Central London Chess Congress at Imperial College: April 2017

Event Summary
Introduction to the Central London Chess Congress
Playing Schedule
Map and Directions
Parking

Event Summary

IMPORTANT NOTE: Entries are not considered completed until payment is received (in case of going over-capacity). You will be contacted after you enter with details for payment. There is space for approximately 85 participants.

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You can see current entrants by clicking here (not updated in real time).

DATE: 21/Apr/2017 (Fri.) to 23/Apr/2017 (Sun.)
VENUE: Imperial College Union (1st Floor, Union Dining Hall), Beit Quadrangle, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BB
EVENT ORGANISER: John Sargent
CHIEF ARBITER: Adam Raoof
CLOSEST TUBE: South Kensington / Gloucester Road / High Street Kensington, Zone 1
EVENT FORMAT: 5 Round Swiss
ENTRY RESTRICTIONS: Due to licensing restrictions by Westminster Council placed on the building in which the congress is being held, the tournament is only open to people over the age of 18 (as of 21/Apr/2017).
TIME CONTROL: 90 minutes per player for all moves plus a 30 second increment starting from move one. Default / repairing time 30 minutes.
SECTIONS: Open, Major (U175 ECF / U2000 FIDE), Minor (U140 ECF / U1750 FIDE). Open and Major sections will be FIDE rated, all three sections will be ECF graded. Please note the ECF Membership Requirements below.
ECF MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS: All players in the Minor regardless of nationality must be ECF Silver members or above, or pay an additional £7 pay-to-play fee on top of their entry fee. ENG players in the Open and Major must be ECF Gold members or above, with no exceptions.
ENTRY COST: £40 for all sections, with additional £7 pay-to-play fee where applicable (see note above re: ECF membership requirements). Entries on the day are subject to organiser’s discretion and event capacity.
FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABILITY: There will be free water, hot drinks (water, tea and coffee) and snacks (biscuits etc.) available throughout the event to players, offered for a voluntary donation. For more substantial food, there are numerous shops and restaurants on Gloucester Road and near South Kensington which are within a 10-12 minute walk of the venue. Additionally the venue is located on the floor above the Union bar (although it will be closed in the mornings) which serves food and drink.
PRIZES: Guaranteed minimum £200 / £150 / £100 in the Open, £150 / £100 / £70 in both the Major and Minor sections. Additional money to the prize pool and grading prizes will be added at the organiser’s discretion depending on number of entries.
BYE: Players may request a half-point bye in advance (on the online entry form) for Rounds 1 through 4. Byes may not be taken for the final round.

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Introduction to the Central London Chess Congress

Imperial College has a history of hosting chess congresses several decades ago, and revived the tradition with its first long-play congress in over a decade in late 2011. We have since followed up with multiple events and this will be number seven!

A weekend of competitive chess in a great Zone 1 location, the venue is also conveniently located directly above the Imperial College Union bar, serving a variety of drink (at good prices!) to lubricate the parched throats of our competitors as well as offering a variety of snacks and food. Many restaurants and takeaways (info provided on the day for any who would like) are also comfortably within a 5-10 minute walk.

A small word of warning during round 1 (Friday night): being above the Union bar, it is likely there will be some background noise / music downstairs after about 20.00 but hopefully nothing too loud! The rounds have been scheduled so that there should be minimal noise from other Union activities throughout the rest of the weekend.

Playing Schedule

Registration Opens: Friday, 21/Apr/17 – 17.00
Introduction and Announcements: Friday, 21/Apr/17 - 17.50
Round 1: Friday, 21/Apr/17 - 18.00 to 22.00
Round 2: Saturday, 22/Apr/17 - 10.00 to 14.00
Round 3: Saturday, 22/Apr/17 - 15.00 to 19.00
Round 4: Sunday, 23/Apr/17 - 10.00 to 14.00
Round 5: Sunday, 23/Apr/17 - 15.00 to 19.00

Map and Directions

The event will be held in the Union Dining Hall on the first floor of the main Imperial College Union building (note: this is different from the last congress which was on the 2/F in the Union Concert Hall). When you walk into the Beit Quadrangle, walk straight ahead through the clearing and enter the main Union building. Upstairs on the first floor is the venue. There are two lifts you can use.

The closest tube stations are South Kensington, Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington (all approx. 10 minute walk). The official address is:

2nd Floor, Union Concert Hall
Imperial College Union
Beit Quadrangle
Prince Consort Road
SW7 2BB

Please see below a map showing Imperial College’s South Kensington campus and where the Central London Chess Congress will be played.

Parking

Parking may be available nearby (but not part of the Union itself), however we recommend using public transport if available. For more information please visit the below webpage (there is a phone contact for more details enquiries).

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/facilitiesmanagement/security/carparking/carparkinginformation

There are also limited meter parking spaces around Exhibition Road and around the Hyde Park area.

Contact

Any queries can be directed to John Sargent (the Congress Director) via e-mail, at johnsargent [at] gmail [dot] com.