Esteemed arbiter Andy Howie gives an interview around online cheating and how it's being reduced here.

Lichess 6 Round Swiss Pairings 

Chess Scotland Graded Event

Usual BEST prizes including CASH!

Certificate for EVERYONE who plays!

congress.org.uk/congress/103/home

This event takes place on Saturday (9/1) and Sunday (10/1) starting at 1pm.  It is a 12 player all play all with a round per hour (6 on Saturday, 5 on Sunday with play-off if necessary)

The 12 players are:
Luke McShane
Michael Adams
David Howell
Gawain Jones
Nick Pert
Ameet Ghasi
Danny Gormally
Matthew Turner
Mark Hebden
Keith Arkell
Glenn Fleer
Matthew Wadsworth

Again thanks to Caplin for making this possible

The draw takes place this evening at 7pm. More details regarding pairings will be available thereafter. 

Hi Guys
just to elaborate on the calendar entry , each team will consist on five players. Please contact Ian Brownlee for further details. The tournament is being run by the newly formed Scottish Online Chess Organisation (SOCO) and we also hope to run other team events shortly. We will also offer leagues and clubs the same facilities , including our website , very kindly set up by Malcolm Peacock and the ECF to which we are deeply indebted to.

Rules can be be viewed below. We have already had a lot of interest and will be publishing the web site in the next few days. If anyone would like to come aboard the committee, please let me know.

“The Scottish Online Chess League (SNOCL) , under the auspices of the Scottish Online Chess Organisation (SOCO) will start on Sunday 31st January 2021. It is envisaged that six rounds will take place, two rounds per day although this may change according to number of entries. The first round is expected to start at 11.00am and the second round at 2.00 pm. Entries and any enquires to be sent to ian.brownlee@systemsit.co.uk.   Tel. no 07899 832770 . Teams Captains will be expected to compile teams sheets including usernames and actual names.
 

1. Chief Arbiter will be John McNicoll, who is responsible for all decisions regarding game play
   
   
2. Tournament Director Will be Ian Brownlee who is responsible for all admin.
   
   
3. Time controls 25 minutes plus 10 second increments
   
   
4. Team captains will compile their teams and send list of players and usernames to Ian Brownlee
   
   
5. Games will primarily be played on chess.com although lichess can be used by mutual consent of both clubs for that round
   
   
6. Games will be subject to fair play screening and Chess Scotland policy. However games will only be graded by the online game provider and will NOT be submitted for grading by CS.
   
   
7. Players will be required to have valid online chess accounts, probably chess.com so there is a requirement for each player to have a chess.com account
   
   
8. Game disconnection will count as a loss, unless a substantial appeal can be made  to the  Chief Arbiter who will attempt to resolve any issues, which may include the formation of an appeals committee.
   
   
9. The tournament will be organised by the Scottish Online Chess Organisation (SOCO).
   
   
10. There will be nominal prizes such as trophies (and kudos)
    
    
11. SOCO will provide a website where it will be possible to pick teams, view results etc. Team captains will have access to this site for admin and will be able to view the opponents team before the match commences (at the time of writing one hour before match commences but this may change
    
    
12. SOCO reserves the right to make any changes to these rules, before and during the tournament. The chief arbiter also has the right to make operational changes
    
    
13. Entry team per team is £15. Clubs who are also members of Chess Scotland can enjoy a £5 discount per team. Similarly are leagues who submit teams and are themselves members of Chess Scotland can also receive a £5 discount. This is a substantial incentive to regional chess league as we are planning to start an inter-regional chess league if there is enough interest.
    
    
14. Finally we are hoping to have a junior section to the SNOCL if there is enough interest. Juniors would be able to play in both sections if desired.
    

This will take place from the 3rd to the 5th of January next year. 2 days recovery should be enough.

All the details will be found on the entry page reached from the Chess Scotland site.

Remember to enter early to avoid that pesky late entry fee. 

Get ready for 'Annihilation' a 6 round swiss tournament for JUNIORS ONLY on lichess.org this Saturday (12th Dec) starting at 2.30pm.

All games will be graded on the CS allegro list.

We have EXTRA prizes since it's nearly Christmas including Trophies, medals and CASH! Electronic certificates will be awarded to everyone who takes part.

Beginners are welcome to try some annihilating and everyone's guaranteed to play 6 games regardless of results.

Complete the online entry form by clicking on the link

congress.org.uk/congress/99/home

Any questions please email harrymarron48@gmail.com

We have 6 players playing in this.  5 Rounds have completed and all have done very well.

Top performer after 5 rounds is Freddy Gordon (U10), who was leader after round 4(!) and drew his 5th round game to finish today joint 2nd

In the Girls, Ashley Tandon (U12) is sitting in the top 20

Last two rounds are tomorrow.  Lets get behind them!  Good luck!

For those who enjoyed the November 2020 issue of Chess Life magazine, you should also be aware that the USCF have a digital archive which is publicly available for personal and research use. All issues of Chess Life from 1946 to December 2018 are free to view/download. All issues of Chess Review from 1933 to 1969, when the magazine merged with Chess Life, are also available. Newer issues are only available to USCF members. This is a great resource and a real treasure trove of chess material. See link below.

https://new.uschess.org/chess-life-digital-archives

Does anyone have any idea about the whereabouts of Glasgow CC memorabilia that was likely disposed off at the same time their library was auctioned off in the 1960s?

It is known that the club had exhibited Rules and lists of members from the 1840s and 1850s. It is also known that group photos of members were taken in 1898, 1908 and 1927 (there may have been others) and these also used to hang on the clubroom walls.

I approached Gerald Bonner but he does not know who might have purchased these items.

Thanks for any tips.

Great to see the coverage on the FIDE website that is being given to the recently completed Online Olympiad for Players with Disabilities. See link below for a really nice article:

https://www.fide.com/news/839

For many, chess is a place that continues to offer opportunity to those who may not have it in other places.