvccc.html

There shall be a Championship final, semi-finals & preliminary sections with all standards of player catered for. The games will be played on the ICCF webserver & the tournament duration shall be approximately 21½ months of playing time. The time limit shall be 40 days for each 10 moves.

The entry fee is £8.00. Entries may be made by PayPal through this website quoting “2nd EVCCC”. Alternatively, entries may be sent to the Tournament Organiser, Ian M Pheby (address: Oaklea Cottage, Horsham Road, Capel, Dorking, Surrey RH5 5JH) with a cheque for £8.00 made payable to “EFCC”. The closing date for entries is 1st February 2020. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

All veteran English chess players are heartily invited to enter this tournament, both for the enjoyment of the games and for friendly contact/communication. Good luck to everyone!

Tournament Organiser: SIM Ian M Pheby, IA

British Championship Now Underway

Saturday, 14th September 2019 Phill Beckett

British Championship Now Underway

The Five sections of the British are now live on the webserver with three of the events having norms available.

The Championship section is a category 6 event with SIM norms available.

Two of the reserve sections are minor category events.

They can all be seen at :

https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81192
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81193
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81194
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81195
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81196

Announcement of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess Executive Committee Meeting.

Monday, 9th September 2019 John Rhodes

Announcement of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess Executive Committee Meeting.

There will be an Executive Committee Meeting on Saturday, 12th October 2019, starting at 12 Noon at the Holiday Inn, Milton Keynes East, London Road, Newport Pagnell, MK16 0JA. All players who play under the flag of England are welcome to attend.

John Rhodes, EFCC General Secretary

GM Richard V M Hall has been awarded a Bertl von Massow medal in Gold

Tuesday, 20th August 2019 Ian Pheby

GM Richard V M Hall has been awarded a Bertl von Massow medal in Gold

At the 2019 ICCF Congress held in Vilnius, Lithuania, GM Richard V M Hall has been awarded a Bertl von Massow medal in Gold for 15 years of faithful service to the ICCF. Richard has been Chairman of the ICCF Arbitration Committee since 2004 and has previously been awarded a Bertl von Massow medal in Silver for 10 years of faithful service to the ICCF in 2014.

Richard (seen on the left in this photograph) is being presented with the Gold medal and certificate by the ICCF President Eric Ruch.

My congratulations to Richard for receiving this award for his excellent service to the ICCF. It is fully deserved.

Ian M Pheby
President, EFCC

Addendum by Andrew Dearnley :

GM Richard Hall (pictured left) receives the Bertl Von Massow Gold Medal from ICCF President Eric Ruch, this week in Vilnius at the 2019 Congress. Richard has worked tirelessly for ICCF for 15 years, as Chair of the ICCF arbitration committee and has now retired from this post after meteoric service. Congratulations Richard!

Congratulations to the following players whose titles were presented at the same ceremony in Vilnius;

Praveen Rallabandi - Senior International Master
Stephen Cade - International Master
Brian Thompson - International Master
Jo Wharrier - International Master

All congress voting results are available to be viewed on ICCF.com
Next year the congress will be hosted by our Scottish Federation friends in Glasgow.

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EFCC Games Database

Guide to Correspondence Chess

This document, written by Neil Limbert, is an excellent introduction to correspondence chess for new players; download it from here.

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