The 44^th KIDLINGTON CHESS TOURNAMENT

4 & 5 February 2023

Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 1AB

Organising Team:
Keith Freshwater
Gerard O'Reilly
Raj Panicker

Chief Arbiter: Matthew Carr
Controllers: Keith Freshwater, Jon D'Souza-Eva, Lucy Smith

Contact:
Keith Freshwater
07901 612661 (mobile); freshwak1@kidlingtonchess.org.uk

Website | Brochure and form for postal entry

Prizes (Total prize fund £2210)

We also have a Team Competition, for teams of four players from any section. Entries (which are free) must be received by 2pm on the Saturday; there is a prize for the winning team of £40.
No entrant may receive more than one individual prize, but a winner of an individual prize remains eligible for a share in the team competition prize.
To be eligible for an age-related prize, entrants must supply their date of birth on the form.
Prizes will be shared in the event of a tie.
All prize monies will be sent out within 7 days of the event by cheque or bank transfer.

Though distinct from the Kidlington Tournament, the second and final leg of the Oxfordshire Individual Championship 2022-23 is incorporated into the Open section. 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 (held in November 2022) and the 2023 Kidlington Chess Tournament. The rules governing eligibility can be found here.

Ratings and Prizes

Ratings will be taken, where available, from the latest revision of the ECF's January 2023 rating list. If you do not have a current ECF rating, please give your most recent ECF rating or grade and any other current official rating. If you have none, please provide other evidence of your playing strength, e.g. tournament results. Please note that:
(i) Only players with a current ECF standard-play rating are eligible for rating prizes.
(ii) In the rating-limited sections, players for whom we lack rating information based on at least 10 rated games in the last 5 years can receive only half of any individual prize.

Entries

If places are still available, online entries will be accepted until 11.59pm on Friday 3 February.
It may be possible to consider accepting entries early on Saturday morning if spaces should become available, but this cannot be guaranteed. Contact Keith Freshwater (contact details above).

Withdrawals

If you withdraw before entries close on Friday 3 February we will refund your entry fee less a £3 administration fee. If withdrawing during the tournament, please notify a controller in person or note it on your result slip.

Entry Fees & Donations

Standard entry fee (for ECF members at Silver or higher level: £28.
For Bronze-level ECF members or non-ECF members, there is a rating surcharge of £9.
There is a £5 discount from the standard entry fee for Juniors (Under 18 on 1 January 2023).
Early entries: a discount of £2 may be taken by those whose entries are received by 13 January.

Donations are vital to our long-term survival and are gratefully received. (NB. If you wish to make a donation, please click repeatedly on 'Add' in the 'Price details' section of the entry form until the box displays the amount you intend to donate.)

Conditions of Entry

Players entering the tournament agree thereby to abide by the Competition Rules and the decisions of the controllers.
It is also a condition of entry that players agree to their rating information and results being published on the ECF and Kidlington websites and the Chess-Results.com website.

Starting Times of Rounds

Rate of Play

All moves in 90 minutes, 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 a game after 30 minutes. The rate of play is subject to alteration in the case of such re-pairings.

Electronic Devices

A player must not use any electronic device during a game without the controller’s explicit permission. Although players may keep such devices with them at the venue, they must be fully switched off (not merely muted) in the playing area during playing sessions. They must not be carried on the person during a game but may, for example, be kept in a bag on the floor or in a coat on the back of a chair. These rules apply at all times during playing sessions.  In particular, a player whose mobile phone sounds during a game will forfeit the game.

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.

Pairing Requests

If you want to request that we avoid pairing you with (a maximum of two) specific players in the first four rounds, please let us know via the Contact tab at the top of this page or email entries@kidlingtonchess.org.uk.
NB. We cannot, however, guarantee to satisfy such a request.

Special Requirements

If you have any special requirements or any considerations that would help you to take part in this event, please let us know via the Contact tab at the top of this page or email entries@kidlingtonchess.org.uk. We will do our best to help.

Refreshments

Refreshments will be provided by Hackett’s Outside Catering and will include: bacon, sausage or egg baps; baguettes, panini, sandwiches, pasties and sausage rolls; a hot meal at lunchtimes on both days (e.g., cottage pie, chicken curry or similar); crisps, snacks, chocolate; a selection of cakes; bottled water, soft drinks, tea, filter coffee and hot chocolate.

Analysis

A separate room will be available for analysis and discussion. Players are urged to use this room for post-game analysis so as not to disturb others whose games are still in progress.

Behaviour

Please treat the premises and the chess equipment with respect and follow all signs, notices, and instructions of Exeter Hall staff or the organisers and arbiters as requested.

Please show respect at all times for other people at the tournament and their property. In particular, players and visitors entering or leaving the playing area are asked to do so quietly and to conduct themselves when in the playing area as quietly as reasonably possible while any tournament games are in progress.

Parental Supervision of Juniors

The organisers and arbiters are unable to act in loco parentis for children. Parents/guardians/carers are responsible for their children throughout the entire duration of this event. Children under the age of 12 must remain under the sole supervision of a parent or guardian throughout. Parents or guardians may arrange to share the supervision of older juniors with other trusted adults known to the junior. However, parents/guardians should note that they are still ultimately responsible for their children and their behaviour at this event.

Disclaimer

In addition to being unable to act in loco parentis, as noted above, the organisers accept no responsibility for any damage, theft, or accident to the person or property of any competitor, visitor, or other person attending the tournament. Nor are they responsible for the effects of actions of anyone else attending the event.

Data Protection

Personal data is held solely for the purposes of the Kidlington Chess Tournament: for the administration of the event, to report results to the ECF for rating purposes, and to publish rating information, results and games to the Kidlington Tournament and Chess-Results.com websites, as well as to inform you of our future chess events. We occasionally post photos of the tournament on the Kidlington website; if this is problematic for you, please contact the organisers.