The second day of the league was held in Hamilton College on Thursday, the final league day in Thursday 21st March, after which the top 6 will qualify for an all play all final.
Scores after 8 matches are as follows ( 4 per day):
1st St Brides A Cambuslang 15 points
2nd St John the Baptist A Uddingston 13 points
3rd= Underbank A Lanark 11 points
St Brides C Cambuslang
St Brides B Cambuslang
St Marys A Hamilton
7th= Hamilton College A 10 points
St Marys B Hamilton
Fernhill A Rutherglen
St Brides A Bothwell
11th=St Brides F Cambuslang
St Josephs A Blantyre
St Vincents D East Kilbride
St Vincents C East Kilbride
St Brides B Bothwell
16th= Hamilton College B 8 points
Underbank B Lanark
St Anthonys A Rutherglen
Stepps A
St Brides D Cambuslang
St Josephs B Blantyre
St Vincents B East Kilbride
St Brides C Bothwell
St John the Baptist B Uddingston
25th= St Brides E Cambuslang 7 points
St Marys D Hamilton
Hamilton College C
Hamilton College D
29th= St John the Baptist C Uddingston 6 points
St Vincents A East Kilbride
Fernhill B Rutherglen
St Marys C Hamilton
St Marks A Hamilton
Hamilton College E
35th St Aloysius A Chapelhall 5 points
36th= St Blanes A Blantyre 4 points
St Vincents E East Kilbride
St Josephs C Blantyre
Fernhill C Rutherglen
Underbank C Lanark
41st St Aloysius B Chapelhall 2 points
42nd= Hamilton College F 0 points
Holy Cross A Croy
Holy Cross B Croy

I'll do the promotion / relegation bit later

Division 4 games

SJC V Wandering Dragons
Pentland Hills v Woodhill Warriors
Corstorphine V Irvine
CS BOS 2 v Dunfermline Knaves
Dundee City B V Mussleburgh

Scottish Girls Championships held Saturday 23rd Feb in Bothwell Bowling Club.

Scottish Primary 5 & Under Championship:
1st Yvonne Zhou Lenzie Moss PS 8.5/9
2nd Hannah Wallace Cumbernauld CC 7.5/9
3rd Maria Niewczas St Brides PS Cambuslang 6.5/9

Best P5 Sophie Bond Carluke PS 6/9
Best P4 Maura Paterson St Brides PS Cambuslang 5/9
Best P3 Rachel Lamb Bishopton PS 1.5/9
Best P1 Hannah Strauss St Peters Edinburgh 2/9

Scottish Primary Championships:
1st Lauren Bond Carluke PS 6/7
2nd Jennifer Lowe Keir Hardie PS Motherwell 5/7
3rd Rebecca Lamb Bishopton PS 5/7

Best P7 Erin Allen St Anthonys PS Rutherglen 3/7
Best P6 Hannah Ord Hamilton College 5/7

Scottish Secondary Championship:
1st Christina Espinosa Girvin 6/6
2nd Monica Espinosa Girvin 5/6
3rd Stuthi Hegde George Heriots 4/6

Best S1 Julia Ocytko James Gillespies 3/6
Best S2 Caitlin Reid Paisley CC 4/6
Best S4 & above Liza Bazsant Kilsyth Academy 4/6

Michael.

For a number of reasons the venue for the 2013 Prestwick Congress has been changed from the airport venue used for the last two years to the Mercure Hotel, which is in Ayr not Prestwick. The congress will now be called the 2013 Ayr Congress.

Entry forms will be published soon and the website has started to take shape for this years event. New information will be uploaded on an ongoing basis, over the next few days, weeks and months.

I know the airport was a popular venue but I believe that the Windows on the Ocean room and the Mercure Hotel in the centre of Ayr town are even better than the Aviator Suite at the airport.

Among the benefits of moving to the venue are –

A location in the centre of town, giving more dining options for participants and accompanying people, as well as an alternative for those whose games finish that bit earlier.

Fully accessible for all – I know there was a concern about this at the airport, as the stairlift into the Aviator suite had been removed last year.

Well maintained air-conditioned playing room, with plenty of natural light.

Private Hotel Car Park – the hotel car park has room for around 60 cars and use is free to those using the hotel. There is also free street parking just a short 5 minute walk away throughout the weekend. There are parking restrictions in the streets around the hotel on week days until 6pm and from 8am to 1pm on a Saturday but outside those times it is free. More information will be available soon on the congress website.

Special priced rooms within the venue hotel itself. Further details on these will be published soon on the congress website and I am also hoping to agree special priced lunch and dinner options for participants.

While the Mercure Hotel is our preferred partner and we would encourage players to make use of its fabulous guest facilities, there is also a wider variety of accommodation very close by and certainly within walking distance of the venue.

The hotel has its own swimming pool and leisure facilities which are free to guests staying in the hotel.

The playing room is more open plan than the Aviator suite and the hotel has tables, which, as I’m short of helpers this year, selfishly saves me time and a lot of physical effort getting tables in and out.

The hotel is very keen to welcome chess to the venue and I am already looking at a further tournament at the hotel in early 2014, to add to the calendar.

Further details on the new venue can be found at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-8344-mercure-ayr-hotel/index.shtml">http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-8344-me ... ndex.shtml</a><!-- m -->

If you have any thoughts, questions etc I’d love to hear them too.

Kind Regards

David Congalton

I have now identified the fault. Working with DGT to resolve so we should see them back at congresses very soon.

In short we had an upgrade from DGT which has not worked.

Hi everyone,

If you could only choose one game from each of the World Champions which best embodies their styles, qualities and strengths which games would you choose and why? :\

Lanarkshire County Championships held in St Margarets Church Hall Airdrie on Sunday 17th Feb

Primary 5 and Under Championship:
1st Sam Harper Lanark CC 7/7
2nd Matthew Walls St Marys Lanark 5.5/7
3rd Louis McGarrity St Brides Bothwell 4.5/5

Medals for 50% and above:
4/7 Aiden Healy St Marys Hamilton
Jack McKie St Josephs Blantyre
Hannah Wallace Cumbernauld CC
Thomas Campbell St Brides Bothwell

Primary Championship:
1st Joe McKie St Josephs Blantyre 6/7
2nd Martin Lang Hallside Cambuslang 5/7
3rd Michael Campbell St Brides Bothwell 5/7

Medals for 50% and above:
4/7 Callum Walker St Brides Bothwell
Darren Leung Hamilton College
3.5/7 Hannah Ord Hamilton College
Lucy Docherty St Brides Bothwell
Beth McAlister St Anthonys Rutherglen
Ryan Cunningham Bothwell

Secondary Championships:
1st Colin Howie East Kilbride CC 8/8
2nd Andrew Gillies Hamilton 6/8
3rd= Craig Gillies Hamilton
Darren Gillies Hamilton

Adult Championship:
1st Patrick Coffey Hamilton 6/6
2nd= Alex Gillies Crowwood 4/6
Jimmy Doyle Crowwood
Alan Jelfs East Kilbride

Grading Prize:
Andrew McCusker Hamilton 3/6

Michael.

OK I'm going to be a human target for posting this but....

I have heard umpteen arguments about the definition of playing strength using live grades instead of published grades, when and how to use them etc. Some people are of the opinion that published grades are out of date too quickly or that published grades should be strictly adhered to with the problem that different teams/different clubs apply different criteria, some using published grades, others using live grades. Surely all clubs should use the same criteria

May I suggest that either the published yearly grade become obsolete or that its updated more frequently than once per year. That way it would be fairer as then we would be happier using the same criteria

....Someone 8 pawns up lose?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread.php?blogpostid=130">http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread ... postid=130</a><!-- m -->

The Duck?

I introduced The Duck as a sidekick about 18 months ago.
It now has it's own fan club and is off on a world tour being posted from chess player
to chess player around the world. Last week he was at the Marshall Chess Club.

Posting on behalf of Andrzej Jakimiuk:
Chess tournament rapid
"There can be only one"
5 rounds 10 mins per player per game
Round 1 mon 18th feb
Rd2 mon 25th
Rd3 mon 4th
Rd4 mon 11th
Rd5 mon 18th
All starting at 7.30pm
Entry fee £5
Prize dependent on no. of entrants
Entrants limited to 14 players.
Book your place
<!-- e --><a href="mailto:jakimek@o2.pl">jakimek@o2.pl</a><!-- e -->
Prize for first only
Location - newington fish bar 23 south clerk street (downstairs)