Club Venue: Ducklington Village Hall, OX29 7UX

Tenth Witney Weekend Congress - Information

10th Witney Weekend Congress   4th and 5th November 2023 Cokethorpe School, Witney, OX29 7PU   www.cokethorpe.org.uk   This congress is a ECF Grand Prix event

Sections and Entry Fees: Open, U2000, U1800 & U1600 - £30.00. Please note there is a rating surcharge for non-ECF members or Bronze-level ECF members of £9.00 (£39.00).

Contact: Mike Truran | Arbiters: Matt Carr and Keith Freshwater

Playing Schedule:

Rate of Play: All moves in 90 mins plus 15 seconds per move increment from move 1.

Any player arriving more than 30 minutes late will be deemed to have lost unless re-pairing is possible. His/her opponent, however, must expect to be paired again if another player is otherwise without an opponent after 30 minutes. The time allowance is subject to alteration in the case of such re-pairings. Pairings will be made using Swiss Manager.

Byes: You may take a half-point bye in any one of the first four rounds. Please notify us if possible on the entry form or at the beginning of the tournament.

Prizes:

Withdrawals: If withdrawing during the tournament, please notify a controller or note it on your result slip. If you withdraw before the first round we will refund your entry fee less a £5.00 administration fee.

Ratings: All sections will be ECF rated. Ratings will be taken from the ECF's latest revision of the October 2023 list. (If you do not have an ECF rating, please give any other official rating, or, if you have none, provide other evidence of your playing strength, e.g. other tournament results.) Only players with a current ECF standard-play rating are eligible for rating prizes.  Please note that it is a condition of entry that players agree to their rating information being published on the ECF website.

Analysis: A separate area will be available for analysis and discussion.

ECF membership: Under ECF membership arrangements (for more details, visit the ECF website), there will be no charge for the rating of the games of those who are ECF members at Silver level or higher, but the tournament organisers will be charged extra for the rating of the games of non-members or Bronze-level members. Entry fees and discounts reflect these arrangements.

Further Information

Players entering the tournament agree to abide by the FIDE Laws of Chess and the decisions of the controllers, which will be final. We reserve the right to refuse entries or transfer entrants from one section to another at any point.

Mobile phones and electronic devices are only permitted in the playing area if the device is completely switched off. A player must not use any mobile phone or electronic device during a game without the controller’s explicit permission. A player whose mobile phone sounds during a game will forfeit the game.

Prizes will be paid by direct bank transfer within seven days of the end of the congress. No player may receive more than one individual prize. Prizes will be shared in the event of a tie.

Location: Cokethorpe School is set in a parkland estate of nearly 150 acres, 2 miles south of Witney and 10 miles from Oxford. See map and help with directions here.

Refreshments: These will be available on the premises, provided by the Cokethorpe School catering team, and will include a comprehensive range of hot and cold food and drinks.

The title of Oxfordshire Chess Champion and the Championship Trophy will be awarded to the eligible player with the highest combined score in the Open sections of the Witney Weekend Congress and the 2024 Kidlington Chess Tournament.

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