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News Archive 2005

Last updated 30 December 2005

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30 Dec 05 | 2005 Results Round-Up
Jim Anderson has been busy collating year-end results in recent times, and the headline summary is:
  1. Championship - Mark May leads the 2005-06 event with 3½/6.
  2. Candidates - Alastair Dawson has 7/9 in the 2004-05 event with only Stanley Young able to catch him.
  3. Premiers - as previously reported, Bill Cook has won the 2005 event with 5½/7.
  4. Majors - Joseph Morrow has won section A with 5½/6, while the spoils are shared between Bill Hart and Gordon Kennedy in section B with 5/6.
  5. Minors - section A is incomplete, but Pat Moir has surged home with 6/6 in section B, joining our 100% Club in the process!
  6. Quartets - David Cumming has triumphed in this year's final with 5½/6.
  7. Leagues - division 1 is a two-way tie between Black Knight and Perth Correspondents, each with 6½/10, while in division 2 Social Dragons are ahead with 6½/10, but look likely to be caught by Knights of the Board A.
Congratulations to all winners in what have been very hard-fought competitions!
16 Dec 05 | ICCF Team Enters 2006 FIDE Olympiad
Pedro Hegoburu writes: You may have already heard or read that Congress in Angostura approved my suggestion to have an ICCF team in the upcoming FIDE Olympiad 2006 (in Torino, Italy). The team will have 6 players and one Team Captain, and will compete only on the Open section and not in the Ladies section (maybe in future Olympaids we will, but first we need to have a positive experience with only one team). There will also be one or two "delegation members", probably Med Samraoui and Max Zavanelli, who will deal with promotion issues and possibly attending the FIDE Congress and elections. ICCF will pay for the "FIDE fee" (Euro 100 per person) and the organisation pays for hotel and meals. Players need to arrive to Torino on May 20. The Olympiad will last 13 rounds. We believe the last round will be on June 4. The ICCF Congress decided to accept up to two player nominations from Member Federations, to reach me no later than January 31, 2006. The Executive Board will then decide upon suitable candidates and some replacements in case any chosen player cannot make it to the Olympiad. Nominated players must know that they are expected to pay their way to and from Torino. Sadly, ICCF is not able to pay for travel expenses for players and delegation members. You must think about this as a "holiday, participating in an OTB Olympiad"... :-))    Some of the criteria to be used by the EB in choosing our representative team will be:
  1. language skills
  2. multi-national team
  3. (strong) OTB players
  4. ICCF titleholder
  5. preference for ICCF World Champions
  6. good behaviour
  7. active in CC
  8. with some background as CC player (not "CC parachutists")
  9. willing to do Public Relations for ICCF
Therefore, please submit your National Federation nominations (up to two players) and inform us about the players' skills. If you are interested in participating, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
07 Dec 05 | Free ICCF Webserver Individual Matches
Pedro Hegoburu continues his seasonal goodwill offers: ICCF is glad to announce its end-of-year gift to everyone around the world: a free 2-game match on our dedicated ICCF WebChess server! The offer is open to anyone! Just fill a form with your personal information (name and surname, nationality, e-mail address), and we will pair you in a free 2-game match with someone else from around the world. You can find the entry form on the ICCF WebChess server. Just go to ICCF WebChess. In the main page, you click on "New Events". Then click on "Enter" in the line with the offer to participate in a Friendly 2-game match. Fill with your personal information and click "OK" when you're done. There are no fees to be paid - it's free! The rhythm of play will be 10 moves in 40 days, and the games will be unrated, so your ELO (if you have one) will not change with the result. The deadline for entries is December 31, 2005. We will be starting matches throughout December and the last batch will be online in early January. This is a unique opportunity to test our great ICCF WebChess server whilst playing two friendly games! Don't miss it! 2 free games! On our ICCF WebChess server! Unrated! Send your entry NOW, don't wait until December 31!
02 Dec 05 | ICCF/New in Chess Special Offer
nic 2005 Pedro Hegoburu writes with news of a special one-year subscription offer agreed between ICCF and NIC. Eight issues (almost 800 pages) will cost you only €66 Europe / £45 GB / $84 North America / $87 ROW. When your subscription expires it will stop and not renew automatically. You can find this special offer at NIC , or you can order by email to sales@newinchess.com. You are entitled to a free book - either "Wonderboy" by Simen Agdestein or "Secrets of Opening Surprises – volume 2", edited by Jeroen Bosch. Please indicate which book you wish to receive. (Note this offer is valid until 15-01-2006 and only for those who have not been a subscriber in the last 12 months). Other reasons to subscribe are:
  • Garry Kasparov may have stopped playing chess, but he is still writing on chess in every issue of NIC, exclusively.
  • NIC has modernized its lay-out and is now entirely full colour
  • Issue 2005-8 contains a 50-page report on the San Luis World Championship including analysis of Topalov’s first seven games by Topalov, Cheparinov, Timman and... Kasparov!
18 Nov 05 | Finland Jubilee Tournament
Heikki Arppi writes: The Finland´s Correspondence Chess Federation invites two (one by email, one by normal post) players, rating more than 2400, from your federation to the final of our jubileum tournament FINJUB-45. Also we hope that you can advertise (maybe in your chess magazine!) the semifinals of our tournament to the other players in your country! If you are interested in participating, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
16 Nov 05 | Cook Wins 2005 Premiers
Our item of 16 October hinted that Bill Cook could catch David Cumming in this year's Premiers - Bill has duly won his last game against John Armstrong and thus pips David by half a point! Congratulations to Bill, who can now claim that the Kingussie street decorations are in his honour...
17 Oct 05 | Magazine 91 Published
The third e-mag of 2005 is being distributed by email and post today, and we trust all subscribers will safely receive their copy. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times will be longer than last quarter due to higher than usual graphic content. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!
16 Oct 05 | Cumming Wins 2005 Premiers - Correction
Our item of 6 August gave premature congratulations to David Cumming of Inverness for winning this year's Premiers, but closer inspection reveals that Bill Cook can still match or overtake David's 5/6. Apologies to both players!
23 Sep 05 | ICCF Announces Olympiad 17 Preliminaries
Daniel Finkelstein announces that the preliminary rounds for the XVII Olympiad will be played by webserver, and will start on 30 November, 2005. Teams will consist of 6 boards, and the TDs will be Cecilio Hernáez (ESP); Søren Peschardt (DEN); Tim Runting (AUS); Wes Underwood (USA) and Sergio Verducci (ARG). Should you require any additional information, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
16 Jul 05 | Second Webserver Friendly International Starts
This month we start our second friendly international to be played on the ICCF webserver. Our opponents are Denmark, with the first 24 boards using the new technology, and 3 postal boards completing the line-up. Good to see the new technology attracting a large turn out, including some of our newer members. Denmark are long-standing friends, and we look forward to good chess, the renewal of some old acquaintances, and the forging of some new ones!
03 Sep 05 | Free Events in 2006
The recent Executive Committee meeting agreed that the Challengers event in 2006 should have free entry to encourage as many entrants as possible. This rolling tournament is a great socialiser as well as an opportunity to improve your playing strength, so make sure you put your name down for a few games when the membership renewal form reaches you! In addition, the Endings tournament has been resurrected by popular demand, and it, plus the Openings event, will also have free entry in 2006.
03 Sep 05 | 100% Club Page Established
A page featuring those members with perfect scores in domestic events has now been started. The initial list has been compiled from x-tables on the website, so please let us know of earlier winners who should take their rightful place on it. webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk
28 Aug 05 | Crawley Wins 2004 Openings
Congratulations and apologies to John Crawley of Ashford - the good news being that he won the 2004 Openings event with 6/6 (joining our elite 100% club in the process), and the apology being for our long overdue reporting of his triumph. His medal is currently being engraved, so his trophy cabinet extension can safely be ordered!
17 Jul 05 | ICCF European Team Championship Semi-Final
Gian-Maria Tani writes to inform us that the 7th European TC will commence in December 2005, and will be played on the ICCF webserver. Scotland has an automatic entry to this stage, so we need to find an 8-person team willing to take up the challenge! Our submission needs to be in by mid-November. For further details, contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
17 Jul 05 | ICCF World Championship Semi-Final Wildcards
Daniel Finkelstein writes to remind us that Scotland has 2 wildcards in 2005 which allow players to participate in a WC Semi without qualification - you just have to pay the entry fee. For further details, contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
17 Jul 05 | Magazine 90 Published
The second e-mag of 2005 is being distributed by email and post today, and we trust all subscribers will safely receive their copy. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times should be the same as last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. One or two regular subscribers to the hard copy edition still haven't sent in their £5 fees - once you remit, I'll send on all the 2005 issues to you. Enjoy the read!
16 Jul 05 | First Webserver Friendly International Starts
This month we are breaking new ground by starting our first-ever friendly international to be played on the ICCF webserver. Our opponents are Australia, and the first 19 boards will all use the new technology, with 2 postal boards completing the line-up. We look forward to good chess, good craic, and the renewal of some old acquaintances!
25 Jun 05 | 04-05 Championship Ends In 3-Way Tie
First place (and prize) in our 2004-05 Championship will be shared between Alan Brown, Iain Mackintosh and Ian Reeman, all of whom finished on 6/8. Only once before has a 3-way split been recorded - in 1979, when Douglas Bryson, David Jenkins and Douglas McKerracher could not be separated at the tape. Alan Brown is no stranger to the winners rostrum - this is his hat-trick, having won the trophy outright in the last two seasons. Iain Mackintosh has previously shared the title with Jonathan Lennox in 1998, while Ian Reeman gains his first success - a worthy achievement after many years of consistently fine play. Congratulations to them all, and prize sponsor Sam Collins can expect some visits in the near future!
25 Jun 05 | 21st ICCF World Championship
Daniel Finkelstein writes to say that the 21st World CC Championship will start on August 1. Current champion Joop van Oosterom defends his title in a 15-player field, comprising 5 from Germany, 2 each from Netherlands and Slovakia, and 1 each from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Hungary, Russia and Sweden. The grading range is quite wide in this event - van Oosterom is out in front on 2777, but the Slovakian GM Alois Lanc is rated at a mere 2477. Full details on the ICCF Website.
14 Jun 05 | AGM Highlights
Alan Brown has joined the committee as membership officer/assistant secretary. He will concentrate on membership administration while Jim Anderson will focus on domestic events. Membership and entry fees are unchanged for 2006. Full accounts were not presented, but preliminary estimates show an increased surplus and improved cash at bank. Banking arrangements were consolidated during the year, and a development fund has been set up. Minutes are now available for download on the Members' page.
08 Jun 05 | ICCF WebChess Gambit Match
Pedro Hegoburu writes to inform us of the following match, which you can view live on the ICCF Webserver. From 10 until 13 May 2005 the Chess Events Maastricht Foundation organised a match between two young Dutch OTB players, GMs Loek van Wely and Daniel Stellwagen, in the Centre Céramique in Maastricht. The first two games were Random Chess games, and the last two games Advanced Chess games (normal games but with the eventual help of a computer). One of the driving forces behind the Chess Events Maastricht Foundation is Jan van Reek. He was born on 10 July 1945 in Oostvoorne, studied Chemistry in Leiden, was a medical researcher in Maastricht, and nowadays lives in Margraten as a chess author and especially as an endgame specialist.
On 10 July 2005 he will celebrate his 60th anniversary with the start of The WebChess Gambit Match. Jan has therefore sponsored the prize fund. The match will be played on the ICCF Webserver by two former Correspondence Chess World Champions: Mikhail Umansky and Gert Timmerman. ICCF is the International Correspondence Chess Federation, the FIDE recognized world-wide body of correspondence chess, played in the past by post, later by fax and email, and nowadays switching to webserver play. The essence of correspondence chess is that the reflection time is measured in days, and not in hours or minutes. On May 13 we had the drawing of the lots of the WebChess Gambit Match between Gert Timmerman (NED) and Mikhail Umansky (RUS), sponsored by Jan van Reek (NED), in an Indonesian restaurant in Maastricht during the closing banquet of the Advanced (and partly Fischer Random) Chess Match between the two Dutch FIDE-GM's Loek van Wely and Daniel Stellwagen.
The six gambits have carefully been selected by Jan van Reek. Especially in this way that both players more or less do have the same chances, based on historical performances. The outcome was that the following games will be started on the ICCF webserver (inclusive the given moves):

Game 1  Timmerman - Umansky: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4
Game 2  Umansky - Timmerman: 1.e4 e5 2.f4
Game 3  Umansky - Timmerman: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5
Game 4  Timmerman - Umansky: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4
Game 5  Umansky - Timmerman: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
Game 6  Timmerman - Umansky: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4
The games will be recorded under the header "Tables and Results" on the ICCF webserver. The official starting date is the 10th of July 2005, but the games may be started as from June 5. However, players will most probably not play their first moves before official starting date. The games will be recorded live on the webserver with no delays. The first time control in all six games will be on the 10th move (60 days). The Tournament Director is the Dutch International Arbiter Nol van 't Riet. Mikhail Umansky (Russia) is living in Germany. He was the 13th World Champion (1998–2000). Gert Timmerman (Netherlands) was the 15th World Champion (2001–2003). Both players participated in the ICCF 50 Years Jubilee World Champions Tournament (2001–2004) together with all other seven still living World Champions. This tournament was won by Umansky with the marvellous score of 7 out 8 (TPR 2974). Timmerman shared the second place with 5 out 8, together with Fritz Baumbach (Germany) and Vytas Palciauskas (USA).
03 Jun 05 | Gladiatoren Ante Portas (Gladiators Before the Gates)
gladiatoren GM Volker-Michael Anton informs us that the tournament book from the Massow Memorial 1996-2001 can now be bought online at specially discounted prices - the book is €9.80 (was €13.80), and the book plus CD is €14.80 (was €19.70). P&P for either is €5.00 (that's an increase of €0.50!). To remind you, this event was the strongest ever CC line-up, featuring world champions Michael Umansky (1996) and Gert Timmerman (2001), plus 6 other ex-champions. It was won by Anton, who co-authors the book with another ex-champion, Fritz Baumbach. You get 240 pages, 105 games, 285 diagrams, 21 photographs, 15 portraits, and please note that it is a German text. Further details from: www.anton-baumbach.de If you prefer, payment may be made via: Paypal
18 May 05 | SCCA AGM 2005
This will be held at Stirling Chess Club, BB Headquarters, Dalgleish Court, off Baker Street, Stirling at 4:00pm on Sunday, 5th June. The Stirling Club website has directions to the venue, and can be found by following the link: Stirling CC The agenda is:
  1. Apologies
  2. President's Remarks
  3. Minutes of Previous AGM
  4. Secretary's Report
  5. Treasurer's Report
  6. International Secretary's Report
  7. Election of Office Bearers
  8. Election of Auditor
  9. Subscriptions
  10. AOCB
03 May 05 | Internal Website Restructure
Over the last week, a lot of work has been done to organise the huge volume of material we now have on the website. What you see shouldn't be affected, but if you come across any links or images which aren't working properly, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk
11 Apr 05 | ICCF Announces 66th and 67th European Individual Championship Semi-Finals
Gian-Maria Tani advises that the 66th EIC Semi will be played by webserver, and the 67th by post, and both are planned as 13-player groups. Each member federation is allowed one nomination per Semi, and there are qualification norms including 1st and 2nd places in EU/M groups; placements in previous EIC Semis; and/or GM and SIM title holders. Entries are required by 1 July and play starts on 1 September 2005. Full details are available from George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
08 Apr 05 | Magazine 89 Published
The first e-mag of 2005 is being distributed by email and post today, and we trust all subscribers will safely receive their copy. As usual, members will be asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email. Download times should be a little shorter this quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help, though please note there might be a short delay as my computer is under repair. Enjoy the read!
25 Mar 05 | ICCF Announces Olympiad 16 Preliminaries
Pedro Hegoburu announces that the preliminary rounds for the XVI Olympiad will be played by post (optionally email), and will start on 30 May, 2005. Teams will consist of 4 boards, and the TD will be IA Carlos Flores Gutiérrez of Spain. Should you require any additional information, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
24 Mar 05 | ICCF Outlines Draft 2005 Title Tournament Calendar
Pedro Hegoburu reports on the outline plans for the following events:
  • Ladies Olympiad 7 Preliminaries: email/webserver, expected to start 1 July.
  • Ladies World Championship 8 Final: unlikely to start in 2005 due to slow play in final 6 and preliminaries.
  • Ladies World Championship 9 Preliminaries: email/webserver, expected to start 14 September.
  • Olympiad 15 Final: unlikely to start before July, waiting for final 15 and preliminary results.
  • Olympiad 16 Preliminaries: postal/email, expected to start 30 May.
  • Olympiad 17 Preliminaries: email/webserver, expected to start by 30 November.
  • World Championship 21 Final: email/webserver, expected to start 1 June.
Should you require any additional information, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
20 Mar 05 | GM Simon Webb Dead
Per Söderberg writes to advise us that GM Simon Webb, resident latterly in Sweden, is dead, apparently killed after a quarrel with his son. Webb was well known to a generation of Scottish OTB and CC players, as well as being a widely read author and commentator on the game. This is shocking news, and we send our deep sympathy to the bereaved.
14 Mar 05 | 2005 Grading List Updated
ICCF has produced its first grading list of 2005, and Raymond Baxter has updated our full list with the ICCF changes. You can view these on the Grading page, and the revised list is also on the Members' page to download in pdf format. Should you require any additional information, please contact Raymond at: grader@scottishcca.co.uk
11 Mar 05 | ICCF 2005 World Campionship Semi-Finals and Candidates
Daniel Finkelstein advises that this year's events are being organised by post, email and webserver. Eligibility of players changes slightly following the Mumbai Congress, and details can be found on the World Championship Format page of this site (look under ICCF Events). Sections will be started during 2005 according to entries and preferred modes of play, but no sections will start 15 March-15 April or 15 September-15 October when the new grading lists are published. Scotland is entitled to 2 nominated places. Should you require any additional information, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
07 Feb 05 | New ICCF World Champion
Congratulations to Joop van Oosterom of the Netherlands, who has just become the 18th World Champion, scoring an uncatchable 11/14 (8 wins, 6 draws) in the event!
07 Feb 05 | Changes to ICCF Fees
ICCF has announced a restructure of entry fees from 1 January 2005, and the recent SCCA Executive Board has agreed complementary revisions to our international fees to take effect from 1 March. The full tariff can be found on the ICCF Events page, and there is a mixture of increased and decreased charges as follows:
Increases: Champions League teams £30 per cycle (was £24); Individual Championship Candidates £12 (new); Individual Championship Semi-Final £25 (was £18); Individual Championship Ladies Semi-Final £12 (new); Master Norm £20 (was £18); GM norm £30 (was £18).
Decreases: Individual Class Events 7-player £4 (was £6); Individual Class Events 11-player £7 (was £8); World Cup £10 (was £12); Thematic Events £7 (was £8).
As previously, players selected to play for Scotland in team events will have their fees paid by the SCCA. Revised paper entry forms will be distributed with the next magazine, but you can download entry forms for local printing and/or use the online entry facilities (both via the ICCF Events page) straight away.
06 Feb 05 | Friendly International with Netherlands Starts
George Pyrich has completed the pairings for our second friendly match of 2005, and the mixed-mode, 24-board international against Netherlands starts on March 1. The Scots will send the opening moves, and there are 17 email and 7 postal boards. Good luck to the team!
06 Feb 05 | Magazine 88 Erratum
Alan Borwell points out an inaccuracy in the last magazine, where the League Division 1 game between Doug Harvey of Perth and Bert Norris of Knights of the Board A finished 1-1. The e-mag has been updated to show the correct result and pairings. Apologies to the players concerned!
03 Feb 05 | 2005 Grading List Published
Raymond Baxter has produced this season's list, and it is available on the Grading page to browse, and on the Members' page to download in pdf format. Should you require any additional information, please contact Raymond at: grader@scottishcca.co.uk
30 Jan 05 | Friendly International with BCCS Starts
George Pyrich has completed the pairings for our first friendly match of 2005, and the mixed-mode, 20-board international against BCCS starts on February 14. The 'Brits' will send the opening moves, and there are 15 email and 5 postal boards. Good luck to the team!
21 Jan 05 | Foglar Veterans Tournament
Jaromir Canibal writes on behalf of the Czech CCA: In memory of an excellent man, Mr. Stanislav Foglar, the Czech CCA organizes the invitational event "FOGLAR veterans" dedicated to all the players at the age of 50 or more years and rated 2300 at least. The tournament has been approved by ICCF and will be played according to ICCF rules of play for email tournaments. All games in the tournament will be rated. Here are the most important marks of our event:
Federation in charge: Czech CCA
TD in charge: Jaromir Canibal, IA; Zdenek Nyvlt, IA
Number of stages: one, started in the following 3 years on Foglar´s birthday
Number of players: 4 sections with 15 players each
Restrictions: age 50+, ELO 2300+, max. 2 sections per player
Starting dates: 11.4.2005, 11.4.2006, 11.4.2007
Entry fee: 15 euro per tournament and player
Entries into the first year of the event (containing name, email, date of birth and ICCF rating of the player), should be sent via National Federations to the head of the organizing team, Mr. Josef Sykora, with a copy to Mr. Petr Buchnicek, not later than 20.3.2005. In case of great interest entries received sooner will be accepted in preference. Players of your federation are heartly invited into our tournament! It will be a great honour to our federation to include any player especially from your country. Should you require any additional information, please contact George Pyrich at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
21 Jan 05 | Tsunami Disaster Charity Chess Match
George Pyrich writes: Following the recent terrible disaster in Asia, several ICCF officials have developed the idea of holding a friendly charity correspondence chess match between teams from AJEC (the French Correspondence Chess Federation)/Asia and the Rest of the World to be played on the new ICCF web server in order to raise funds for the disaster relief programme.
On behalf of the SCCA and ICCF, I should like to extend an invitation to you and your friends to take part in this new event. Play is scheduled to start on 15 February and each player will play 2 games simultaneously against 1 opponent. Alan Borwell, ICCF Honorary President, will serve as team captain for the Rest of the World Team. As indicated, the event is being held to raise funds which will then be contributed by ICCF to charitable bodies presently involved in the current disaster relief programme and participants are asked to contribute 8 Swiss Francs (£4) (of course, participants are free to contribute more, if they so wish). More details can be found on the ICCF website ICCF.
So, please advise me without delay if you wish to take part! Payments, by cheque payable to "Scottish Correspondence Chess Association" should be sent to my home address: 13 Ardgartan Court, Balfarg, Glenrothes, Fife KY7 6XB. As stated, the entry "fee" is £4, although larger contributions are of course very welcome. Entries and payments should be sent to me as soon as possible and not later than 10 February. The Scottish CCA will then arrange transfer of all receipts to the match organisers. Please also note that this event is open to all chessplayers regardless of whether they are members of the Scottish CCA - so, please feel free to extend invitations to all your chessplaying friends. I do hope that you will wish to take part in this very worthy event. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
20 Jan 05 | Chess Mail Special Ladies' Edition
Tim Harding writes: Chess Mail is planning a special issue (probably in April or May) on the involvement of women (ladies if you prefer) in correspondence chess. This is a topic we hardly covered before. Therefore we are interested in information from your country and contributions from leading female players. There will also be some historical articles. We are looking for:
  • News of ladies' championships and other female-only events in your country, or the information that these have not been held (if that is the case); Female successes competing against men in "unisex" events;
  • Contributions from LGMs and other leading female players.
  • Photographs (high resolution please: at least 750 pixels wide x 1000, JPG format)
  • Annotated games;
  • Opinions about whether ICCF should continue to hold Women's Events and award female-specific titles. I know some people hold strong views about this...
  • Views and stories from TDs in senior ladies events.
  • Statistical information about numbers of female players
  • Information about women who have organised CC events (I know of two famous cases in Britain/Ireland before World War I); any others?
  • Lists of ICCF female title-holders past and present.
  • Cases where males have posed as females to enter single-sex events (of course there is one well-known case in Britain and another in Belgium). AND Genuine sex-change cases?
  • Anything else you may think is relevant.
Please send your contributions to: editor@chessmail.com to arrive not later than March 31.
19 Jan 05 | Magazine 88 Published
The winter e-mag completes the set for 2004, is being distributed by email and post today. We trust all subscribers will safely receive their copy. As usual, members will be asked to download their emags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary emags will be attached to the email. Download times should be a little longer this quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at: webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!
16 Jan 05 | Cumming Wins 2004 Quartets
David Cumming of Inverness has won Q212, the 2004 Quartets section with 5/6, with Raymond Burridge of Aberdeen in second place. Many congratulations to the men from the northern fastnesses!!
06 Jan 05 | 2005 Friendly International Matches
George Pyrich advises that he's presently planning a couple of new matches with likely start dates in February. These matches will be of the usual format (2 games, one White, one Black played simultaneously against one opponent) and played by either email or post. So, please advise if you are "available for selection" and your preference, postal or email. It would be very helpful if you could respond not later than 12 January. You can reach George by email at: international@scottishcca.co.uk
04 Jan 05 | Swedish CCA to run GM Webserver Tournament
Per Söderberg writes to advise us:
The 31 Dec 2004 starts the first Grandmaster tournament on the ICCF Webserver. The tournament is named "Harald Malmgren 100 years". The occasion is to commemorate the 100:d birthday of Harald Malmgren, Tierp in Sweden. Malmgren was runner up after Cecil Purdy in ICCF's first World Championship and earned his GM title in the event. Malmgren passed away in 1957. In his career he was also second in IFSB Championship 1939 and won the Swedish CC Championship in 1942. Malmgren was a true chess enthusiast and issued a book in 1953 "Mina bästa partier" (My best games) with only CC games he had played.
There are 13 participants and you will be able to follow the results on SSKK and as soon as about 10 moves are made in every game, SSKK will open a page for "live" games. That is games according to the ICCF CoC regulations for live games. The Category of the event is 10 which means that all norms are available. The tournament has two sponsors, Schackakademin and Svenska Schackbutiken AB. Please visit our sponsors by clicking their banners. The players are: IM Jan Bennborn, Sweden, IM Sture Olsson, Sweden, IM Rune Bergquist, Norway, IM Ervin Liebert, Estonia, IM Taisto Koskela, Finland, IM Leif Åhman, Sweden, SIM Jón A Pálsson, Iceland, SIM Josef Mrkvicka, Czech Rep, GM Matthias Rüfenacht; Switzerland, IM Gary S Benson, Australia, SIM John Pugh, England, Phillippe Chopin, France and Mads Smith Hansen, Denmark. The withdrawing ICCF President keeps playing CC and starts this event on his very last day in office. The prizes are as follows:
  1. 2.500 SEK
  2. 1.500 SEK
  3. 1.000 SEK
  4. 500 SEK
In case of a tie, the monies are shared. With the best wishes for the coming new year, Tomas Carnstam, Jonas Dahlgren, Robert Ericsson, Sebastian Nilsson and Per Söderberg (SSKK Board members).