The Galway Winter League (our club championship), is an ICU-rated competition which runs from October through April, and the first round kicks off next week (Thursday, October 24th).
Competitors will play one classical game per month, scoring 1 point for a win and a 1/2 point for a draw, and in the usual fashion, players will be matched, insofar as is possible, with players on the same number of points, so after the first round or two, opponents should find themselves evenly matched. The entry fee for the competition is €15, and there will be a trophy and cash prizes.
It is a great opportunity to play some serious rated tournament chess without having to commit oneself to an entire weekender, and it is significantly cheaper.
The time control is 90 minutes per game plus 10 seconds increment per move. To ensure the games finish at a reasonable hour, the start time will be 19:30, though you can of course agree to adjust this with your opponent, but do bear in mind that we are expected to vacate the premises by 11ish.
The scheduled dates are listed in the calendar on the right-hand side of this webpage, but if a certain date does not work for you, you can always ask your opponent to reschedule to a time and venue that suits you both.
If you cannot make the scheduled date, you must inform your opponent at least 48 hours in advance – some people travel substantial distances to play these matches, and it is no fun to turn up at the club to find one’s opponent has not. If you do not turn up for a game, and have failed to inform your opponent, you will forfeit the game, and the Tournament Controller (Jason) may deem you to have withdrawn from the tournament.
Whatever rescheduling you do, please keep the Tournament Controller informed, and in order to ensure that he can keep things running smoothly, you must provide the result of your match by the Thursday evening preceding the next round. E.g., if you postpone your match from November 14th, you must inform the Tournament Controller of the match’s result by December 5th to give him time to make and circulate the draw for the next round. If neither player submits the result by this deadline, it will be scored as a loss for both players.
In a similar vein, if you wish to register for the tournament, you must do so by Sunday (October 20th) in order to be included in the draw for the first round. Simply send your name and ICU number (or date of birth if you do not have an ICU number) and preferred contact details (to be shared with other entrants in case of match rearrangements etc.) to Jason or galwaychess[at]gmail[dot]com. Entry after October 20th will be at the Tournament Controller’s discretion, so please register in a timely fashion! Of course, if you receive this notice too late, do let us or Jason know, and he can try to slot you in.
The usual classical rules about touch-move, writing down your moves, hitting the clock with the same hand that made the move, illegal moves, etc., all apply – please pester Jason if you have any queries.
The Tournament Controller’s decision on all Galway Winter League matters is final (even to the extent of amending what is written here), except where he is involved as a player, in which case the Executive Junior Vice Tournament Controller (Ger) will take the helm.
Get registering, and good luck!
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