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)

A new party in Scotland for post 2014?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://rt.com/politics/fide-ilyumzhinov-launch-chess-086/">http://rt.com/politics/fide-ilyumzhinov ... chess-086/</a><!-- m -->

It would appear that the Cameronian philosophy of crushing the little guy and suppression of free speech has permeated deeper into our society than you may have imagined. The following was removed from the Cumbernauld Chess Club noticeboard because it was deemed to "reflect badly on the club."

" Last season in Glasgow Division Two, I never lost a game. Therefore I believe that I have earned the right to play in our Division one matches. So being left aside in order to play Dunfermline players is Grossly unfair in my opinion. I appreciate that they helped us out of a hole in the past, but that is not my problem."

Dunfermline players very Kindly offered to play for us when Hamilton refused us the opportunity to reschedule a Division One Match.

" These players did NOT earn Promotion I DID. What is the point of working hard to earn promotion when someone else is going to reap the benefit??? And to add Insult to Injury, I'm to "stand by" as Reserve......
Er No Thank You !!!"

The reason that I'm posting this on here is that I object very strongly to my thoughts being suppressed from our noticeboard especially on the grounds that it reflects badly on the club.

I believe that having people slogging it out in Division two year after year, spending a fortune on petrol ferrying people around then earning promotion only to be replaced by players from another club who very conveniently become Cumbernauld players, reflect more badly on the club than my murmurs of discontent.

Admittedly I'm playing pretty crap at the moment , but still do not feel that my poor form justifies replacement with other players from another club in a desperate attempt to stay in Glasgow Division One.

Dunfermline players, please do not withdraw as a result of this posting as I would not now play anyway.
I just can not abide people telling me what I can and cannot think or feel. If I wanted THOUGHT SUPPRESSION I would swallow a few LARGATIL.

As the title says, Siegrun has asked me to post a list of her books that she'd like to give away. The list is as follows (desc = descriptive notation):

British Chess Mags 1994/5; some other mags
Fischer: My 60 memorable games (desc)
Forbes: Polgar sisters
Keene: Aron Nimzowitsch
Niemzowitsch: The Praxis od my system (desc)
Károlyi: Judit Polgar
Kasparov: My great predecessors IV
Motwani: H O T Chess
Gerzadowicz: Journal of a Chess Original
Gerzadowicz: Thinker’s Chess
Bologan: Selected games
Shirov: fire on board
Reti: Masters of the chess bd (desc)
Kmoch: Rubinstein’s masterpieces (desc)
Tartakower: 500 Master Games (desc)
Abrahams: Technique in chess (desc)
Ilyumzhinovaris…
Keene: How to beat Kasparov
Pandolfini: Principles of the new chess
Littlewood: How to play the middle game (desc)
Philips: The chess teacher
Walker: Test your chess
Kostyev: 40 lessons
Hodgson: Attack with Julian
Avni: creative chess
Avni: The GM’s mind
Avni: Surprise in chess
Taulbut: How to play the ruy lopez
Barden: The ruy lopez
Schiller: Complete defense to King Pawn openings

Please send her an email if interested.