Monday, 16th October 2023
Phill Beckett
EFCC president Ian Pheby with his silver medal and certificate from the A section for Officials.
Thursday, 12th October 2023
Phill Beckett
In a replay of the historic match London lost by a wide margin.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Friday, 6th October 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Jim Nierobisz with ICCF ID 211586 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert. Congratulations.
Thursday, 5th October 2023
Phill Beckett
The EFCC is sad to announce the sudden death of George Hollands. We offer our condolences to his wife and young family.
Tuesday, 3rd October 2023
Phill Beckett
Welsh Team Win European Gold
We congratulate our chess friends from Wales on their tremendous achievement in winning the European Championship. They were the lowest ranked team in the final.
Well Done !
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Monday, 2nd October 2023
Phill Beckett
After two rounds of closely fought matches we can look forward to two closely fought matches against Spain - Cross Table (iccf.com)
and Italy - Cross Table (iccf.com) .
We are closely matched in terms of grading so we can expect two titanic struggles.
Sunday, 1st October 2023
Phill Beckett
Photo of Tim Spanton - a member of the team which won the Bronze medals in the George Pyrich Memorial final.
Saturday, 16th September 2023
Phill Beckett
Photo of Tom Herman - a member of the team which won the Bronze medals in the George Pyrich Memorial final.
Saturday, 16th September 2023
Phill Beckett
Photo of Richard Webster - a member of the team which won the Bronze medals in the George Pyrich Memorial final.
Thursday, 14th September 2023
Phill Beckett
In the last Women's World Championship Dawn Williamson took the Silver Medal finishing in a tie for second place. This was the last world Championship for Women as the ICCF has abolished gender specific events.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Thursday, 14th September 2023
Phill Beckett
We wish our players good luck in the Candidates events for the World Championship.
Finishing in the top two will earn them a place in the World Championship Final.
Richard Hall in Section 1 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Ian Pheby in Section 2 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Alan Rawlings in Section 3 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Thursday, 14th September 2023
Phill Beckett
Photo of Mike Richardt - a member of the team which won the Bronze medals in the George Pyrich Memorial final.
Thursday, 14th September 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Jonathan Curry-Machado with ICCF ID 213237 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert. Congratulations.
Thursday, 14th September 2023
Phill Beckett
The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player George Hollands with ICCF ID 211994 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.
Monday, 11th September 2023
John Rhodes
Our next Executive Committee Meeting will be held on Saturday 14th October, 2023 in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
If any eligible EFCC members have anything that they would like discussed at our meeting, please email me at - contact@efcchess.org.uk
by 23rd September 2023 at the latest.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
Pinned - Updated on Tuesday, 29th August 2023
Keith Kitson
Is your name on this list?
As of 29th August 2023 the following entries have been received so far for the 2023-25 British C.C. Championship:
Peter Ackley, Matthew W. Bailey, Philip Barber, Paul A. Batchelor, Phillip J. Beckett, William Bishop, Trevor S. Brotherton, Graeme Carey, Steve Cole, Alastair Cowan, Valerie Craven, Matthew Cutler, Les Ellis, Allan Gardner, Oliver Graham, David J. Grobler, Terry Hart, Tom Herman, Gregory Hughes, Kay Joslin, Steve Law, Arnold Marchant, Ian J. Mason, Paul R. Munro, Jim Nierobisz, Andrew Pearce, Richard David Perrin, Kevin D. Plant, Eugene Raby, Alan J. C. Rawlings, Mike Richardt, Steven Roberts, Josh Robinson, Robert Różański, Alan Ruffle, Helen Sherwood, Russell Sherwood, Iain Sneddon, Alan B. Sutton, Kevin J. Thurlow, James Toon, John Vivante-Sowter, Marc R. Wakeham, Richard Ward, Francis Watson, Richard Webster, Ben A. Wood, Stephen Woodhouse.
Note: from the current entries there is only 1 player rated over 2400 and 10 rated above 2360.
If you entered last year and are considering entering this year, please do not leave it until the last minute. The closing date of the 31st August is looming, with only 2 days remaining. Your entry will not be valid if made after the 31st August.
It is not too later to enter!
To reiterate: Entries can be made directly to the Tournament Organiser, Keith Kitson or via the National Federation. Please note that these are the only entry routes for this event.
The closing date for entries is 31st August 2023.
Keith Kitson
BCCC Tournament Organiser
Monday, 21st August 2023
Phill Beckett
The current world champion Jon Edwards (USA) at the ICCF congress in Amsterdam.
Saturday, 5th August 2023
Phill Beckett
We wish them all success in their events.
Monday, 31st July 2023
Dave Kilgour (Scotland), Phill Beckett (England) and 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 Championship, one or more candidate’s sections 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
There is a first prize of £100 and a second prize of £50.
Entries close on August 31st and play is due to commence in September 2023. Entries can be made directly to Tournament Organiser, Keith Kitson 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.
For more details, please contact Keith Kitson or Phillip Beckett.
Entries and the entry fee of £12 should be received by Keith Kitson no later than 31st August 2023. If you have a qualification to a specific division, please state this at the time of entry.
Sent by Dave Kilgour (Scotland), Phill Beckett (England) and Russell Sherwood (Wales)
Tuesday, 25th July 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Stephen Hooker with ICCF ID 213068 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert. Congratulations.
Saturday, 15th July 2023
Ian Pheby
The 3rd English Veterans Championship final is now complete. Congratulations to:
First place: Leslie K. G. Eastoe
Equal second place: Michael J. Blake, Michael B. Squires, Peter L. Coleman.
The cross table for the tournament can be found at www.iccf.com/event?id=97337
Ian M Pheby
TO, 3rd EVCCC
Monday, 10th July 2023
Phill Beckett
In the recently concluded North Seas Event England finished fourth behind Germany I, Sweden and Belgium.
We defeated Sweden and Denmark, drew with Belgium, Germany 2, Netherlands and Scotland, losing narrowly to Germany 1 and Norway.
Individual Results
1. Les Ellis 8 draws
2. Ken Owen 8 draws
3. James Wilkinson 8 draws
4 Arnold Marchant 8 draws
5 Stephen Woodhouse 1 win 7 draws
6 Stephen Ruthen 2 wins 4 draws 2 losses
Well played.
See detailed results at Cross Table (iccf.com)
Monday, 10th July 2023
Phill Beckett
The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Kenneth Watkins with ICCF ID 212686 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.
Sunday, 2nd July 2023
Ian Pheby
It is my sad duty to inform everyone of the death of Peter C Gibbs. He was 89 years old.
Peter made a significant contribution to the EFCC where he held several posts namely:
EFCC Auditor from 1965 to 1971
British Veterans CCC Tournament Organiser from 2000 to 2011
EFCC President from 1988 to 1991
Peter also was a member of several of EFCC’s sub-committees at various times between 1965 and 2007.
Peter won the British Veterans Correspondence Chess Championship in 1999-2000. Here is one of Peter’s wins in this Championship against an ICCF International Master:
Gibbs,Peter C - Shaw,SS [B17]
BVCCC, 1999
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 Bd6 8.Qe2 h6 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 Nf6 11.Qe2 Qc7 12.Bd2 b6 13.O-O-O Bb7 14.Ne5 c5 15.Bb5+ Ke7 16.dxc5 Qxc5 17.a3 Nd5 18.Kb1 g5 19.c4 Nf4 20.Bxf4 gxf4 21.Rxd6 Qxd6 22.Qh5 Be4+ 23.Kc1 Rh7 24.Rd1 Bd5 25.cxd5 exd5 26.Bc4 f3 27.gxf3 Qf6 28.Rxd5 Qg5+ 29.Qxg5+ hxg5 30.Rd7+ Kf8 31.Kd2 Re8 32.Rxf7+ Rxf7 33.Nxf7 1-0
On behalf of the EFCC, my condolences to Peter’s family, friends, and colleagues at this sad time.
Ian M Pheby
EFCC President
Sunday, 2nd July 2023
Ian Pheby
I am pleased to report that Jo has qualified for the Final of Veterans World Cup 12 which is being contested by fifteen players. Jo qualified through Preliminary and Semi-final stages to play in this important Category 6 tournament where a prize fund of 2,600 Euros is available to the successful players.
The cross table of the tournament may be found at www.iccf.com/event?id=102538
The EFCC wishes Jo good luck in his games and hopes he has a successful tournament.
Ian M Pheby
EFCC President
Thursday, 30th June 2023
Phill Beckett
Congress Proposals - Proposals (iccf.com)
The proposals will be debated at Congress. If anyone would like to express their opinions, please get in touch with the International Secretary via the website link.
Sunday, 18th June 2023
Phill Beckett
Teams for the
Francois Riva Memorial Team Tournament
England A
1 Ian Mason
2 Tim Spanton
3 Arnold Marchant
4 James Toon
5 Stephen Hooker
6 Valerie Craven
Follow their progress in Semi Final 1 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
They will be crossing swords with Scotland.
England B
1 Steve Cole
2 John Vivante-Sowter
3 Brian Herriot
4 Robert Rozanski
5 Peter Cunningham
6 Alan Sutton
Follow their progress in Semi Final 3 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
They will be crossing swords with Wales A
Monday, 5th June 2023
Phill Beckett
We wish our players the best of luck in securing places in the Candidates section of the World Championship.
They will need to finish in the first two places in their section (it will be tough).
Les Ellis in section 1 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Gary Maquire in section 3 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Jo Wharrier in section 4 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Ajoy Mukherjee in section 5 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Monday, 1st May 2023
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to the four joint winners : Harry Gromotka, Allan Buchan, Stan Grayland and Keith Kitson.
The results and games can be accessed by following the link - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Monday, 1st May 2023
Phill Beckett
Bruce has won the Ray Pomeroy Memorial Section E by a clear point dropping only one draw.
The table and games can be seen by following the link - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Wednesday, 26th April 2023
Phill Beckett
The Match against the USA has concluded and we clinched victory by two points - Cross Table (iccf.com)
We were in a group with France and the USA. We drew with France (all games drawn) and France only beat the USA by a single point. So we have sneaked through on tie break.
Well played all of the team.
Sunday, 23rd April 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Robert Marks with ICCF ID 212535 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF International Master.
This title is now pending and subject to confirmation of the results of the final norm by the tournament director, and of the title by the qualifications commissioner.
Friday, 7th April 2023
Phill Beckett
In the second round of the world knock out England have drawn their match against France - Cross Table (iccf.com)
We are in a group with the USA and France.
Currently we lead the USA by two points with two games still in play - Cross Table (iccf.com)
and France lead USA 20-19 with one game in play.
It is going to be close!
Tuesday, 4th April 2023
Ian Pheby
The ICCF is holding VWC14 which is being organised by the Netherlands Federation for Correspondence Chess (NBC). Entries can now be made by either Direct Entry (Click on “New entries” then “World Cups” then “Enter”), or through the National Federation at https://efcchess.org.uk (entry fee £10.00 per entry).
The tournament is open to all players who are at least 60 years old on 1st September 2023.
The tournament will be held in three stages with a total prize fund of 6,000 Euros which will be distributed between the three stages once the total entry is known. Medals will also be awarded to the first three places in the final.
It is envisaged that groups at the preliminary and semi-final stages will comprise of 11 players (10 games) or 13 players (12 games) played by webserver with a rate of play of 550 days Triple Block without "guaranteed time". The final will be played with "guaranteed time".
Although the number of preliminary groups which each player may enter is unlimited, no player will qualify for more than two semi-final groups or for more than one place in the final.
The closing date for entries is 25th July 2023.
The full announcement may be seen on the ICCF website at https://iccf.com/message?message=1611
Good luck!
Ian M Pheby
EFCC President
Saturday, 1st April 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Arnold Marchant with ICCF ID 210690 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Saturday, 25th March 2023
Ian Pheby
England has finished in sixth place out of thirteen Federations in Olympiad Final 21. England finished only half a point behind third place. All of the team produced a very good performance. They were in board order: 1. GM Nigel Robson; 2. GM Richard V.M. Hall; 3. SIM Harvey D. Williamson; 4. SIM Praveen Kumar Rallabandi; 5. SIM Nigel G. Burne; 6. SIM Ian M Pheby. Congratulations to all those who represented England in this important event.
The best performance was produced by SIM Praveen Kumar Rallabandi who won his board and narrowly missed obtaining a GM Norm.
The event was won by Germany who finished one and a half points ahead of England.
The cross table may be found at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=83159
Ian Pheby
England Captain
Wednesday, 22nd March 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Kevin J. Thurlow with ICCF ID 210507 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Monday, 20th March 2023
Phill Beckett
Wales beat England.
Our friends from Wales scored a victory against England - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Thursday, 16th March 2023
Phill Beckett
Alan Barker died 13 March 2023 aged 60.
A keen football fan, Liverpool being his favourite team.
He loved going to see rock bands live.
But his main hobby was correspondence chess playing for a number of different teams over 40+ years.
Condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
Wednesday, 15th March 2023
Phill Beckett
The player Mark Gittens with ICCF ID 213184 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Tuesday, 14th March 2023
Phill Beckett
The English Championship is under way. Follow the progress of the events :
Championship Cross Table (iccf.com)
Semi Final A Cross Table (iccf.com)
Semi Final B Cross Table (iccf.com)
Preliminary Group Cross Table (iccf.com)
Thursday, 9th March 2023
Phill Beckett
The following English players are taking part in the first stage of the World Championship.
Richard Webster in section 1 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Brian Thompson in section 2 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Dawn Williamson in section 3 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Keith Kitson in section 5 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Les Ellis in section 8 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Ian Maver in section 9 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Richard Ward in section 13 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Frank McDermott in section 14 Cross Table (iccf.com)
Winners and Runners-up qualify for the next round.
We wish them all good luck.
Sunday, 26th February 2023
John Rhodes
Agenda for the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
to be held on Saturday 18th March 2023 in Biggleswade, Befordshire.
1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of the Last Meeting (12th March 2022)
3. Matters Arising
4. General Secretary’s Report (John)
5. International Secretary’s Report (Phill)
6. Treasurer’s Report (Ian)
7. Election of Officers :-
President
General Secretary
International Secretary
Treasurer
Auditor
8. Any Other Business
John Rhodes 26/02/2023
Monday, 20th February 2023
Phill Beckett
Cross Table (iccf.com).
We have a new friendly v Romania
It will be close.
Sunday, 12th February 2023
John Rhodes
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Executive Committee Meeting (EC) of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess will be held in Bedfordshire, on Saturday 18th March 2023.
If any EFCC Patrons have any questions or comments to raise at our AGM or EC Meetings, please email - contact@efcchess.org.uk
by 25th February 2023.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
Saturday, 4th February 2023
Phill Beckett
A great team performance resulted in England going through the event undefeated -
beating Lithuania 1, Switzerland, Portugal and Slovakia - and drawing with Slovenia, Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Lithuania 2, Panama, Latvia and Germany.
Individual performances :
Tom Herman 6/12 (no losses)
Richard Webster 6.5/12 (no losses)
Mike Richardt 6.5/12 (no losses)
Barry Shepard 6/12 (no losses)
Tim Spanton 6/12 (no losses)
Nigel Norman 7.5.12 (no losses)
Cross Table (iccf.com).
Monday, 30th January 2023
Phill Beckett
We have a new friendly against Cuba (starting 12/2/23).
Follow the progress : Cross Table (iccf.com).
The gradings look fairly even, so a tight match is in prospect.
Good luck to all our players.
Monday, 30th January 2023
Joint British Committee
The Joint British Committee is pleased to announce the 2023 Counties and Districts Correspondence Chess Championship.
As in the past the event will be made up of 3 Divisions of teams of 8 players, using the Hutton pairing system. As each player only undertakes 2 games, this is an ideal event for both new and experienced players.
The closing date for entries is the 17th of February, with an expected start date of the 1st of March, leading to an end date of 29/01/2024 with any remaining games going to Adjudication. The entry fee is £15 per team and entries should be sent to the Tournament Organiser, Russell Sherwood (Wales), who will confirm payment options.
Players in established teams should contact their team captains. New players wishing to take part should contact Phil Beckett (ENG) , Gordon Anderson (SCO) or Russell Sherwood (Wales) for encouragement and advice on possible teams. As a reminder, place of birth, education or residence are all valid qualification reasons for team membership.
The rules may be found here.
Saturday, 29th January 2023
Phill Beckett
England 2 finished in last place, but we were the weakest team by over 100 points per board!
There were some good individual performances:
Board one Peter Cunningham 2/6
Board two Richard Perrin 3/6 (no losses)
Board three Arnold Marchant 3 1/2 / 6 (best score on board)
Board four Duncan Chambers 2/6
Board five Bob Beddoe 1 1/2 /6
Board six Peter Ackley 1 1/2 /6
All fought hard!
We lost three matches by a single point against Germany 1, Australia and Romania.
All games and results can be seen at Cross Table (iccf.com)
Friday, 28th January 2023
Phill Beckett
Memorial Sébastien Marez (FRA)
The French Federation invited players from England to participate.
Bill Lumley will represent England in Section A.
Jo Wharrier and Leslie Eastoe will represent England in Section B.
Invitational tournament organized and sponsored by AJEC in memoriam of Sebastien Marez, who passed away in 2022 and has been a senior AJEC official for many years.
Memorial Sébastien Marez A
13 players
Round robin tournament
Cat. 8 - 9
Prizes: (will be shared by the players with the same number of points, no tie break will apply)
500€ for the first place,
300€ for the second place,
200€ for the third place.
Memorial Sébastien Marez B
13 players
Round robin tournament
Cat. 5 - 6
Prizes: (will be shared by the players with the same number of points, no tie break will apply)
500€ for the first place,
300€ for the second place,
200€ for the third place.
We wish them good fortune in the event.
Monday, 23rd January 2023
Ian M Pheby
As of 22nd January 2023 the following entries have been received so far for the 4th English CC Championship:
Nigel Aitken; Matthew W. Bailey; Phillip J. Beckett; Doug Beer; Michael J. Blake; Trevor S. Brotherton; Graeme Carey; Steve Cole; Peter L. Coleman; Alastair Cowan; Valerie Craven; Matthew Cutler; Aadishesh Devalia; Danny Dixon; Les Ellis; Clive F. Girling; Brian G. E. Gosling; David Hardingham; Graham S. Hassell; George Hollands; Stephen Hooker; Stephen J. Hughes; Kay Joslin; Keith Kitson; Arnold Marchant; Frank J. McDermott; Peter S. Morton; Nigel Norman; Richard David Perrin; Ian M. Pheby; Kevin D. Plant; Alan J. C. Rawlings; Anthony Arthur Roberts; Stephen Roberts; Robert Różański; Alan Ruffle; Tony Stiles; Alan B. Sutton; Joshua Edwin Ben Swindells; Brian Thompson; James Toon; Francis Watson; Richard Webster; Stephen Woodhouse.
It is not too later to enter! Details of how to enter are given in the announcement of this Championship as listed on this website. The closing date for entries is 1st February 2023.
Ian M Pheby
EFCC President
Tuesday, 20th December 2022
Phill Beckett
Good luck to our players in the semi finals ;
Ben Wood in semi Final 1 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Phill Beckett in semi Final 2 - Cross Table (iccf.com)
There are three semi finals so it is likely a top four finish should get a place in the final.
Tuesday, 20th December 2022
Ian M Pheby
The following entries have been received so far for the 4th English CC Championship:
Matthew W. Bailey; Phillip J. Beckett; Michael J. Blake; Alastair Cowan; Valerie Craven; Danny Dixon; Brian G. E. Gosling; Graham S. Hassell; George Hollands; Stephen Hooker; Stephen J. Hughes; Kay Joslin; Keith Kitson; Arnold Marchant; Frank J. McDermott; Peter S. Morton; Ian M. Pheby; Anthony Arthur Roberts; Stephen Roberts; Robert Różański; Alan Ruffle; Tony Stiles; Alan B. Sutton; Joshua Edwin Ben Swindells; Brian Thompson; James Toon; Richard Webster; Stephen Woodhouse.
It is not too later to enter! Details of how to enter are given in the announcement of this Championship as listed on this website. The closing date for entries is 1st February 2023.
Ian M Pheby,
EFCC President
Saturday, 17th December 2022
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to the following who have qualifications for the preliminaries of the World Championships.
Edward Holland, Keith Kitson, Gerard Le-Marchel, Ian Maver, Frank McDermott, John Pugh, Richard Webster, David Weldon and Richard Ward.
Other players may qualify via title, grades etc. details of which are explained on the ICCF Home Page :
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Wednesday, 14th December 2022
Ian M Pheby
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 2023 will prove to be a better year for everyone.
I also hope that you enjoy success in your games in 2023 and beyond.
Ian M Pheby, EFCC President
Tuesday, 13th December 2022
John Rhodes
The EFCC Executive Committee announce that an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be held on 21st January 2023 at 10:30am as a Zoom meeting. Eligible players wishing to attend the meeting should register their interest with the EFCC Secretary, John Rhodes, by no later than 21st December 2022 by email to . The business of the EGM shall be "Proposals to amend the EFCC Constitution.". The EFCC Secretary will inform registered players of the Zoom address in due course.
John D Rhodes
EFCC General Secretary
Saturday, 10th December 2022
Phill Beckett
We have arranged a match for players new to UCCF, most of whom do not have a grade. It starts soon and should be both fast and exciting.
Good luck to the English players:
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Friday, 9th December 2022
Phill Beckett
Praveen Rallabandi is one step away from World Championship Final:
Cross Table (iccf.com)
In an incredibly close event (only two decisive games) Praveen edged home on tie break.
He will qualify for the next cycle of the World Championship Candidates and if he wins, a place in the World Championship Final.
Friday, 9th December 2022
Phill Beckett
English Success in 7th Webserver Final:
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Praveen Rallabandi, Ian Pheby and Tom Herman were in joint third position - another incredibly tight event.
Wednesday, 16th November 2022
Phill Beckett
This tournament is being held in memory of Raymond J Pomeroy who, amongst his other interests, organised the United Kingdom’s Civil Service correspondence chess teams for fifty years despite periods of serious ill-health. He was elected as a Vice-President of the Civil Service Chess Association (CSCA) and the London Civil Service, Post Office and Municipal Chess League (LCSPO&MCL) in 1993 for his outstanding services to Civil Service chess.
That Ray has carried out all of his responsibilities to a significantly high standard for the benefit of so many chess players throughout the United Kingdom testifies to his determination and his commitment which few equal. Without Ray’s excellent work, correspondence chess in particular within various Bodies including the CSCA would likely to have ceased.
In memory of Ray Pomeroy we have six sections:
Section A
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Section B
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Section C
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Section D
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Section E
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Section F
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Wednesday, 16th November 2022
Ian M Pheby
Congratulations to Stephen Hooker for winning the 3rd English Veterans Championship Semi-Final B with an unbeaten score of 6½ out of 8.
Stephen has, subject to entry, qualified for the 4th EVCCC Championship Final which will start in March 2024.
Ian M Pheby, TO
Tuesday, 1st November 2022
Ian M Pheby
Congratulations to Tony Steward Anderson for winning the 3rd English Veterans Championship Semi-Final A with an unbeaten score of 6½ out of 8.
Tony has, subject to entry, qualified for the 4th EVCCC Championship Final which will start in March 2024.
Ian M Pheby, TO
Sunday, 30th October 2022
Phill Beckett
Anthony Thistlewood Level 2 TD
Anthony Thistlewood has now served as a Tournament Director (TD) for over 200 completed games, and therefore has automatically been promoted from a Level 1 TD to a Level 2 TD.
Trevor Brotherton
The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Trevor S. Brotherton with ICCF ID 210823 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.
Congratulations to both.
Friday, 28th October 2022
Phill Beckett
Paul Pope with his IA certificate and medal.
Congratulations.
Thursday, 27th October 2022
Stan Grayland
Announcement for the 4th English CC Championship!
The English Federation of Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce that the 4th English Correspondence Chess Championship (ECCC) will be held which will start in March 2023. All English players are invited to enter England’s premier tournament!
The entry fee is still £12.00.
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: https://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 “4th 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”.
The closing date for entries is 1st February 2023. 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)
Thursday, 27th October 2022
Phill Beckett
England were beaten by Norway in the recently completed Friendly International.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
There were several highlights, most notable George Wharam's defeat of GM Raymond Boger 1.5-0.5
Friday, 21st October 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Philip Barber with ICCF ID 218010 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Wednesday, 19th October 2022
Phill Beckett
All the chess community will be sad to hear of the sudden death of our chess friend John Mair. Our condolences are extended to his family and friends.
Sunday, 16th October 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Trevor S. Brotherton with ICCF ID 210823 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Tuesday, 11th October 2022
Phill Beckett
Valerie Craven with her CCE certificate.
Tuesday, 11th October 2022
Phill Beckett
The player John S. Shaw with ICCF ID 212835 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Thursday, 29th September 2022
Phill Beckett
The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Philip Barber with ICCF ID 218010 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.
Congratulations.
Tuesday, 27th September 2022
Phill Beckett
George Wharam with his IM certificate.
Friday, 23rd September 2022
Phill Beckett
England v Philippines - Cross Table (iccf.com)
A Friendly against ICCF's newest member the Philippines.
England v Indonesia - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Both look closely matched so follow the progress.
Monday, 19th September 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Valerie Craven has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Sunday, 18th September 2022
Phill Beckett
All the tables can now be seen on the ICCF website.
Penrose Memorial Championship 2022-2024
Penrose Memorial Candidates A 2022-2024
Penrose Memorial Candidates B 2022-2024
Penrose Memorial Reserves 2022-2024
Norms are available in the Championship and Candidates.
The Reserves are using the Silli pairing system so that all players get 14 games.
Sunday, 18th September 2022
John Rhodes
Our next Executive Committee Meeting will be held on Saturday 22nd October 2022 in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
If any EFCC Members have anything that they would like discussed at our meeting, please email me contact@efcchess.org.uk
by 30th September 2022 at the latest.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
Thursday, 15th September 2022
Phill Beckett
James Wilkinson with his CCM medal.
Monday, 12th September 2022
Phill Beckett
Colin Hipwell with his IA medal and certificate.
Friday, 9th September 2022
Ian Pheby
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
All of England’s correspondence chess players will join with me in mourning the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who sadly died on 8th September 2022. We will all remember her leadership and devotion to duty which has been an example to us all. Her loss will be deeply felt by many throughout not only England but also throughout the world.
On behalf of all England’s correspondence chess players, I wish to express our deepest sympathies to His Majesty King Charles III and other members of the Royal Family at this extremely sad time.
God save the King.
Ian M Pheby
President, English Federation for Correspondence Chess
New Title
Thursday, 8th September 2022
Phill Beckett
The player James P. Wilkinson with ICCF ID 210332 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Tuesday, 6th September 2022
Phill Beckett
Chess players from around the world will be sad to hear of the death of Chris. He had fought a valiant battle against cancer for the last ten years. He will be sadly missed.
Richard Hall in Candidates
Monday, 5th September 2022
Phill Beckett
We wish Richard Hall good luck in the World Championship Candidates where the top two players qualify for a place in the World Final.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Tribute to Ray Pomeroy
Sunday, 4th September 2022
Phill Beckett
Ray recently received an ECF President’s Award for his services to chess shortly before he died, and his citation which appears on the ECF website is as follows:
Ray Pomeroy
Nominated by Kevin J Thurlow
As a representative of the London Hostels Association Sports & Social Committee Ray Pomeroy was on the committee that founded the Monck Street Civil Service Sports & Social Club in the late 1960s. Ray has played water polo and cricket, played and refereed rugby, and is also interested in bird-watching. Ray started organizing chess in 1961 at school and has continued ever since.
He joined Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) in 1963 and played for Credex. He ran the Civil Service Team Correspondence Chess League from 1973 to 1978 and in his second year he built the number of teams which played from 12 to 47. Ray was the Civil Service Correspondence Chess Individual Tournament Organizer from 1973 to 1980.
Ray started organising the Civil Service teams in the British Correspondence Chess League in 1973 and he continues to this day! He has been the Civil Service Correspondence Chess Team Captain since 1973, at one stage running ten teams.
He was also the Civil Service match captain in OTB matches from 1973/4 to 1976/7. Over and above these valuable contributions, he was also an OTB League Recorder from 1980 to 1988.
Ray Pomeroy was elected as a Vice-President of the Civil Service Chess Association (CSCA) and the London Civil Service, Post Office and Municipal Chess League (LCSPO&MCL) in 1993 for his outstanding services to Civil Service chess.
Ray has also been the controller of division 2 of the British Correspondence Chess League, as well as a member of the Macclesfield Chess Club, Lytham & St. Annes Chess Club, the National Correspondence Chess Club, and the Social Correspondence Chess Association where he was the tournament controller.
Ray Pomeroy’s contribution to chess for over fifty years is quite outstanding! He has carried out these duties despite periods of serious ill-health. It is well known how difficult it is to find people willing to carry out committee work. That Ray has carried out all of his responsibilities to a significantly high standard for the benefit of so many chess players throughout the United Kingdom testifies to his determination and his commitment which few equal. Without Ray’s excellent work, correspondence
chess in particular within various Bodies including the CSCA would likely to have ceased.
We offer our condolences to his family, he will be greatly missed.
Two Tough Games for England in Second Round of World Team Cup
Thursday, 1st September 2022
Phill Beckett
After beating Croatia in the First Round England have two tough games;
V USA
Cross Table (iccf.com)
v France
Cross Table (iccf.com)
England Edge Close Match With Sweden
Thursday, 1st September 2022
Phill Beckett
England beat Sweden by a single point -
Cross Table (iccf.com)
The last game to finish clinched the match as the teams were tied. Mark Pooley kept his head and scored the decisive point ! -
ICCF Game
Alan Rawlings Successes
Saturday, 27th July 2022
Phill Beckett
First Place in the 70th ICCF Jubilee event for officials C -
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Second Place in WCCC44SF 6 which qualifies for a place in the World Championship Candidates -
Cross Table (iccf.com)
CCM Arthur F. Reed RIP
Monday, 22nd August 2022
John Rhodes
CCM Arthur F. Reed RIP
On Friday 19th August 2022 Correspondence Chess Master Arthur Reed passed away in hospital. Arthur had been playing correspondence chess for Hertfordshire for thirty-five years he was telling me just a fortnight before his death and was looking forward to starting another season towards the end of the year. He played on the ICCF server from 1996 and has since completed over 900 games winning about 25% of them. He regained his high rating of 2285 achieved in 1999, having a break between 2003-2010, with a projected rating of 2285 in 2022. He played in 116 tournaments and gained his CCE title in 2019 and his CCM title in 2021.
Arthur had a lively attacking style as anyone who played him would agree and as one player said “I always enjoyed my games against Arthur”. He will be greatly missed by his Hertfordshire team mates and by players around the world.
John Rhodes
Report from the ICCF Congress (Glasgow)
Tuesday, 16th August 2022
Phill Beckett
The following is my report from the Congress (Summary of main points).
The references are to the agenda items (Note some were done in a different order).
002 ICCF services protection was passed (with a 2/3 majority)
006 Cape Verde dismissed from ICCF
007 Russia's suspension reconfirmed
008 Belarus suspension reconfirmed
009 Services committee Budget approved
010 Next Congress will take place in Amsterdam next year
020 The Black tie tie break was defeated
021 Suggested new flag rules was defeated
022 New voting schedule confirmed
023 Discarded as 030 adopted
024 Discarded as 030 adopted
025 Withdrawn
026 Deceased players will no longer be shown on the suspension list
028 IAs will need to do a refresher test every year passed
(029 030 ) Simplification of withdrawal system was passed
031 Dead Man's Defence revision was defeated so it remains the same ie. the TD can only warn the player
032 A simplified system of applying for IA title was passed
033A & 033B were taken together and this defined those withdrawals in Silli system games will be adjudicated
034 The best result on top board in Olympiads qualifies for a GM norm assuming it is at least +1 was passed
035 draw offer restriction in standard play events was defeated
036 draw offer restriction in Triple Block events was also defeated
037 New structure of fees confirmed
038 Fee reduction for developing nations confirmed
039 Each federation will be given some free entries to use how they choose this was passed
040 ICCF will donate 6000 euros to the Federation organising Congress passed
041 Zones must submit audited accounts to ICCF passed
042 This was a slightly amended version of 2 this was also passed but 2 takes precedence
043 A new Super Regional Controller was approved in principle this ensures that European and other regional events (with more than 6 nations can be arranged)
044 A proposal to establish a new European Zone was defeated so no new European Zone
050A A new rating system to be introduced passed
050B A proposal to rate Balck wins more highly was defeated
050C A Players guide to grading to be written and made available to all players was passed
Pictures from the Opening of the ICCF Congress (Glasgow)
Monday, 15th August 2022
Phill Beckett
Scottish Chess President opening the congress.
Scottish Folk group which provided entertainment at the opening ceremony.
ICCF Congress Award Presentation
Monday, 15th August 2022
Phill Beckett
Peter Rice receiving his IM award at Congress Glasgow.
Rice family celebration of Peter's IM title.
New Title
Monday, 25th July 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Kevin D. Plant with ICCF ID 211509 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
The British Correspondence Chess Championship (BCCC)
Thursday, 21st July 2022
Gordon Anderson (Scotland), Phill Beckett (England) and 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 Championship, one or more candidate’s sections 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 31st and play is due to commence in September 2022. Entries can be made directly to Tournament Organiser, Phill Beckett 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.
For more details please contact your National Federation or Phillip Beckett ().
Entries and the entry fee of £12 should be received by Phill Beckett no later than 31st August 2022.
Sent by Russell Sherwood (Wales), Phill Beckett (England) and Gordon Anderson (Scotland)
World Semi-Finals
Monday, 18th July 2022
Phill Beckett
Good Luck to our players Ian Pheby, Angus James, Jo Wharrier and John Pugh.
Ian Pheby Cross Table (iccf.com)
Angus James Cross Table (iccf.com)
Jo Wharrier Cross Table (iccf.com)
John Pugh Cross Table (iccf.com)
We wish them all luck in these tough sections.
70th ICCF Jubilee Event for Officials A2
Saturday, 9th July 2022
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to Ian Pheby who finished in second place in this strong event.
The cross table may be seen at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91044
3rd English Championship Final
Monday, 4th July 2022
Ian Pheby
The 3rd English Championship Final is now complete. Congratulations to the following winners:
Equal first place: Praveen Kumar Rallabandi and Brian Thompson with a score of 8/14 (both receive a trophy for retention and £225 in prize money).
Equal third place: Michael B. Squires and Michael J. Blake with a score of 7½/14 (both receive £75 in prize money).
The cross table may be seen at https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91202
Ian M Pheby
EFCC President
Horst Rittner Team Tournament
Thursday, 23rd June 2022
Phill Beckett
Pairings now out !
England entered two teams in this event. You can follow their progress as follows:
England A who are top seeds in their section;
Cross Table (iccf.com)
England B are up against it being bottom seeds in their section!
Cross Table (iccf.com)
We wish both teams success.
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament Final
Thursday, 23rd June 2022
Phill Beckett
Strong England Team among the favourites in the Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament Final.
England have the strongest team in the under 2300 event final. Their average grade is over 2300! This apparent anomaly is that the team needed to be Under 2300 in the preliminaries, but they have improved!
Cross Table (iccf.com)
London v Edinburgh Match
Thursday, 23rd June 2022
Phill Beckett
Historic Match Re-enacted
The Edinburgh Chess Club is the oldest chess club in Scotland, established in 1822 and one of the oldest chess clubs in the world. As part of the Club's bi-centenary celebrations this match against London is being played as a sequel to their original match with London which started in 1824.
Follow the progress;
Cross Table (iccf.com)
New Titles
Sunday, 19th June 2022
Phill Beckett
Keith Kitson has now served as a Tournament Director (TD) for over 200 completed games, and therefore has automatically been promoted from a Level 1 TD to a Level 2 TD.
The player George Hollands with ICCF ID 211994 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations to both.
70th ICCF Jubilee event for officials Section E
Wednesday, 8th June 2022
Phill Beckett
Congratulations to Phill Beckett and Ben wood who took second and third place respectively in the 70th ICCF Jubilee event for officials Section E.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
German International events
Wednesday, 8th June 2022
Phill Beckett
The following players will be competing in the Germany Invitation events due to start shortly. We wish them every success.
| ENG | SIM | 212704 | Rallabandi, Praveen Kumar | 2477 | GER AM 07 A |
| ENG | IM | 210108 | Wharrier, Jo A. | 2435 | GER Candidate Master 08 A |
| ENG | SIM | 210514 | Pheby, Ian M. | 2422 | GER M 10 - B |
| ENG | IM | 211229 | Ellis, Les | 2417 | GER Candidate Master 08 A |
| ENG | CCM | 210717 | Blake, Michael J. | 2386 | GER Candidate Master 08 B |
| ENG | IM | 211906 | Rice, Peter | 2383 | GER Candidate Master 08 B |
| ENG | CCM | 210370 | Owen, K. J. | 2370 | Germany CCMCCE 05 A |
| ENG | LGM | 212314 | Williamson, Dawn L. | 2366 | Germany CCMCCE 05 A |
New International Match v Mexico
Thursday, 26th May 2022
Phill Beckett
We have a new match against our Chess Friends from Mexico.
The grades are fairly well matched and we look forward to a close encounter.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
New Title
Tuesday, 24th May 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Alastair Cowan with ICCF ID 212819 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
New Title
Sunday, 22nd May 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Clive F. Girling with ICCF ID 210919 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament SF4
Friday, 20th May 2022
Phill Beckett
The England 1 team qualified for the final by finishing second in their semi final.
England defeated all the other teams losing only to the Italian team on tie break, both teams finishing with 31 points. England lost having suffered their only defeat to Italy.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Well done and good luck in the final.
New Title
Friday, 20th May 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Colin J. Lyne with ICCF ID 210641 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
2022 WCCC Preliminaries
Monday, 16th May 2022
Phill Beckett
- 15 Sections with 13 players each (189 players + 6 double entries)
- Average rating of players in any Section: 2346
- Players from 49 different countries
- 1 or 2 players from the most represented countries and no more than 1 player from the other countries in each Section
- 2 GM; 16 SIM; 79 IM; 74 CCM; 15 CCE; 1 LGM
- The winner and the runner-up of each Section (i.e. 30 players) qualify to a WCCC Semi-Final
Best wishes to all the English players in the following sections;
Les Ellis in Cross Table (iccf.com)
Alan Rawlings in Cross Table (iccf.com)
Steve Cade in Cross Table (iccf.com)
Switzerland v England 2020
Monday, 16th May 2022
Phill Beckett
England beat Croatia in World Team Cup.
Well played team.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
New Title
Monday, 16th May 2022
Phill Beckett
Congratulations.
The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Clive F. Girling with ICCF ID 210919 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.
Switzerland v England 2020
Thursday, 12th May 2022
Phill Beckett
England were defeated in their recent friendly against Switzerland.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
ICCF Congress Proposal and Results
Thursday, 12th May 2022
Phill Beckett
At the recent ICCF Extraordinary Congress the following motions were debated and passed;
The Russian and Belarusian Federations are now suspended.
Russian and Belarusian players will be able to continue to play games and enter events with isolated player status.
Any Ukrainian games not started by the designated date will go through an automated adjudication process. Whilst this approach has shortcomings, (a) The games cannot be stopped indefinitely and (b) It is a least-worst option in terms of approach.
All the proposals will be reviewed at the Glasgow Congress.
Games involving Russian and Belarusian players should continue as normal. If you do not wish to communicate with your opponent, please request your TD to remove this option.
England Teams for Horst Rittner Team Tournament
Wednesday, 11th May 2022
Phill Beckett
England A
1. Nigel Norman 210619
2. Trevor Brotherton 210823
3. Arnold Marchant 210690
4. Steve Cole 210447
5. John Vivante-Sowter 210953
6. Alan Sutton 211537
England B
1. Peter Ackley 211537
2. Valarie Craven 210605
3. Tony Stewart Anderson 213100
4. Robert Bruce 212273
5. Joe Primrose 211809
6. Graham Carey 212954
New Titles
Wednesday, 27th April 2022
Phill Beckett
A couple of new titles;
IA Title
The EFCC are pleased to congratulate Paul Pope on the recent award of this title. It has involved being TD for over 2000 games.
IM Title
The EFCC are pleased to congratulate George Wharam. At 17 he is certainly the youngest English player to achieve the title and certainly one of the youngest in the world!
It is hoped to feature an article on this achievement.
David Anderton, OBE †
Wednesday, 13th April 2022
Steve Williams
David Anderton, OBE †
02-viii-1941 - 01-iv-2022
Following a two year struggle with cancer, EFCC life patron David Anderton has died. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Doreen and his family. Doreen Anderton also has an ICCF rating as does Matthew Anderton. I can find no better way to begin a tribute than with Malcolm Pein: “A giant of English chess, always a source of good advice, fine administrator and accomplished player.”
As far as our own brand of chess goes, he had been an ICCF IM since 2002. His first recorded rating in the ICCF database was in 1991. Within two years he had played 40 games and achieved the roughly-2400 rating with which he ended his participation in the correspondence game in 2019. He had completed 159 games and his highest rating was 2435 in 2005.
He was taught chess by his father at the age of 5 years and his FIDE rating was a little higher than his ICCF one. He played many more competitive games in the OTB form than by correspondence, about 50 a year. He had travelled as far afield to compete as Argentina, Moscow, Israel and Dubai.
As far as administration goes he was not active in the correspondence federations, but was president of the British Chess Federation from 1979 to 1982, and international director from 1982 to 1990. He was non-playing captain of England OTB teams that won three silver medals and three bronze medals in separate Olympiads beginning in 1982. He lived and worked in the Midlands, having been born in Walsall. His career was in the Law, beginning, as was the custom in his day, as an articled clerk and ending as a district judge. On many occasions during his life he gave freely to chess of his legal expertise.
He was an assiduous collector of chess books and had a huge library of them. His personal contacts helped him secure several business sponsors for chess, being in this respect one of the most successful of English chess enthusiasts. Hoping a good place awaits you, David.
Here is a representative CC game of his:
[White "Anderton, D.W."] [Black "Carleton, J.J."] [Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2400"] [BlackElo "2485"] [EventDate "1992"] [ECO "D38"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Nc6 8.e3 g5 9.Bg3 Ne4 10.Nd2 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bxc3 12.Rc1 Ba5 13.h4 Rg8 14.hxg5 hxg5 15.Bb5 Bd7 16.Qf3 Nb4 17.Rh7 Rf8 18.Rc5 Bb6 19.Ne4 Bc6 20.Nf6+ Ke7 21.Qf5 Qc8 22.Nxd5+ 1-0
Steve Williams, life patron, OTB County Master
Acknowledgments for textual material to: Malcolm Pein, Stewart Reuben, John Rhodes and John Upham.
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament SF4
Sunday, 10th April 2022
Phill Beckett
England qualify for final.
In the Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament SF4, England were edged out on tie break from top spot but still qualified for the final.
They beat Latvia, Germany, Poland, Canada, Finland 2, Wales 2 and Africa....... narrowly losing to Italy.
Congratulations to the team; Sam Brennan, Barry Shepard, Tim Spanton, Arthur Reed, Graham Oliver and Dave Grobler who all scored well.
New Title
Friday, 8th April 2022
Phill Beckett
John D. Rhodes has now served as a Tournament Director (TD) for over 200 completed games, and therefore has automatically been promoted from a Level 1 TD to a Level 2 TD.
New Title
Monday, 4th April 2022
Phill Beckett
The player Mark Gittens with ICCF ID 213184 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert. Congratulations.
Ian Pheby Celebration Events
Saturday, 2nd April 2022
Phill Beckett
The EFCC has decided to honour SIM Ian M Pheby, IA for his long and dedicated service to the ICCF and England in correspondence chess.
Ian has held several posts within the ICCF since 2006 starting as a tournament director and then as a tournament organiser. Ian became an International Arbiter in 2009. In 2010 he was involved in the administration of Special Leave, and in 2011 he became Direct Entry Commissioner for six years. Ian has been the tournament organiser for the ICCF Aspirers tournaments since their inception in 2013, and he was appointed a member of the Tournament Director Committee as it is now known in 2014.
Ian has been the tournament organiser for the successful Veterans’ World Cups 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 on behalf of the ICCF.
Ian was delighted to be awarded the Bertl von Massow Medal in Silver in 2015, and the Bertl von Massow Medal in Gold in 2021 for his services to the ICCF.
For the English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC) Ian has held a variety of posts since 2003 including Games Archivist, tournament organiser for many events, International Secretary, Treasurer since 2020, and President since 2017.
In 2009 Ian was presented with the English Chess Federation President’s Award for his services to chess.
Ian wishes to thank everyone for agreeing to play in this event, and he wishes everyone good luck and enjoyable games.
You could follow all the events by following the links below.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Cross Table (iccf.com)
New Titles
Tuesday, 29th March 2022
Phill Beckett
Graham Mill-Wilson has now served as a Tournament Director (TD) for over 200 completed games, and therefore has been automatically promoted from a Level 1 to a Level 2 TD.
And the player Terry Hart with ICCF ID 211382 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations to both.
Edward Sowden RIP
Sunday, 20th March 2022
John Rhodes / Stephen Williams
Edward Sowden has died at the age of 85, after a short illness, on Sunday 13th February 2022.
Edward played for Wiltshire in the 1970s and captained Pressed Steel (later Rover), in Swindon, to win the Major League, then known as the Four a Side League.
He also played for Wiltshire Police (he was a justice of the peace) and later the Cornwall county team.
There are archive pictures of him on the Wiltshire Chess Association website: www.wiltshirechess.org.uk
On retirement, Edward continued with his love of chess and turned to postal chess, where he played many times for England, where he won the British Veterans championship twice in 2002, when he was awarded the IM title and enjoyed a rating of 2407, and 2010. He played over 400 rated games, the last of them in 2013.
Here is one of his wins: https://www.iccf.com/game?id=14652
[Event "AUS-ENG 2005"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2005.12.01"]
[White "Sowden, Edward C"]
[Black "Morris, Greg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2297"]
[BlackElo "2166"]
[WhiteTeam "England"]
[BlackTeam "Australia"]
1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 f6 3. a3 d5 4. e3 Be6 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. d3 c6 7. c4 Ne7 8. Nc3
O-O 9. Be2 Qe8 10. O-O Nd7 11. Nd2 Qg6 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nce4 Bc7 14. Nb3
f5 15. Nec5 Nxc5 16. Nxc5 Bc8 17. Rc1 b6 18. Na4 Bb7 19. Qc2 Rad8 20. Bf3
Qd6 21. Be2 Rf7 22. Rfd1 Ba6 23. Qb3 e4 24. g3 Qg6 25. Nc3 f4 26. Nxd5
Rxd5 27. exf4 Bxd3 28. Bxd3 exd3 29. Rc3 Bxf4 30. Rcxd3 Rxd3 31. Rxd3 Bg5
32. Rf3 Qh5 33. Rf5 Qg6 34. Re5 Kf8 35. Qd1 Re7 36. Qf3+ Kg8 37. Rf5 h6
38. Rf8+ Kh7 39. Kg2 Qc2 40. Bd4 Qe4 41. Qxe4+ Rxe4 42. Bc3 Kg6 43. Ra8
Re7 44. Rc8 Re6 45. Rc7 Bf6 46. Bxf6 Kxf6 47. Rxa7 g6 48. Kf3 h5 49. a4 c5
50. bxc5 bxc5 51. a5 c4 52. Rc7 Ra6 53. Rc5 Ke6 54. Ke4 Kd6 55. Rg5 Kc7
56. Kd4 Rc6 57. Kc3 Kb7 58. h4 1-0
Stephen Williams with acknowledgments for material from Simon Rogers, Kevin Thurlow and Wiltshire Chess Association.
ICCF - Executive Board Meeting - Part 1
Sunday, 6th March 2022
Phill Beckett
The following was issued by the EB of ICCF (You may well have a copy but better safe than sorry).
06 March 2022: Executive Board Meeting, Results, and Actions - Part 1
International Correspondence Chess Federation
ICCF – Executive Board Meeting
March 5, 2022
Dear ICCF Delegates, Officials, and Friends,
The Executive Board (EB) and Management Committee (MC) members met today for more than 4-hours to discuss various issues. Two important decisions are outlined below and additional decisions with further details will be published within the next 24-hours.
Extraordinary Meeting
1. Following Article 31 of the ICCF Statutes, the Executive Board, by unanimous consent, voted to convene an extraordinary meeting of Congress (EC).
a. The location will be virtual (online).
b. The purpose of the EB and agenda will be to address numerous proposals resulting from the armed conflict of Russia and Belarus against Ukraine.
A detailed timeline to this EC is being constructed now, and I hope to be available to all delegates and officials soon; again, the plan is within 24-48 hours.
Donation
2. The ICCF EB has decided to take the following immediate actions:
a. A donation of 2.000 Euros will be donated on behalf of ICCF immediately to an international organisation that provides relief and support to the Ukrainian citizens.
b. Approval of a “Peace Tournament,” as offered by the German Federation, BdF. Full details and a tournament announcement will be released shortly. All entry fees from this tournament have also been pledged to support Ukrainian citizens. This will provide an opportunity for any or all ICCF players to compete in a chess tournament with all proceeds to support the Ukrainian citizens.
Further Actions
3. Additional actions decided will be released within the next 24 hours.
With kindest regards and good wishes,
Amici Sumus,
| Eric Ruch | Michael Millstone |
| ICCF President | ICCF General Secretary |
English Players in EU Candidates Events
Wednesday, 3rd March 2022
Phill Beckett
English players are playing in the EU Candidates events as follows;
Phil Eastlake - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Gerard Le-Marechal - Cross Table (iccf.com)
John Pugh - Cross Table (iccf.com)
Brian Thompson - Cross Table (iccf.com)
EFCC Name and Logos copied on Chess.com
Thursday, 24th February 2022
John Rhodes
It has come to our notice that a member of Chess.com has used our name and logos to pretend that they are the English Federation for Correspondence Chess. Please be aware that this has nothing to do with ourselves and we do not have any connection with this member on Chess.com. The EFCC is not responsible for anything that website may do or organise. Copying names and logos is not allowed on Chess.com and they have been reported to the Chess.com support team.
New Title
Sunday, 20th January 2022
Phill Beckett
Colin Hipwell has been awarded the title of IA (International Arbiter). Congratulations.
AGENDA for Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Saturday 12th March, 2022.
Wednesday, 16th February 2022
John Rhodes
AGENDA for Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Saturday 12th March, 2022.
1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of the Last Meeting (March 2021)
3. Matters Arising
4. General Secretary’s Report
5. International Secretary’s Report
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Election of Officers
8. Any Other Business
John Rhodes 16/02/2022
If any EFCC Patrons have any questions or comments to raise at our AGM or EC Meetings, please email contact@efcchess.org.uk.
Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, 16th February 2022
John Rhodes
Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Executive Committee Meeting (EC) of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess will be held in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, on Saturday 12th March 2022.
If any EFCC Patrons have any questions or comments to raise at our AGM or EC Meetings, please email contact@efcchess.org.uk.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
EFCC Correspondent Magazine - Issue 2
Pinned - Tuesday, 15th February 2022
Mickey Blake
|
Mickey Blake and The EFCC Executive Committee are delighted to announce the publication of the 'EFCC Correspondent - Issue 2'.
The 2nd edition of this very high quality magazine can be viewed and/or downloaded here -
Correspondent_002.pdf (21mb)
An updated Issue 1 can be viewed and/or downloaded here -
Correspondent_001.pdf (15mb)
Want future issues delivered straight to your Inbox ? Contact Mickey Blake by Email here to place yourself on the mailing list.
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England v France Friendly 2022
Monday, 7th February 2022
Phill Beckett
England v France...
The Rematch is beginning soon!
Following our narrow defeat our French friends accepted the challenge and both sides strengthened their teams.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Congratulations to David Elwood
Saturday, 5th February 2022
Phill Beckett
David Elwood has now served as a Tournament Director (TD) for over 200 completed games, and therefore has automatically been promoted from a Level 1 TD to a Level 2 TD.
Final Positions in European Chess 960 Final
Sunday, 30th January 2022
Phill Beckett
England finished in last place in the final.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Despite this disappointment we still managed a few achievements.
We beat both Germany and Wales.
On top board Peter Catt scored three draws against the two GMs.
On second board Stan Grayland beat the Welsh player 1/5-.5 which clinched the match against Wales.
On third board Keith Kitson scored 1 win and 9 draws.
On fourth board Kevin Thurlow scored 2 wins and 9 draws.
Narrow Defeat Against France
Monday, 24th January 2022
Phill Beckett
We were edged out by our friends from France 41 to 39.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Defeat Against New Zealand
Monday, 24th January 2022
Phill Beckett
We were defeated by our friends from New Zealand in a small match.
Cross Table (iccf.com)
Discussions are ongoing about a rematch.
ICCF Swiss System - KO Tournament
Sunday, 23rd January 2022
Phill Beckett
International Correspondence Chess Federation
announces the first
ICCF Swiss System - KO Tournament
sponsored by Opening Master
The tournament will be played by server and organized in three or four stages.
Format:
Round 1: Groups of 11 (if necessary 13) players. All groups will have an approximately equal average rating. All players who score more than 50% of the possible points will promote to the next round.
Round 2 – Round 4: After each round, a ranking list of all qualified players (> 50% score in the current round) will be created according to the following criteria:
1. The highest percentage points
2. The highest percentage wins
3. The highest percentage wins with black
4. The lowest rating
The first 11 (13) players on the list form group 1 for the next round, the next 11 (13) group 2, and so forth. The accumulated points achieved in the previous rounds will be used to calculate a player's place in the list (but the > 50% in the current round is still a requirement for promotion).
The tournament will be restricted to a maximum of 4 rounds. The tournament winner will be the player with the highest accumulated score (percent) across all 4 rounds. If less than 22 Players remain for the 4th round, the tournament winner will be determined according to the scores after round 3.
Reflection Time:
Triple Block each round: Duration: 500 days; Initial Clock: 50 days; Initial Bank: 50 days; Increment: 3 days, without guaranteed time.
Entry Fee:
9,36 € Multiple entries are not possible!
Players may enter in the usual way through the ICCF Server Entry System via https://www.iccf.com/EventsAnnouncements.aspx
Norms:
From round 2 onwards, title norms will be available where appropriate.
Registration deadline: 10/3/2022
Start date: 31/03/2022
Prizes:
In the first round, the winner of each group (after tie-break if necessary and if here also equal the player with the lowest rating) will receive a 1-year license for Opening Master's GOLEM database (30 million games and quarterly updates current market price 99 Euro).
After the last round, the best 3 players in the final standings will receive a medal and a certificate.
Member Federations are asked to give the tournament wide publicity to all their players.
Please contact TO Mike Green () if you have any questions.
| Frank Geider | Jörg Kracht | Mike Green |
| World Tournament Director | NTTC | Tournament Organizer |
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
NOL van ‘t Riet Tournaments!
Tuesday, 15th June 2021
Phill Beckett
Nol van ‘t Riet Memorial Tournaments!
These events have generous prize funds. England are represented by;
Terence Donovan - Group B - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93168
Alan Rawlings - Group A (for friends of Nol) - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93109
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
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
|
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
|
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)
|
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
World Championship Semi Finals
Saturday, 29th May 2021
Phill Beckett
World Championship Semi Finals
Follow the progress of English players in the World Championship Semi-Finals.
The first two players in each section qualify for the next cycle of the Candidates.
Follow :
David Evans in section 2 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93186
Jo Wharrier in section 3 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93187
John Pugh in section 4 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93188
Gerard Le - Marechal in section 5 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93189
Praveen Kumar Rallabandi in section 6 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93190
John Brookes in section 7 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93191
Ian M Pheby in section 9 - https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93193
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New British Champion
Saturday, 29th May 2021
Phill Beckett
New British Champion
We have a new British Champion - Gerard Le-Marechal.
There were three players tied on 8.5 pts. The first tie break [wins] failed to split the tie, but by a narrow margin the second tie break placed Gerard first, Praveen second, and Gary third.
Congratulations to all concerned.
All the games can be viewed at -
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=81192
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Jim Fox RIP
Monday, 25th May 2021
Phill Beckett
Jim Fox RIP
Fellow players will be sad to hear of the death after a short illness of Jim Fox.
I have passed on our condolences to his family.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Matches against Sweden
Tuesday, 18th May 2021
Phill Beckett
New Matches against Sweden
We have recently started two Friendly matches against Sweden.
Follow the progress of the Server match
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93035
In a throw back to the distant past we cross swords with Sweden by post (although some games will be played by email).
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=93020
Do not expect much action as the games are only posted on the Server when they are completed.
In both matches we had an excess of volunteers all those who missed out will be put in the Forthcoming Mega Match against Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (BeNeLux).
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Titles
Saturday, 15th May 2021
Phill Beckett
New Titles
Congratulations to James Wilkinson on achieving the CCE title and to Danny Dixon on achieving the CCM title.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Tuesday, 4th May 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Matthew W. Bailey with ICCF ID 213011 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Monday, 3rd May 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player David J. Grobler with ICCF ID 210847 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Trevor Thomas Memorial Event (Category 8)
Saturday, 1st May 2021
Phill Beckett
Trevor Thomas Memorial Event (Category 8)
This high quality event is due to start on 1st June 2021.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91121
Follow the progress of the event by following the link above. Do not expect too much activity before the start date as players of this level tend to do lots of preparation. GM norms are available at 9.5 /14, but this will require some decisive results!
George Wharam is an up and coming junior - keep an eye out for him in the future!
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Wednesday, 28th April 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Kevin J. Thurlow with ICCF ID 210507 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Monday, 26th April 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
Following quickly on the award of CCE,
The player George Wharam with ICCF ID 212902 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
George D. Pyrich Memorial Team Tournament Final
Wednesday, 21st April 2021
Phill Beckett
George D. Pyrich Memorial Team Tournament Final
The England Knights team qualified for this final.
Follow the progress of the team
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=92847
The teams look closely matched, so it should be an exciting event.
We wish the team of ;
Tom Herman
Richard Webster
Mike Richardt
Barry Sheppard
Tim Spanton
& Nigel Norman
every success!
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
IM Title for Toni Halliwell
Thursday, 15th April 2021
Phill Beckett
IM Title for Toni Halliwell
Our congratulations to Toni Halliwell on the award of the IM title. I still remember playing in the same Yorkshire junior teams with her and was pleased to play a small part in her comeback. Well earned.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary and Yorkshire Team Captain
New Titles
Wednesday, 14th April 2021
Phill Beckett
New Titles
Samuel Brennan and George Wharam have achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE).
Edward Holland has achieved the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Master (CCM). Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Annual General Meeting - Officer Elections
Wednesday, 31st March 2021
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 Pheby, President
New Title
Monday, 29th March 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Danny Dixon with ICCF ID 211019 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Match v Mexico
Saturday, 20th March 2021
Phill Beckett
New Match v Mexico
Following our recent win Mexico challenged us to a rematch which of course we accepted!
Let Battle recommence!
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91540
Follow the progress, games are live with a 5 move delay!
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
International v New Zealand
Saturday, 13th March 2021
Phill Beckett
International v New Zealand
We have a new small International against New Zealand.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91324
It is played under the Triple Block System of time control and should take two years!
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
2nd English Veterans Final
Friday, 26th February 2021
Phill Beckett
2nd English Veterans Final
Congratulations to SIM Jerry Asquith who wins the 2nd English Veterans event.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=84237
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Annual General Meeting Agenda
Friday, 26th February 2021
John Rhodes
ENGLISH FEDERATION FOR CORRESPONDENCE CHESS
Proposed AGENDA for Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held by email on Saturday 20th March, 2021.
(The continuing Government Covid-19 restrictions preclude us from meeting in person)
1. Apologies for Non-participation
2. Minutes of the Last Meeting (March 2020)
3. Matters Arising
4. Amendment to EFCC Constitution: Regarding EFCC Yearbook
5. Amendment to EFCC Constitution: Regarding EFCC Magazine
6. Amendment to EFCC Constitution: Regarding above amendments
7. General Secretary’s Report
8. International Secretary’s Report
9. Treasurer’s Report
10.Election of Officers
11.Any Other Business
John Rhodes 25/02/2021
If any EFCC Patrons have any questions or comments to raise at our AGM and Executive Committee meetings please contact John Rhodes on
David Woodruff 1945-2020 RIP ✝
Wednesday, 24th February 2021
John Rhodes
David Woodruff 1945-2020 RIP ✝
The Officers of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC) offer their condolences to the family, friends and fellow members of Keynsham Chess Club, of David Woodruff who, sadly, died in August 2020 aged 74 years. David was a Life Patron of the EFCC and a member of the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) since 1993 having a ICCF rating of 2004 when he joined. He was also a member of the British Correspondence Chess Association (BCCA) and often played in their webserver trio tournaments. In 2016/7 he played for the BCCA and won two games against Correspondence Chess League of Australia CCLA Kangaroos on Board 20. He played correspondence chess until about 2017 when his health, unfortunately, started to decline.
Before and after taking up correspondence chess, David was a stalwart of the Keynsham Chess Club playing around 1,000 over-the-board (OTB) games for them. In the 1980s David had an OTB grade in the high 160s. He also held the positions of President, Secretary, Treasurer and various team captains over the years. David was also involved in organising and controlled the Keynsham Quickplay many times. He also coached beginners and juniors. With his wide general knowledge, David also set questions for the Saturday night quiz at the BCF/ECF Championships with the late Richard Furness as question master.
Herewith a game which David played in an International Match against West Germany in 1985: -
BPCF v West Germany 1985
White: David G. Woodruff
Black: H. Kuntermann
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 d6 4.Bg2 Be6 5.d3 Qd7 6.Nf3 Bh3 7.Bxh3 Qxh3 8.Nd5 Rc8 9.Qb3 b6 10.Qa4 Qd7 11.Be3 Na5 12.Qxd7+ Kxd7 13.b4 Nb7 14.Ng5 Nd8 15.b5 f5 16.Rb1 Ne7 17.h4 Nxd5 18.cxd5 h6 19.Nf3 g6 20.Nd2 Bg7 21.Nc4 Nf7 22.Rb3 g5 23.Ra3 f4? (23...Ra8 was necessary) 24.Rxa7 fxe3 25.Nxb6+ Kd8 26.Nxc8 e4 27.fxe3 Bc3+ 28.Kd1 Kxc8 29.Ra8+ Kd7 30.Rxh8 Nxh8 31.hxg5 exd3 32.exd3 hxg5 33.d4 Ng6 34.Kc2 1-0 (34...Ba5 35.Rh7 Ne7 36.Rg7 Ke8 37.e4 Kf8 38.Rxg5)
John Rhodes 24/02/2021
Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting
Friday, 19th February 2021
John Rhodes
Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting
The Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess will be on Saturday 20th March 2021 by email due to the ongoing Government restrictions.
John Rhodes, General Secretary
English Championship
Monday, 15th February 2021
Phill Beckett
English Championship
The Championship and subsidiary events are now set up as follows.
Championship
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91202
Semi Final A
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91200
Semi Final B
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91201
Reserves
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=91199
You can follow the events by clicking the links shown.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Saturday, 13th February 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Robert Bruce with ICCF ID 212273 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Wednesday, 3rd February 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player John S. Shaw with ICCF ID 212835 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Saturday, 30th January 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Edward N. Holland with ICCF ID 212527 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Israeli Championship
Saturday, 16th January 2021
Phill Beckett
Israeli Championship
This year's Israeli Championship is in memory of the sadly departed Aviel Rozenberg.
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=90664
SIM Harvey Williamson has accepted the invitation on behalf of the EFCC.
The event is a category 11 event with a multi national mix of competitors of high quality with GM norm of 9.5 / 16.
A GM norm in this event could see Harvey achieving the GM title.
We wish him every success.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
New Title
Friday, 8th January 2021
Phill Beckett
New Title
The player Steve Cole with ICCF ID 210447 has achieved enough norms to receive the title of ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert.
Congratulations.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Win Against Mexico
Tuesday, 5th January 2021
Phill Beckett
Win Against Mexico
England score win against Mexico 11.5-8.5
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=86740
Congratulations to all players.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament
Sunday, 3rd January 2021
Phill Beckett
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament
The top three teams in each semi qualify for final.
England 1 in strong position to qualify for final ; https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87053
England 2 need a strong run to qualify ; https://www.iccf.com/event?id=87051
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
European Individual Webserver Championship 2021
Tuesday, 29th December 2020
Phill Beckett
European Individual Webserver Championship 2021
28 December 2020: Announcement
Zone Europe of ICCF is glad to announce the 2021 cycle of the European Webserver Championship!
Open Rounds: for players rated under 2100, starts when filled.
Preliminaries: for players rated between 2100-2299, starts when filled.
Semi-Finals: for players rated between 2300-2499, starts on the 20th of September.
Candidates' Tournament: for players rated 2500 or over, starts on the 20th of March.
Entries via webserver.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Heavy defeat for Under 1800 team against Indonesia
Sunday, 27th December 2020
Phill Beckett
Heavy defeat for Under 1800 team against Indonesia
England suffered a heavy defeat in their match against Indonesia
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=85291
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
World Championship Preliminaries
Friday, 18th December 2020
Phill Beckett
World Championship Preliminaries
The ICCF has announced the arrangements for the Preliminaries of the World Championships.
The following already have qualifications;
Eldridge, Mark
Herman, Tom
Le-Marechal, Gerard
Maver, Jan
Rallabandi, Praveen Kumar
Soh, Edmund
In addition, the English Federation has three extra nominations for players over 2400. If you would like to put yourself forward for one of these places, please get in touch with me before the end of the year so the selection committee can consider your application.
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
International Update
Wednesday, 16th December 2020
Phill Beckett
International Update
England v France
France have a narrow lead
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88279
England v CCLA Kangaroos (Under 2000)
England have an early lead
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=88452
England v USA
USA are clawing their way back after trailing by 15
https://www.iccf.com/event?id=86774
Phill Beckett, International Secretary
Seasonal Greetings!
Wednesday, 16th December 2020
Ian M Pheby
Seasonal Greetings!
2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. 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 2021 will prove to be a better year for everyone. I also hope that you enjoy success in your games in 2021 and beyond. Ian M Pheby, EFCC President
Join the EFCC on Social Media
Monday, 14th December 2020
Mickey Blake
Nol Van't Reit Memorial
Thursday, 10th December 2020
Phill Beckett
Nol Van't Reit Memorial
Alan Rawlings has accepted an invitation to compete in this event held in memory of our departed chessfriend and a tireless worker on behalf of the ICCF.
Phill Beckett
International Secretary
EFCC Magazine is Returning
Friday, 4th December 2020
Mickey Blake
EFCC Magazine is Returning
We are intending to resume the publishing of our quarterly magazine and invite suggestions and contributions.
For further information, please contact the editor by email to
Mickey Blake
EFCC Magazine Editor
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
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