News from 2021-22 for Oxfordshire Chess
News from other years: 2020 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2012 2010 2008 2007 2006
06 Jul 2022
Andrew Varney |
Oxfordshire Girls Chess Championship at Blenheim PalaceEntry is now open to the Oxfordshire Girls Chess Championship at Blenheim Palace on 2 to 3 August. See link below for online entry form and further details. Championship (2 and 3 August) Eligibility: Any under 18* Oxfordshire girl with ECF Bronze membership or above. Prizes: Trophy, title and prizes for winner plus additional age-group trophies and prizes TBC. Playing Schedule: Six round Swiss. All moves in 50 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move. Round times: Tue 2 August: 10:30 13:30 16:00 Wed 3 August: 10:00 13:00 15:30 prize giving 18:00 * Date of Birth on or after 1st September 2003 Rapid Play Major (2 August) Eligibility: Any under 18* Oxfordshire girl with ECF Bronze membership or above. Prizes: Trophies plus additional prizes TBC. Playing Schedule: Six round Swiss. All moves in 15 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move. Round times: 10:30 11:30 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:30 Prize Giving 16:30 * Date of Birth on or after 1st September 2003Link: https://forms.gle/NiSgsJFAESaewhGN6 |
28 Jun 2022
James Cole |
2022 Cowley BlitzThis year's Cowley Summer Blitz will be played online on Lichess on Monday 4th July at 7:30 p.m. It will consist of as many blitz games as you want to play between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. To play, you must have a Lichess account. You must also be a member of the Cowley Blitz Lichess team. If you aren't already a member, you can visit lichess.org/team/cowley-blitz and click the "Join" meeting. When the admins notice, they can then admit you. Please also email David.W.Robson@gmail.com and tell me the name of your Lichess account, and also your real name, so I know who is playing. Also if you would like to be considered for an age or gender related prize, please send me the details. As there are no admission fees, the awards are for the prestige only. Finally, if you are signed up, all you have to do is to visit the tournament link on the night at lichess.org/tournament/9CJSrxxc |
22 May 2022
James Cole |
2021-22 PrizesNow the season has been completed, the following prizes have been awarded: Arthur Mushens Trophy for the best percentage score in division 1 - Filip Mihov Bernard C Wyatt Trophy for the best percentage score in division 2 - Kenneth Hobson David Del Nevo Trophy for the best percentage score in division 3 - Andrew Hudson Lester Millan Trophy for the best percentage score by a junior in any single division - Kenneth Hobson Ray Starkie Best Game Prize for the best game played in the ODCL or an Oxfordshire County Match - Nigel Moyse Congratulations go to all the winners. Link: https://lichess.org/study/FzNi1KxF/EZUsPkEe |
30 Apr 2022
James Cole |
Ray Starkie Best Game PrizeDid you mark the return to over the board chess with your own brilliancy? If so please consider submitting your game from either the ODCL, Frank Wood Shield or Oxfordshire county match for the Ray Starkie Best Game Prize!
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12 Apr 2022
Stephen Rumsby |
Oxfordshire County ChessHere is a belated match report for the Berkshire v Oxford match held on 2nd April. As I developed a bad cold/cough I asked Nigel Moyse to take over the captainship, but unfortunately he developed Covid so I asked Ray Corden to take over. After all the trials and tribulations Oxford managed to win the final match against Berkshire by the narrowest of margins - 8.5:7.5 There looked to be some good results in there, so well done. We had a couple of defaults, Richard Beckett broke down on the way there and Tamal Matilal didn't make it. Thanks to all who played and to Ray for acting as captain. As it stands, this result means we win the League. However, the match Bucks v Hants never took place - I'm not sure why and it doesn't look like they're going to reschedule it. If they did and Hants won it would put them level on points but they would have to win with a 6 point margin to level the game point difference. |
10 Mar 2022
Andrew Varney |
Teaching chess in Oxfordshire schools with CSCThe charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) is currently recruiting new tutors to teach chess to school children in the Oxford area. There has been a significant amount of interest from local schools in our classroom teaching in primary schools and in after school chess clubs recently and we expect this to expand further again next academic year. You do not have to be a brilliant chess player as most of the lessons are at beginner level. If you enjoy teaching, have some knowledge of chess and are interested in committing to some hours in the afternoon on one or more days each week during school term time, we would be very interested to hear from you. Please take a look at the CSC website for further information about the charity and fill in the application form if you would like to apply. There is a one-day initial training day in Yarnton on Friday 29 April. If you would like to know a bit more about what is involved in the training and other requirements, how the lessons themselves work, remittance and such like please also feel free to contact me (see contact pages).
Andrew Varney |
09 Mar 2022
Stephen Rumsby |
Oxfordshire's Winning Streak EndsOxfordshire's run of wins came to an end on Saturday (5th March) when we were beaten by Hampshire 11.5:8.5. We were without some of our stronger players which put us at a disadvantage plus a we had default due to ill-health. However, it was a close fought match and it could have gone either way. Even so, we still stay top of the division with 2 points more than Hampshire and Berkshire, although Berkshire could draw level if they beat Buckinghamshire this coming Saturday. Our last match is on April 2nd, away to Berkshire, so I would like to field as strong a side as possible. If you are available and would like to play then let me know. |
07 Feb 2022
Andrew Varney |
Oxfordshire Junior Chess Championships 2021-2022The championships were held over the weekend of 8th / 9th January 2022 at Cumnor C of E Primary School. |
08 Jan 2022
Stephen Rumsby |
Oxfordshire win againOxford scored a rather flattering 12-5 win over Bekshire this afternoon. The teams were evenly matched apart from the bottom 3 boards where they outgraded us. Oxfordshire started well with 2 quick wins and 2 draws which gave us a 2 point lead which we never lost. Follow the Chiltern link to see the full results. A succession of draws followed, then gradually Oxford drew ahead. All the matches were closely fought - at least the ones I saw. Thanks to all who played, I hope you had an enjoyable game. Especial thanks to those who helped set up and pack up at the end. The next match is on February 5th against Bucks. We were hammered by them in our first match, so a win wold be nice. If you are available and would like to play then let me know, if you haven't already done so.Link: ViewResult.cfm?LeagueID=429&Display=13009&Org=8 |
16 Dec 2021
Andrew Varney |
Ojays wins in Junior 4NCLOxfordshire Junior teams recently won both the 4th season online Junior 4NCL in Division 1 and the Over the Board weekend in September.
Out of all 4 divisions, Oxfordshire fielded 6 teams out of the more 150
taking part. Division 1 of the online competition
consisted of 32 teams in 4 groups. Ojays A also won convincingly in Division 1 when J4NCL returned to OTB in September: J4NCL Division 1 Weekend 1 |
12 Dec 2021
Stephen Rumsby |
Oxford County Team win against HantsOxford won a decisive victory against Hants yesterday (11th) by 8.5:6.5. The sides were fairly evenly matched although they outgraded us on the top 6 boards. The match was very hard fought and the result was in the balance up to the last two games. We had 6 wins and 5 draws. The full results are in the Chiltern section of this website. Despite the COVID restrictions I think everyone had an enjoyable afternoon's chess. Thanks to everone who played, it was a great team effort. Special thanks to Ian Bush for his help. Our next match is a home match on the 8th January against Berks, so if you're available and would like to play please let me know (stephen.rumsby@maidford.plus.com) |
07 Dec 2021
James Cole |
2021-2022 Frank Wood ShieldThe Frank Wood Shield draw was completed over zoom this evening and the fixtures are now shown on the competitions page, with first round ties to be played by 3 Feb 2022. |
03 Nov 2021
James Cole |
Starred PlayersEach team that is required to do so has now declared their three starred
players for the season. Please find the list of these players below:
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07 Oct 2021
Andrew Varney |
British Junior Champions 2021-22The recent in-person British Junior Championships has seen Oxfordshire
Juniors take titles in two sections: Oxfordshire Juniors came close in both the Under 16 and Under 14 sections as well, with Adam Sieczowski as runner-up in the former and Dimitrios Zakarian in fourth place in the latter. Congratulations to all for excellent performances. |
02 Oct 2021
Asif Hameed |
ODCL Fixtures for 2021-22 have been amendedPlease take a look at the fixtures list - last updated 30/9/21 |
28 Sep 2021
James Cole |
Covid-19 PrecautionsAs advised in a recent email to clubs, we are collecting and publishing any conditions required at home venues.
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28 Sep 2021
Roger Thetford |
Updated Guidance for Clubs and CaptainsWith many thanks to Gerard O'Reilly, the latest version of the OCA's guidance for clubs and team captains has now been published. The Guidance has been simplified following the Rule changes agreed at the 2021 AGM, particularly incremental time limits, and now includes an appendix on COVID-19 precautions. It's worth printing this out and having it available on match nights, along with a copy of the updated Rules. Link: documents/OCA_Guidance_for_Clubs_and_Captains.pdf |
20 Sep 2021
Roger Thetford |
Updated ODCL RulesThe AGM held on 16 Sep 2021 agreed several amendments to the League Rules. There are a few 'tidying-up' changes resulting from the ECF's move to 4-digit ratings and to monthly publcation of rating lists. The following changes are more substantial:
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20 Sep 2021
Asif Hameed |
ODCL Fixtures for 2021-22 releasedPlease spread the news far and wide: The fixtures for 2021-22 have been released - Please let me know if there are any issues. The three league divisions have also been set up, but can I please urge all club and team captains to check and update the information contained on the site. Link: documents/ODCL_Authorised_Fixtures_in_Diary_Format.pdf |
14 Sep 2021
Ian Bush |
OCA Guidance for OTB Play During The COVID-19 PandemicThe OCA committee has been asked if it can provide guidance to clubs on what measures should be taken to mitigate the risk of COVID when over the board chess is restarted this season. Please see the link below for an initial draft of this guidance which will be discussed at the AGM on Thursday 16th Sept. Note the only requirement we have placed on the clubs is to keep the OCA informed of any COVID mitigation steps in place at their venue so visiting teams can know what to expect; the committee strongly believes each club will have its own unique set of circumstances, and so is the best organisation to identify appropriate steps to reduce risk at their venue. That said we have provided a number of what we hope are useful and practical recommendations. Link: http://www.oxfordfusion.com/oca/documents/OCA_Covid_guidance_21-22_season_v3.pdf |
Old News
Any unexpired news items dated before 1 August 2021 can be found by using the link for the relevant year. The link for 2020 will give news dated 01 Aug 2020 - 31 Jul 2021.