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04/10/2025
New-Look Sheffield Individual Championships
Controller Geoff
Brown has sent out an e-mail advertising the 2025-26 Sheffield Individual
Championships, and inviting entries as follows.
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The closing date
for entries is 15th October.
We are trialling a new
format this season in which each of the six rounds will have everyone
playing at the same time, in the same venue, using the same time controls.
By that, I mean
that the rounds are scheduled for the last Wednesday in a month, October
through to April (but not December), starting at 7.30pm, at the Sheffield
Chess Centre, 329a Coleford Road, Darnall, Sheffield S9 5NF.
The games will be at
the rate of all moves in 60 minutes plus 15 second increments.
There have been
various reasons put forward in the past for people not entering. This
change of format should negate quite a few of those objections (fixing a
date, playing at someone's house, playing with a weird board and set, no
increments, etc., etc.). So, whilst I appreciate the chosen day of
the week may not suit everyone, hopefully we'll get a bumper entry this
year. Please spread the news. Note that for those clubs who
play on Wednesdays, no league fixtures have been scheduled for those
particular nights (29th Oct, 26th Nov, 28th Jan, 25th Feb, 25th Mar, 29th
Apr).
Entries can be
emailed to me or sent by text / WhatsApp to 07931 563787. The games
will be sent to the ECF for rating, so entrants need to have ECF membership
in place throughout the tournament, and also still in place on 30th June
2026.
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For reference, the
2025-26 trial rules are as follows (see http://mannchess.org.uk/SRules/Rules.htm#individual).
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RULES
FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPETITIONS
TEMPORARY
FOR SEASON 2025-26 ONLY
[key features in red]
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26.
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SHEFFIELD
CHAMPIONSHIP
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(a)
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A Sheffield Individual
Championship tournament shall be held annually. If there are
sufficient entrants then the format will be a six-round Swiss
system tournament. If the number of entrants is low then the
Tournament Controller can alter the tournament format.
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(b)
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The winner shall
hold, until the end of the following season, the title of “Sheffield Chess
Champion” and the Bruce Trophy.
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(c)
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Entry
shall be open to any member of the Association but note that ECF
membership, at Bronze level or above, should be held and still in place on
30th June 2026.
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(d)
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(i) The Tournament
Controller shall ‘seed’ the six highest rated players before play begins.
If fewer than 18 players compete, then one third of the entrants shall be
seeded. The highest placed player not included in this list of seeds shall
hold the Holroyd Trophy until the end of the following season.
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(ii) The Tournament
Controller shall ‘seed’ the six next highest rated players before play
begins. If fewer than 18 players compete, then one third of the entrants
shall be seeded. The highest placed player not included in either list of
seeds shall hold the Shapero Trophy until the end of the following season.
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27.
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CONDUCT OF
TOURNAMENTS
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(a)
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Entries
shall be sent to the controller. The treasurer will make arrangements to
collect the ECF game fee (£21.00 from 1st September 2025)
from entrants without at least Bronze ECF membership.
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(b)
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The closing date
for entries shall be October 15th.
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(c)
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Matches
will be played at the Sheffield Chess Centre, 329A Coleford Road, Darnall,
Sheffield S9 5NT, starting at 7.30pm, on the final Wednesday in
October, November, January, February, March and April (i.e. 29th October,
26th November, 28th January, 25th February,
25th March and 29th April).
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(d)
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The
draw for successive rounds shall be made by the Tournament Controller as
soon as possible after 15th of each relevant month.
Players may request a half-point bye in any round as long as they notify
the controller by 15th day of the month of that round.
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(e)
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Should a tie-break
be required to determine an outright winner in any of the sections then
tie-break systems will be applied in the following order: (i) Direct
Encounter (where the tie-break is required to separate only two players on
the same score) (ii) Buchholz Cut 1 (iii) Buchholz (iv) Sonneborn-Berger
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28.
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CONDUCT OF
TOURNAMENT GAMES
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(a)
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The
time limit for the individual tournament shall be 60 minutes per player
plus 15 seconds per move.
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29.
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DEFAULTING
OPPONENTS
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(a)
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The Controller
shall have the authority to disqualify players who default more than one
game.
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(b)
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The Controller’s
decision shall be final in the event of any dispute.
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