The 48th BLACKPOOL CHESS CONFERENCE
Friday 7th February to Sunday 9th February 2025
The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool,
Lancashire. FY1 2HB

Imperial hotel accommodation at reduced rates including free parking at the hotel (otherwise £9 per day) can also be booked on the website; www.blackpoolchess.org.uk. Players booking an Imperial room (for 2 nights) get £10 off entry fee for one entrant (a booking reference number will be required), and free car parking ( Please put your booking reference number in the Imperial Booking number box, if not booked please enter 0). Full entry form for postal entries can also be downloaded via the same website.

Welcome

The 48th annual Blackpool Chess Conference will be held over the dates 7th - 9th February 2025. It is a 5 round Swiss congress, one round on Friday, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The congress is an ECF Graded event.

Sections

Section	The Lancashire Open	The Imperial Major U2050	The Intermediate U1850	The Minor U1700	The Standard U1550
Entry Fee	£45(£60 for English players Bronze)	£40(£55 Bronze or non ECF members)	£38(£53 Bronze or non ECF members)	£38(£53 Bronze or non ECF members)	£30(£45 Bronze or non ECF members)
First Prize	£700	£500	£500	£500	£400
Second Prize	£400	£300	£200	£200	£200
Third Prize	£200				£100
Grading Prize	3 prizes of £100	5 prizes of £100	4 prizes of £100	4 prizes of £100	4 prizes of £50
Best Veteran	£100	£100	£100	£100	£100
Best Junior	£30	£30	£30	£30	£30

Please enter early. A late payment fee of £5 becomes payable on all entries received after 03 Feb 2025. There is no entry on the day.

Time Table

	Day	Time
Opening Ceremony	Friday	18:55
Round 1	Friday	19:00 - 23:00
Round 2	Saturday	09:30 - 13:30
Round 3	Saturday	14:15 - 18:15
Round 4	Sunday	09:30 - 13:30
Round 5	Sunday	14:15 - 18:15

30 minutes after the start of each round, a new pairing may be made for any player whose opponent has not arrived or for any player who was initially awarded a bye. Missing players will be defaulted after 30 minutes. Swiss Manager will be used to pair the rounds using February 2025 published ratings.

Gradings

The January 2025 ECF grading list will be used for determining section entry. The February 2025 rating list will be used for pairing. The Open section will be FIDE rated, Gold membership is required for English players, non-English players must have a FIN. Highest of the ECF or FIDE rating be used. The highest published grade must be used for non-English players. Grading history and other sources may be used to place a player in a higher section. Players without a current grade must give their last published grade and the year of publication. Failure to disclose will result in disqualification. Adult players (over 18 years of age) without a grade/history may only enter the Open section. Ungraded Juniors must give a full indication of their strength. Players with grades/ratings that are not in the public domain must supply a signed photo-copy of their grading/rating. The Director reserves the right to place any entry whose grade cannot be verified into the section of his choice. It is a condition of entry that players agree to their grading information being published on the ECF Website. Players not wishing to have their details published on the ECF Website should contact the ECF Office directly. All results will be sent to the ECF for grading in the ECF Grading List. The last date for entry is Wednesday February 5th 2025. Players should check the website to confirm entry. No entries accepted after this date. No telephone entries accepted at any time.

Conditions of Entry

The organisers reserve the right to:

• Refuse any entry without stating a reason
• Transfer entrants between events
• Withhold prizes from ungraded players if they play in events below their known strength
• Redistribute in whole or in part a prize won by a competitor who has won or shared a main prize
• The organiser reserves the right to reduce the prize fund or cancel the event in the event of a low number of entries

Rate of Play and Pairings

All games must be completed in 1 hour 50 minutes plus 10 seconds increment added with each move. Swiss Manager will be used to pair the rounds using February 2025 published ratings.

Refunds

Players who withdraw and request a refund must do so in writing before 1st February 2025. If a refund is approved by the organisers, the entry fee may be returned less a £5 administration fee. Withdrawals after this date will not be eligible for a refund.

Donations

We thank you for previous year’s donations which have been used to fund veteran prizes. All donations from this year’s event will be used to provide veteran prizes at the next Blackpool Chess Conference.

Sharon Furlong Trophy

Highest scoring lady overall will receive the Sharon Furlong Trophy.

Mike O'Hara Memorial Trophy

To be awarded to the best performance by a Junior in the Open.

Veteran Prizes

To be awarded to the highest scoring veteran in each section. (60 or over on 07 Feb 2025).

Junior Prizes

To be awarded to the highest scoring Junior in each section. (U18 on 07 Feb 2025).

Covid Advice

In line with most tournaments and businesses, there will be NO requirement to wear a mask at present, though hand sanitisers will be available at many points. If a player wishes to wear a mask or not, PLEASE be courteous to their preference. Otherwise common sense please - if you are seriously not well, do not attend.

Chess Essentials

There will be a chess stall provided by Chess Essentials during the event. Supplying chess boards, chess sets, clocks, books, DVDs, stationery and chess novelties. Please ring or email for items which you wish to pre-order such as stationery. email: chessbooksuk@hotmail.co.uk Tel.: 01422 292 392

The Admin Team

• Congress Director is Bill O'Rourke
• Chief Controller is Alex McFarlane
• ECF Arbiters are Peter Purland, Fiona Green and Matt Carr
• Website maintained by Peter Hurn
• Backroom staff is David Clayton
• Congress set-up assistance by Con Carey and many others, with thanks
• email: blackpoolchessconference@virginmedia.com