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Christopher C W Shepard

The following is a tribute to Chris prepared by the Sheffield and district chess Archivist Steve Mann.

The original article can be seen at - https://mannchess.org.uk/SNotices/2025-09-16ChrisShephard.htm

The games links are active if you are interested.

I will be representing the EFCC at the funeral on 7th October - Phill Beckett.

16/09/2025

Christopher C W Shephard

25/02/1951 – 14/09/2025


Sheffield Nomads chess club has been informed that Chris Shephard died on Sunday the 14th of September.  The cause was reportedly some form of abdominal cancer which had been deemed untreatable.  He had been at the forefront of Sheffield chess from 1977 to the present, his last competitive game having been as recently as 07/07/2025 in the Summer League.

Christopher C W Shephard was born in Birmingham on 25th of February 1951.  What the “C W” in the middle stood for is unclear.  (Geoff Frost says, “I am almost certain that C W stood for Charles Walter.  Chris hated being known as CCW!”.)  He has a brother, Andrew N R Shephard, who Chris mentioned to me once as being “Andrew” within the family, but “Andy” outside.  (The writer was never “Steve” until the chess world imposed that name on him.)

Chris attended King Edwards, Birmingham, where he was the first person to select a certain A J Miles to play in a chess team, for an inter-house match.  This was, of course, Tony Miles, born 23 April 1955, destined to attend Sheffield University and to become the first England player to qualify as a Grandmaster.  (After Chris had left the school, King Edward VII school, Sheffield, played King Edward’s (VI), Birmingham in the Sunday Times competition, and I with White played on board 1 against the said A. J. Miles.  The opening was 1. d4 f5 2. g4.  Miles was clearly unprepared and chewed his fingernails continually, but he eventually won!)

He’s recorded as joining KES Birmingham old Boys Association in 1969.  There seemed no evidence of him going to university, but Jon Nelson unearthed references to him playing for Sussex University.  Chris’s attendance at Sussex University is confirmed by reference to grading lists showing him in 1971 and 1972 as of both South Birmingham and Sussex University chess clubs.  Enigmatically, he is listed in neither the 1970 BCF Grading List nor the 1970 SCCU Grading List, rather suggesting he dutifully buckled down and concentrated on his studies and abstained from any significant amount of chess?!

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What follows starts with a random selection of snippets which illustrate Chris’s early prominence in Birmingham and Warwickshire chess, and then my personal remembrances of Chris in his earlier years in Sheffield while he was connected with Rotherham Chess Club in its heyday along with extracted details events he played in.  Others may wish to submit their own contributions.

In particular, Martin Howard has submitted a well-written person piece which appears separately below.  (Click here to jump down to it.)

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Chess before Sheffield

In 1967 Chris played on board 10 for Birmingham league v Leamington league, beating J T Wood.

In April 1968 he won the West Midlands and Warwickshire U-18 Boys’ Championship.

He played in the British U-18 Championship of 1968, finishing 37th-44th= out of 54, on 4½ out of 11.

The 1969 Warwickshire Championship was a 5-player all-play-all won Peter Griffiths (Solihull) on 3 points out of 4, followed by 2nd-3rd= R. V. M Hall (Birmingham, later Bradford, becoming a high court judge) and C. C. W. Shephard (South Birmingham) on 2½.  There followed, J R Crampton (Birmingham) on 1½, and W Ritson Morry (Mutual) who as defending champion managed to score only ½.

In 1969, KES Birmingham reached the two-day semi-finals and finals of the Sunday Times held in London.  In the final, Birmingham met Dundee High School and at the close of play the score was 3-2 in Birmingham’s favour.  Normally, adjudications are done there and then to give a final result on the day, but, as Jon Nelson dug up to his amusement, adjudicator C H O’D Alexander, declined to adjudicate since as a former pupil of KES Birmingham he would be biased.  So, the adjudication was afterwards sent to Harry Golombek, who awarded Tony Miles a loss, making the score 3-3 when Dundee won on tie-break.  What Jon doesn’t know is that I (Steve Mann) was actually there.  KES Sheffield lost in the semi-final to Dundee.  I drew my game on board one with black against Dundee’s Chris Jones (now of chess problem fame).  Later, as Steve Lorber and I were on our way to the evening meal, our lift got stuck, resulting in at irate American threatening to sue, and an elderly German lady believing she would die of asphyxiation despite being consoled by her daughter.  Later that evening, some KES Sheffield and Dundee players played bridge into the early hours.  The next day, Chris Shephard lost to Chris Jones in the final; so, that’s one up to me.  At some stage, presumably the morning of the first day, all four teams were treated to a cinema showing of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, though there was a feeling we were all a bit old for such a film.  By a strange quirk of fate, one of the Dundee team, Andrew Baruch, was years later captain of a Warwickshire team playing against Yorkshire at the Abbey were B&J played (now Ecclesall’s venue); he now plays for Kenilworth,.

The British Universities Chess Association (BUCA) championships were held 6th to 11th April 1970 at Manchester University, the latter entering three teams in the team event.  The preliminary stage put Sussex from Preliminary section D into Final section 2 where they came second, making them 10th-11th= overall (with Warwick as it happens).  In the Final phase, Chris won with black against J Sanz of Southampton in a Sokolsky, but the game is absent from the official bulletin.  One of Chris’s games has been exhumed, against a player from Manchester III in the preliminary phase.  Click on the following link to play through the game on screen:

S H Foster 0-1 Chris Shepherd

In 1971 Chris played in the Paignton Congress.

On 12/05/1973, he was board 7 for Warwickshire against Lancashire in the English Counties ¼-finals (presumably 1972-73 season).  Chris beat a T Ludgate.  Warks. captain W Ritson Morry reckoned this was probably the strongest Warwickshire team he’d ever fielded, but Warks. lost 5½-14½ to a much stronger Lancashire line-up.

Shortly after, on 19/05/1973, Warwickshire met Leicestershire in the final of the Midland Counties Championship.  The final score was 8-8, and Warks. won on board count.  Chris was on board 4 and drew with Kevin Wicker.

In 1973, Chris played in the Midland Open Championship, part of the Birmingham International Congress, finishing 2nd on 8½ out of 11, behind the winner, Louis de Veauce who scored 9 points.  Chris’s game with Michael J Pitt is mentioned later.

The relative timings of ECF final and MCCU final suggests the ECF competition was in those days based of the previous season’s Union results, or the two were then wholly separate.

On about 23rd of March 1974, Chris was playing on board 2 for Warwickshire against Leicestershire in the Midland Counties semi-final, drawing with L A Edwards.

On 09/04/1974 played board 1 for Birmingham in the annual Birmingham v Coventry League match – losing to R. S. McFarland.

On about 14/09/1974, Chris played board 5 for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire beating T. Guy.

On 03/07/1975, Chris play on board 4 for Warwickshire against a much stronger Lancashire team in the English Counties Championship, losing to Martyn Corden,

At the Birmingham Easter Congress of 10th-25th April 1976, in the Midland Open Championship, Chris finished 3rd-4th= out of with Chris W Baker on 7½ out of 11, behind Glenn  Lambert 1st on 10 and Stephen Berry 2nd on 9½.

October 1976 saw the first Warwickshire Open Championship.  Chris entered and shared 1st and 2nd places with Nigel Povah (formerly of Leeds University).

Over-the-Board Chess while in Sheffield

By the time of the 1977 British Chess Championship held in Brighton from 8th to 19th August, Chris was resident in Sheffield, meaning the move to Sheffield was at some time from October 1976 to August 1977.

In the 1977 British Championship, Chris finished 25th-30th= out of 40, with 5 points out of 11.  A notable result was a draw with 8th-11th-placed Jonathan Penrose.  His best win was perhaps that against Glenn Flear (then East Midlands Under 18 Champion), which featured Chris’s favoured Czech Benoni set-up, with Black’s king’s bishop being deployed either via e7 or being fianchettoed.  Click on the following link to play through the game on screen.

Glenn Flear 0-1 Chris Shephard

Chris had taken up a computer programming post at Midland Bank in Sheffield, and the bank played in the Sheffield Works Chess League.

After a game on board 1 in a Sheffield Works League match between Midland Bank and the Civil Service team (whose name varied a bit), Chris, having once again drawn with the writer, this time with the Czech Benoni, said I seemed to save my best chess to play against him!  In reality, you knew Chris’s next move before he did, he was so predictable.

That somewhat stodgy, safe style was not always his style.  Going back to the 1973, Midland Open Championship, with White against the then-or-soon-to-be Warwickshire Under 18 Champion Michael Pitt, Chris opened with the Grob Attack, 1. g4, in a manner reminiscent of the writer’s treatment of Tony Miles mentioned above.  Click on the following link to play through the game on screen.

Chris Shephard 1-0 Michal Pitt

Once in Sheffield, Chris joined Rotherham Chess Club which in those days was a major contender for Sheffield League Division 1 (Davy Trophy), and Yorkshire League Division 1 (Woodhouse Cup).

Prior to 1977, Colin Evans had won the Sheffield Championship more times that anyone else, having notched up 8 wins (but not in the year the writer as a schoolboy knocked him out!).  The most any other person had won it was 4 times, 4-time winners being Charlie Gurhill, Norman Littlewood and Brian Jones,

In 1977, Chris won the Sheffield Championship, and up to 2019 inclusive Chris had won it 29½ times, the “½” being in 1994 when he shared it with Alan Potts.  The second-best total during that period was 3, scored by Paul Blackman.

Rotherham used to enter the British Team Lightning Championship, winning it in 1975, though that was before Chris arrived in Sheffield.  I remember in a later year travelling with Chris in his car down to the British Team Lightning at Woolwich Arsenal, with me navigating.  Bizarrely, I didn’t bring any maps but merely aimed for the Thames between the Blackwall Tunnel and the bridge further to the west, aiming to use whichever presented itself to cross the river, then navigate from memory of the general layout.  At one stage, while going southwards through London, I told Chris he needed to be more over to the right.  Why? – because the apparel of the gentlemen in the street made it clear we were going through Golders Green, too far to the east.  We got there easily enough.

On one occasion, returning from a match, four Rotherham players including Paul Blackman and myself, stopped at a pub and decided to have a doubles game of pool.  Paul was the strongest pool player of the four while I had never played before!  So, I was paired with Paul.  The other two as far as I remember were Chris and Geoff Frost.  Nobody else would be daft enough.  Anyway, it got to the point where there was one ball left to be potted, and it was my turn.  The snag was that the ball to be potted was near a middle pocket but the cue ball was in the opposite half of the table.  For a professional, it was an easy case of sending the cue ball down to the far cushion so that is bounced back and kicked the other ball so that it went into the pocket.  Being academically a physicist, I could work out the angle to make the cue ball hit the other ball in the right place to pot it, and, a little surprisingly, putting theory into practiced actually worked.  The ball went down the pocket, and Paul and I had won.  That was the only time I actually beat Chris at anything!

Chris served as an adjudicator in the days of adjudication of unfinished games, and I used to be able to walk from my own home in the Nether Edge area, up the Brincliffe Edge and down the other side to get to Chris’s bachelor pad on Bannerdale Road to deliver adjudications.  That house had a garage with an up-and-over garage door, and on one occasion he dislocated a shoulder opening that door, just before he was about to go on a skiing holiday, which of course got cancelled.

When Brian Jones drove me to Woodhouse Cup matches and the like, he’d give a time for me to be at Sheffield Midland Station knowing I’d be on time.  If Chris was travelling with us, Brian would give Chris a time 10 minutes earlier, as he knew Chris was invariably late!

In time, Rotherham lost its former strength as a foremost club in the Sheffield area.  Brian Jones moved back to Manchester around 1982 (then emigrated to Australia).  I helped form Darnall & Handsworth around 1984.  The Works League eventually folded, and so on.  Chris ended up joining Sheffield Nomads.  So, in the last 20-ish years Chris and chess paths have not crossed.

He played in the Doncaster Congress of 2006, the Sheffield Congress of 2012 (4th-6th=), and the Scarborough Congress of 2012.

 

Once he became old enough, Chris competed, initially regularly, in the British Over 65 Championship, doing so in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2024.  He tended to hold those who finished above him to a draw, but was inadequately ruthless in maximising the point extracted from those finishing below him, so, despite sometimes starting as the highest rated player, he never won the event.  The relevant fact here is perhaps that Chris was not a regular congress-player.  A summary of his British Under-65 exploits is as follows:

Year

Placed

Out of

Pts

1st (=)

 

 

won

drawn

lost

2017

3  to

7 =

53

5/7

Stephen H Berry,

Roger Emerson

 

3

4

0

2018

4  to

8 =

54

5/7

Geoffrey H James,

Oliver A Jackson,

Kevin Bowmer

3

4

0

2019

5  to

13 =

50

4½/7

David Friedgood,

Mark E Page,

Brian WR Hewson

4

1

2

2024

8  to

13 =

58

4½/7

Andrew P Smith

 

 

3

3*

1

* inc 1 HPB

In 2017, Chris drew with Roger Emerson in round 5, and in the final round drew with Stephen Berry, thereby denying the latter a won game to secure clear first place.

In 2018, Chris drew with two of three joint winners in games of little interest in themselves, but also drew with two lower-placed players, so denying himself first place.

In 2019, Chris seems to have decided to fight rather acquiesce to draws.  Thus, he lost to the only one of the 1st-placed players (Page, a lower-rated player), but on the other hand scored 4 wins whereas hitherto he’d managed only 3.  He lost to local player Jim Burnett.

Covid precluded the OTB British Championship 2020, and Caplin British Online Chess Championships 2020/2021 plugged the gap.  Chris didn’t feature in the rather weak 16-player Over-65 event, but dived into the local online events run by Rotherham’s Oliver Brennan.

Chris didn’t enter the 2021, 2022 or 2023 British Over 65s, but sallied forth again in 2014.

In 2024, Chris took a half-point bye in round 1.  In round 2 he continued the “make it up as you go along” approach to openings seen back in 2017, beating a much weaker player.  The same unorthodox approach netted him only a draw against another weaker opponent in round 3.  For round four, Chris played a “proper” opening as White – and thereby managed to lose to a weaker opponent!  In round 4, he beat a significantly weaker player in an initially symmetrical English in which Chris would feel very much at home.  (After 1. c4 e5, an early f5 by Black worked for me against Chris.)  In round 5, he redeemed himself with a win against 2019 joint winner Brian Hewson.  Round 6 saw a 24-move draw with joint 2018 winner Geoffrey James.  Chris lost abysmally his round-7 game against a player rated a mere 9 points more (nothing).

All games from the above events are freely available in PGN format.  Here follow a few which take my fancy, to be played here on screen by clicking on the link:

 

Then there’s the English (as opposed to British) Over 65 Championship . . . .   This was first held in 2019, held in April rather than July/August.  Chris participated in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 editions, summarised as follows:

 

Year

Placed

of

Pts

1st (=)

 

 

won

drawn

lost

2019

2nd

40

5/6

Kevin Bowmer

 

 

4

2

0

2022

4  to

5 =

32

5/7

Cliff Chandler,

Ian Snape,

Paul Littlewood

4

2

1

2023

11 to

15 =

50

4/7

C W Baker

 

 

2

4

1

 

Here are two games from 2019.  In the first, Chris holds the ultimate winner to a draw.  In the second, Chris meet a fellow silly-opening exponent.

 

Chris played for Yorkshire in 7 county matches (but only in the ECF Final stage) over the period 09/06/2018 to 08/06/2024.

 

09/06/2018

W

Dimitar Mogilarov

Middx

0-1

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

B

30/06/2018

W

Martin Mitchell

Lancs

1-0

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

B

08/06/2019

W

Nevil Chan

Middx

½-½

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

B

30/06/2019

B

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

1-0

Clive A Frostick

Surrey

W

14/05/2022

W

Steven F Coles

Middx

½-½

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

B

11/06/2022

W

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

1-0

Tim Hilton

GrM/c

B

08/06/2024

W

Pete G Large

Surrey

½-½

Chris CW Shephard

Yorks

B

Prior to that his previous 2 appearances in county matches were much earlier and were representing Warwickshire, as follows:

 

09/05/2004

W

Mike A Walker

Yorks

1-0

Chris CW Shephard

Warks

B

13/10/2007

W

Alan J Walton

GrM/c

1-0

Chris CW Shephard

Warks

B

Despite living in Sheffield, Chris maintained connections with his friends in Birmingham.  Not that long after him coming to Sheffield, Chris arranged for a Rotherham team to go down to Birmingham to play a friendly match against his old club, South Birmingham.  He continued to play, albeit occasionally, for Warwickshire in county matches (as above).  As late as 1997, he played for Warwickshire in the now‑discontinued Counties Rapidplay Championships.  He played in the 4NCL for Warwickshire Select as recently as 2023-24 season.  In the following game from the season 2014-25, Chris’s higher rated opponent sacrifices the exchange for a pawn and gets reasonable compensation, but Black perhaps over‑presses and Chris manages to turn the tables, and once Black realises his position is hopeless, seems intentionally to set up a sort of self-make rather than simply resign.   Click on the following link to play through the game on screen.

Chris Shephard 1-0 Clement Sreeves.

Correspondence Chess while in Sheffield

A less visible yet major side of Chris’s devotion to chess was his engagement with correspondence chess.  In the old days, it was of course carried out by “snail mail” but is now played online.  Things also changed over with the advent of chess-analysing computer software with meant players with modest over-the-board ability could be strong correspondence players.

Chris started young, winning the 1972 British Junior Correspondence Chess Championship.  He went on to win the British Correspondence Chess Championship proper in 1978 and then again in 1979 jointly with S D Cunliffe and A M Stewart.  He became an International Correspondence Chess Master in 1984,

He was board six of the 6-board Great Britain team in the 9th ICCF Olympiad which ran from 1977 to 1982, with the second-best board 6 total of 5½ out of 8.  (GB boards: 1 Jonathan Penrose, 2 Adrian Swayne Hollis, 3 Simon Webb, 4 John Kenneth Footner [the only one unfamiliar to me], 5 John Toothill, 6 Chris C W Shephard.)

The North Atlantic Team Tournament is a correspondence tournament between 8-board teams from countries on the western fringe of Europe and in North & Central America & the Caribbean.  The 1st was played in 1984-85 and Chris was selected to play for Great Britain on board 8.  Great Britain won the event.  The players selected in later events seemed to be to give different people a go, and Chris seems not to have played in this event again.  Click on the following link to play through Chris’s game on screen:

F Perez Conde 0-1 Chris Shephard

He was board six of the 6-board Great Britain team in the 9th ICCF Olympiad which ran from 1982 to 1987, with the second/third-best board 6 total of 6½ out of 8.  (GB boards as in 1982.)  Here are two of Chris’s games.  Annotators to Chris’s game against Brglez were unsure as to whether Brglez made a clerical error with 4. e4 or was trying it out as a gambit!  Russian correspondence GM Omelschenko comes up with something of an opening innovation in the Najdorf Sicilian.  Chris seems to be getting the worst of it but defends well and manages to draw.  Great Britain came 1st, West Germany 2nd, and USSR (who’d been 1st in the previous three events) 3rd.  Click on the following links to play through two of Chris’s games on screen:

F Brglez 0-1 Chris Shephard

L E Omeltschenko ½-½ C Shephard

As an individual, he played in the Julius Nielson Memorial which ran from 26/09/1985 to about 09/10/1990, finishing 5th-8th = (7th on Sonneborn-Berger tie-break) on 7 out of 14, Jonathan Penrose being 1st.  Nielsen was a Danish correspondence player who died in 1981.  His game against R(o)umanian Mihai Breazu has been published, though it’s nothing special.  Click on the following link to play through Breazu v Shephard on screen:

Mihai Breazu 0-1 Chris Shephard

The ICCF server reveals he played for Warwickshire in the Counties & District Correspondence Chess Championship Division 1 aka the Ward-Higgs in the seasons 2005-06 to 2018-19, seemingly except 2008-09.  Warwickshire dropped out of the event after 2018-19.

Once when I took a position for adjudication round to Chris at 187 Bannerdale Road, he had the latest position in one of his postal games set up, and asked me for ideas as to what he should do.  That might sound daft as I was of course weaker than he, but as with cryptic crosswords, the brain can get stuck in ruts when analysing, so I may have kindled some worthwhile idea he’d not thought of (yet).  The humour of him asking for my comments became apparent when he mentioned he was in that game playing a Russian Correspondence Grandmaster, who of course I routinely ate for breakfast (or not).

There are, of course, more important things than chess.

Family

There was a lady Sheffield chess-player who originally married a Sheffield University chess-player, the two staying on in Sheffield after university.  Sadly, she decided to leave the marriage, and set her aim on Chris!  That didn’t get her anywhere.  She’s long gone down south and aimed her sights even higher in terms of chess-playing strength, remarrying.  No names appropriate here.

It was customary, after a Saturday Woodhouse Cup match, for a significant proportion of the Rotherham team to go and have a meal in an Indian restaurant, and on one such occasion Chris produced and introduced a lady friend called Mavis.  Obviously, matrimony or something similar was possibly on the cards, and I remember taking the liberty of telling Chris later that Mavis seemed an ideal partner for him, and so it turned out!

For one reason or another, Chris Shepherd and Mavis King did not get married, but three children mean more than matrimonial bureaucracy in my book.  So it was that

Amy Elizabeth King was born in January 1986 (or maybe slightly before),

Clara Jane King was born in the latter part of 1988, and

James William King was born in the earlier part of 1992,

all taking Mavis’s surname.

Apparently, Chris and Mavis did in fact get married recently, maybe as recently as 2024.

Once, I and my own “other half” (and no, we aren’t married either) with members of the extended family, spent a day visiting Hardwick Hall.  While we were in a café there, quite by chance, Chris and Mavis entered.  They had a daughter with them back in the car so didn’t stay long.

Whilst words cannot do much, I’m sure all in the Sheffield & District Chess Association, and beyond, who new Chris would wish to express their sorrow and sympathy for Chris’s family.

Steve Mann

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Martin Howard’s appreciation of Chris.

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The number of comments about Chris speaks volumes about how highly he was regarded by all who knew him. I was privileged to know him for many years. I played him a number of times over the board. He usually outplayed me although I did manage a couple of draws. My one win was as a result of adjudication. Chris thought the adjudicators should have decided it was drawn and he was probably right !

David Adams knew Chris even longer than I did. They had played in school matches in the Birmingham area. I think Jon is correct when he is doubtful that Chris went to Warwick. I do have a recollection that it may have been Sussex. Also Geoff is right that Chris and Mavis married quite recently.

Chris was incredibly modest. He was a phenomenally strong correspondence player, as you can see from the information on English Chess Forum : twice British Correspondence Chess Champion (1977 and 1978). He was also strong over the board. I doubt anyone will ever beat his score of 29 wins in the Sheffield Individual Championship.

I know Chris was very proud of having been a founder member of Sheffield Nomads. He will be a huge loss to the club.

For my part I was fortunate to play golf with Chris for several years. David Adams and I used to play golf with Chris usually at Birley Golf Course in Sheffield but occasionally at Beauchief or Dore & Totley. I was amused to see the comments about Chris’ s timekeeping. Others have mentioned that he was usually late for chess matches. It was no different with golf. Sometimes he did not arrive until after our tee off time. Nevertheless we all had a great time. After golf we would retire to the pub next door where we would often play through our recent chess games. I will very much miss those times.

A gentle soul indeed and a huge loss to us all.

Martin


 

Match v Scotland

We are now playing our friends from Scotland in a small friendly - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

EFCC Executive Committee Meeting

Our next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Saturday 11th October, 2025 in Royston, Hertfordshire.

If any eligible EFCC members have anything that they would like discussed at our meeting, please email Peter here by 27th September, 2025 at the latest.

Peter Rice, General Secretary


New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Dene Shaw with ICCF ID 213090 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

William Mason Championship 2025-26

This tournament starts on the 15th of September, thank you to all those supporting this great event once more. This year we have 3 Candidates and 1 Reserves section to accompany the Championship section.

Average Ratings: Championship 2408, Candidates A 2157, Candidates B 2159, Candidates C 2167 and the Reserve Section is 1378.

The Championship players are, Matthew Cutler, Ian Mason, Gary Maguire, Matthew W. Bailey, Christopher Deakin, Richard Webster, Jo Wharrier, Keith Kitson, Ian Maver, Brian Thompson, David Grobler and Dene Shaw.
Candidates A: Valerie Craven, Alan J. C. Rawlings, Allan Gardner, Tony Steward Anderson, Kevin Huntley and David Hardingham.
Candidates B: Jim Nierobisz, Arnold Marchant, Richard David Perrin, Anthony A. Roberts, Kay Joslin and David Clarke.
Candidates C: Trevor S. Brotherton, Daniel Broomfield, Peter Vachtfeidl, Alan B. Sutton, Peter Catt and Frank McMahon.
Reserves: J. D. M. Tymms, D. R. Pickin, Sandy Smyth, Chris Fegan, Stephen Roberts and Martin Hardwick.

Tournament Links;
Championship: Cross Table (iccf.com)
Candidates A: Cross Table (iccf.com)
Candidates B: Cross Table (iccf.com)
Candidates C: Cross Table (iccf.com)
Reserves: Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Richard Hall in the World Candidates

We wish Richard Hall good luck in the world candidates event - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

THE 2025 WILLIAM MASON CHAMPIONSHIP - UPDATE

We have received 36 confirmed entries.

William Mason 2025
Entries Closed : 01/09/2025
Start Date : 15/09/2025
Adjudication Date : 31/07/2026

Current 2025 WILLIAM MASON CHAMPIONSHIP Entrants List
Name   Title       ICCF       Rating
Bailey Matthew W. SIM 213011 2432
Broomfield Daniel CCE 213376 2350
Brotherton Trevor S CCM 210823 2372
Catt Peter CCM 211541 2124
Clarke David   213133 1842
Craven Valerie CCM 210605 2376
Cutler Matthew   213218 2457
Deakin Christopher SIM 517775 2432
Fegan Chris   211439 1326
Gardner Allan   211403 2275
Grobler Dave CCM 210847 2377
Hardingham David   213224 1839
Hardwick Martin   620648 795
Huntley Kevin   211179 1945
Joslin Kay   212505 1970
Kitson Keith SIM 210569 2397
Maguire Gary IM 212175 2441
Marchant Arnold CCM 210690 2359
Mason Ian J CCM 219137 2442
Maver Ian CCM 212012 2386
McMahon Frank   211460 1822
Nierobisz Jim IM 211586 2374
Perrin Richard D. CCM 211280 2272
Pickin D.R.   211815 1684
Rawlings Alan J.C. SIM 210745 2363
Roberts Anthony A CCM 211118 2137
Roberts Stephen   212579 1192
Shaw Dene CCE 213090 2313
Smyth Sandy   211569 1482
Steward A. Tony CCE 213100 2141
Sutton Alan B CCE 210709 2126
Thompson Brian   210584 2380
Tymms J.D.M. IM 211163 1790
Vachtfiedl Peter   211811 2209
Webster Richard   212803 2426
Wharrier Jo IM 210108 2415


 

British Championship

Last call for British Championship Entries

The 2025/27 BCCC will commence play on 1st October 2025, but if you haven't already, it is still not too late to enter!

We currently have 77 players registered for the event, and it would be good to break a record by reaching three figures before we close registrations on Wednesday 10th September.

The Championship section will be at least Category 8, so this should be a very attractive prospect for British players rated over 2,400 looking for SIM or even GM norms (but please note that the field this year is so strong that we cannot guarantee entry to the Championship section, even for players rated over 2,400).

The Candidates section will probably be Category 5 or 6, so ideal for players seeking IM norms, however in order to be classed as a title tournament, we do need to have a mix of players of different nationalities and we currently have a few too many English players who are likely to qualify for the Candidates to enable this mix. If you are a Scottish or Welsh player rated 2,350 - 2,400 then you are strongly encouraged to enter to improve the chances for all participants of earning title norms.

There will be several Reserve sections which are all likely to carry minor norms, it you are rated below 2,350 and are seeking CCE or CCM norms, then this is the event for you! (but again, please note that the above thresholds are only estimates - the actual rating qualification for each level will depend on the final list of entries, we can only guarantee a place in the Championship or the Candidates to players having qualified from previous seasons).

The entry fee this year is only Four Euros! (that's less than £3.50), which represents amazing value. We won't be able to hold that price next year, so make the most of it now!

Entry is via the ICCF Direct Entry system, please log onto the ICCF website, select "New Events" from the menu, and then "Wales" from the list of categories. We will close entries on Wednesday 10th September.

The British Championship, having been run annually since 1921, is the most prestigious correspondence chess event of the British calendar, and all British correspondence chess players are cordially invited to participate.

British Championship Organising Committee

Austin Lockwood (Wales)
Phill Beckett (England)
David Kilgour (Scotland)


 

England Team in European Team Championship

We wish our team well in the semi final. Follow their progress - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

2nd Trevor Thomas Memorial

The family of Trevor Thomas has sponsored a second event in his memory. Looking at the line up it is a worthy tribute to this icon of correspondence chess - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Veselin Pantev Memorial

We wish our newest GM Harvey Williamson well in the category 13 event - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Richard D Perrin with ICCF ID 211280 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

England in World Team Cup - Round 1

In the 2nd World Team Cup we are in a three team group with Argentina and USA. You can follow the progress by following the links;

v Argentina - Cross Table (iccf.com)     &    v USA - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

New Title

The title ICCF International Master awarded to player Robert Różański with ICCF ID 421439 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

Toni Halliwell Funeral Arrangements

Toni's Celebration of Life will be held on the 16th July at Oakworth crematorium at 11.30 am. The cortege will be leaving Gallagher's funeral home, Airedale House, Skipton Road, Uttley, Keighley, BD20 6DT, at 11am.

Afterwards we are attending the Snooty Fox in Oakworth for people to share memories and celebrate her life.

If you intend to attend please let Toni's sister know - Lynne Smith


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Andrew Philip Jones with ICCF ID 213350 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE 2025 WILLIAM MASON CHAMPIONSHIP

The EFCC is pleased to announce that entries are now being accepted for the 2025 William Mason Championship. This is a long standing tournament of great renown, entries are accepted from all English flagged players or players who are able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF.

The rules for this event are at www.efcchess.org.uk/EFCCWMasonRules.html .

Entry Fee: £5.00 payable through the Online Fee Payment section down the left hand side of this web page quoting “Mason” in the reference. For those players wishing to pay their entry fee by cheque, please contact the treasurer at

What are the time limits? The ICCF standard time control of 10 moves in 35 days with double time counting after 15 days will be used. 45 days of leave per year are available to each player.

What are the prizes? The Championship section has a prize fund of £600 with a first prize of £300. Financial prizes are also available in the Candidates and the Reserves sections. To win a prize a player must have a positive score at the end of the tournament. Players may also win EFCC Master and EFCC Candidate Master points which lead to EFCC titles.

    Key Dates:
Start Date 15th September.
The closing date for entries is 1st September 2025.
Adjudication Date is 31st July 2026.

If you have any questions then please contact the tournament organiser at .

The ongoing 2024 tournament may be viewed at the following links;

Championship: https://www.iccf.com/event?id=106789
Candidates A: https://www.iccf.com/event?id=106793
Candidates B: https://www.iccf.com/event?id=106796
Candidates C: https://www.iccf.com/event?id=106797
Reserves: https://www.iccf.com/event?id=106798

TO, Michael Blake


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Daniel Broomfield with ICCF ID 213376 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

Toni Halliwell (IM) RIP

It is with deep regret that I announce the death of Toni Halliwell on 27/6. She died after a short illness.

I have long personal memories of Toni, we played next to each other in the Yorkshire Under 8 team and in many other Yorkshire teams both over the board and on the ICCF.

She won the British Ladies Championship numerous times and competed in the Ladies World Championship final. She loved playing in team events and played in the Ladies Olympiad team. She was a strong player and played for England (when the Ladies category was abolished). She achieved a Ladies GM title and an open IM title reaching a peak grade of 2416.

In addition she was EFCC treasurer 2013 to 2018 and sat on many sub committees.

She was predeceased by her husband Bruce who was also a strong OTB player.

RIP


 

England Teams in José Daniel Finkelstein Memorial

We wish both of our teams success in their respective semifinals;

England A - Cross Table (iccf.com)

England B - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Celebration Event for John Rhodes

The Executive committee agreed to a celebration event for John who retired as secretary recently and the event will begin on 1/7/2025 - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Harold Baxter with ICCF ID 213221 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

Narrow Loss to Wales in Friendly

We have recently completed our Friendly against Wales and we unfortunately lost. Well played by our friends from Wales - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

4th English Veteran Champion

We congratulate Jim Nierobisz who took first place in this event.

Look at all the games via the Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

English Players in USA Invitation Events

We wish the following players good luck in their respective sections ;

Dave Grobler in section D - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Robert Różański, and John Pugh in section C - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Les Ellis in Section B - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Richard Hall in Section A - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

New Title

The title ICCF Senior International Master awarded to player Richard Webster with ICCF ID 212803 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

BCCC for 2025

As previously agreed with the Tri-nations committee the BCCC for 2025 is being organised wholly by the Welsh federation.

All entries to the BCCC for 2025 must be made via Direct Entry method on the ICCF website.

All entries made on the EFCC website for the 2025 BCCC will be returned to the entrant.

Please contact Phill Beckett for any entrants who are not planning to use Direct Entry on the ICCF website, when registering for entry to the 2025 BCCC.

An update to the rules for the BCCC can be found here.


 

England Players in World Semi Finals

We wish all our players the best of luck ;

Gary Maquire in Section 2 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

John Pugh in section 4 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Jan Suto in section 6 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Brian Thompson in section 8 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Ian Mason in section 9 - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Francois Riva Memorial Team Tournament Final

We wish the England team of ; Ian Mason, Stephen Hooker, James Toon, Valerie Craven, Arnold Marchant and Tim Spanton good luck in the final.
You can follow their progress here - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

New Title

The title ICCF International Master awarded to player Richard Webster with ICCF ID 212803 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Andrew Philip Jones with ICCF ID 213350 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

Ian Pheby Presentation

Keith Kitson, EFCC President who took over from Ian Pheby, presented Ian with a Salver to commemorate his retirement as President of the EFCC.


 

John Rhodes Presentation

Ian Pheby, the retiring EFCC President, presented John Rhodes with a Salver to commemorate his retirement as General Secretary to the EFCC.


 

New Title

The title ICCF International Master awarded to player Ly Kimlong with ICCF ID 735004 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

EFCC Correspondent Magazine - Issue 6

Mickey Blake and The EFCC Executive Committee are delighted to announce the publication of the 'EFCC Correspondent - Issue 6'.

The 6th edition of this very high quality magazine can be viewed and/or downloaded here - Correspondent_006.pdf (18mb)

Want future issues delivered straight to your Inbox ?
Contact Mickey Blake by Email here to place yourself on the mailing list.


Match v Czechia

The previously aborted match has now been reset and we will still have a tough match - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Francois Riva Memorial Team Tournament SF 3

England B finished a creditable 9th in the section
Beating Netherlands, France and Portugal
Drawing with Wales, Lithuania, Spain and Brazil.

Cross Table (iccf.com)

The team all performed creditably;

Steve Cole scoring 6.5
John Vivante-Sowter scoring 6
Brian Herriot 4.5
Robert Rozinski An excellent 8/12
Peter Cunningham 4.5
Alan Sutton 5.5

Well done everyone.


 

New Title

The title ICCF International Master awarded to player James Toon with ICCF ID 213245 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert awarded to player Stephen Woodhouse with ICCF ID 212334 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

England Qualify for Final

England have qualified for the final of the Francois Riva Memorial Team Tournament - Cross Table (iccf.com)

The team of Ian Mason, Tim Spanton, Arnold Marchant, James Toon, Steve Hooker and Valerie Craven all scored 50% or more with both James and Valerie scoring 8/12. Congratulations.


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Richard Ward with ICCF ID 780026 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

New Title

The title ICCF International Master awarded to player Jim Nierobisz with ICCF ID 211586 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

The President of the EFCC

Ian M. Pheby, announced his retirement as EFCC President at the EFCC AGM held in March 2025. He will be succeeded by the previous Deputy President, Keith Kitson.

Ian has served remarkably, almost 56 years in chess administration.

In recognition of Ian’s entirely volunteered devotion to the role, the EFCC awarded Ian the first EFCC Life Time Award and an engraved Silver Salver to mark the occasion.

The following text details what Ian did during his 56 years of chess administration. This is followed by a list of the awards Ian has accrued over this period of time.

Ian’s earlier chess administration tasks revolved around the Civil Service Chess Association and the London Civil Service Chess League:

1. In August of 1969 Ian took on the role of Vice-Captain in the Civil Service, later holding the Captain’s role.
2. He became a Tournament Organiser (TO) for the London Civil Service League in 1973.
3. Ian became responsible for organising the whole Civil Service League in 1982 which he faithfully continued to organise for some 30 years, until 2012.
4. Ian became Vice-President of the London Civil Service League and the Civil Service Chess Association in 1987.
5. He finally adopted the ultimate role, in 1989, of President of the London Civil Service League and the Civil Service Chess Association, which he held for 23 years until 2012, when he retired from Civil Service Chess.

EFCC Posts
1. Although not his first choice Ian took on the role of EFCC Treasurer when no applications were received following an advertising campaign for the role. Failure to fill this role would have meant the EFCC could not continue without a Treasurer.
2. Ian has also taken on the role, diligently of EFCC Master Points and Titles Co-ordinator. This is considered a crucial role to ensure all English flagged players receive awards when they have earned them by accruing sufficient master points.
3. The maintenance of historical records is another role Ian has adopted.
4. Ian has also acted as Tournament Organiser for the Medals and Mason Events. He will continue to manage the Medals event for another year but is looking to pass on the Mason TO role for 2025.
5. Ian has also designed the first England International Triple Block Open Tournament. Early registrations suggest this is going to be a very successful and lucrative event for the EFCC, well done Ian.
6. Ian has sat on many EFCC sub-committees, which he plans to step down from except the Selection committee and the Disciplinary committee.

ICCF Posts
1. Ian has been Tournament Director (TD) for many tournaments run by the ICCF, including the prestigious World Correspondence Chess Championship.
2. He has also diligently and successfully taken on the role of Mentor for new TDs.

Other Posts
1. Chairman and TO of Grays Chess Club.
2. County Grader for ESSEX
3. Captain of ESSEX
4. Captain of Government Chemists, Grays, Redhill and UNATS

Awards

The significant awards that Ian has accrued over time are listed below:

1. ICCF International Master title in 2002
2. ICCF Senior International Master title in 2003
3. ECF President’s award for services to chess in 2009
4. ICCF International Arbiter in 2009
5. ICCF Bertl Von Massow Silver award in 2015
6. ICCF Bertl Von Massow Gold award in 2021

Future Plans
Ian plans to continue as a member of the EFCC Executive Committee (EC) and will continue as Treasurer. His vast experience will be very useful to those assuming new roles in the EC.

The EFCC EC wish Ian a long and happy retirement.


 

First England International Triple Block Open - Update

First England International Triple Block Open - Update

It is not too late to enter the First England International Triple Block Open. All English flagged players are encouraged to enter this new event! See list below for current entries.

Entry
All entries may be made by Direct Entry (go to ‘New events’ ‘England’) or through a player’s National Federation. Entries are not permitted by email.
Each player may enter a maximum of two groups. Players making a second entry will be placed in the group immediately after their first group where possible.

The closing date for entries is 20th May 2025. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.
The official start date is 20th June 2025.

Entry fee
The entry fee is 9.00 Euros by Direct Entry for each entry. Each National Federation can specify their own entry fee.

Rules
All ICCF rules shall apply to all games. If needed, adjudicators will be selected by the server.

Organisation
Registered players will be grouped by rating using the ICCF 2025/2 rating list. Players will be placed in groups of 11, 13, or 15 players in rating order so that all group members have as similar a rating as possible.

Time control
The event will be played in one stage on the ICCF server with each group being played using the Triple Block time control with a tournament duration of 350 days. No guaranteed time will be available after move 50.

Rating and Norms
All groups will be rated. Norms for ICCF titles will be available in all groups that meet the criteria required by the ICCF.

Current entries
This list gives details of the English flagged players who have entered this event by 23rd March 2025.

Current First England International Triple Block Open Entrants List
Name   Title   ICCF Number   2025/2 Rating
Baxter Harold   213221 2324
Beckett Phillip J.   210454 1714
Bishop Edward   212790 1229
Broomfield Daniel   213376 2349
Broomfield Daniel   213376 2349
Clark Sean   211742 2179
Courtney Daniel   213386 1817
Cowan Alastair CCM 212819 2354
Craven Valerie CCM 210605 2366
Craven Valerie CCM 210605 2366
Cunningham Peter J.   212326 2117
Cutter Timothy   212666 1323
Graham Oliver CCM 211824 2382
Grobler David J. CCM 210847 2385
Hardwick Martin E.   620648 733
Hardwick Martin E.   620648 733
Ibbitson Anthony   211793 1639
Kitson Keith SIM 210659 2384
Knapton Geoff   212357 2254
Marchant Arnold CCM 210690 2364
Mason Ian J CCM 219137 2438
Nierobisz Jim CCM 211586 2356
Pheby Ian M. SIM 210514 2422
Pheby Ian M. SIM 210514 2422
Roberts Stephen   212579 1427
Roberts Anthony A CCM 211118 2138
Sutton Alan B CCE 210709 2161
Ward Richard CCE 780026 2298
Webster Richard CCM 212803 2414


 

New Title

The title ICCF Senior International Master awarded to player Les Ellis with ICCF ID 211229 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

New Title

The title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master awarded to player Dominique Conterno with ICCF ID 211384 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner. Congratulations.


 

World Championship Semi Final Qualifications

We congratulate the following on achieving qualifications for the World Semi Finals;
John G. Brookes, Richard V. M. Hall, Robert Marks, Ian M. Pheby, John Pugh, Edmund Soh, Brian Thompson & Jo A Wharrier.


 

Players in Preliminaries of World Championship

We wish all our players success;

Alan Rawlings in section 3 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Dawn Williamson in section 5 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

John Pugh in section 8 - Cross Table (iccf.com)

Richard Webster in section 12 - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

AGM 2025 Agenda

ENGLISH FEDERATION FOR CORRESPONDENCE CHESS

Agenda for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Saturday 22nd March 2025 in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire

1. Apologies for Absence
2. Minutes of the Last Meeting (16th March 2024)
3. Matters Arising
4. General Secretary’s Report (John)
5. International Secretary’s Report (Phill)
6. Treasurer’s Report (Ian P)
7. President's Message (Ian P)
8. Election of Officers :-
    President
    Deputy President
    General Secretary
    International Secretary
    Treasurer
9. Appointment of Auditor (Ian P, Keith)
10. Any Other Business
11. Date of Next Meeting

John Rhodes 20th February 2025


New Match Against Sweden

We have a new match against our chess friends from Sweden. Follow the match here Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Executive Committee Meeting (EC) of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess will be held in Bedfordshire, on Saturday 22nd March 2025.

If any EFCC Patrons have any questions or comments to raise at our AGM or EC Meetings, please email - contact@efcchess.org.uk by 1st March 2025.

John Rhodes, General Secretary


Friendly v Ukraine

After a few delays our match against our chess friends from Ukraine will start soon.

Progress can be followed here Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

New Title for Matthew W. Bailey

The title ICCF Senior International Master awarded to player Matthew W. Bailey with ICCF ID 213011 has now been confirmed by the ICCF Qualifications Commissioner.

This title was awarded as a result of winning the ICCF70-CTfinal, 70th ICCF Jubilee World Cup (server) final.

So a double congratulation !


 

Announcement for the 2025 EFCC Medals Tournaments

The English Federation of Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce that the 2025 EFCC Medals tournaments will be held which will start in April 2025. All English flagged players are invited to enter this new tournament!

The entry fee is £3 and should be made through the Online Fee Payment facility at the EFCC website. Please use “Medals” as your reference.

There shall be three levels of tournament with all standards of player catered for. The games will be played on the ICCF webserver, and there will be no end date.

The ICCF standard time control of 10 moves in 40 days with duplication after 20 days will be used. 45 days of leave per year are available to each player. Players cannot agree to a draw before move 25. All games are ICCF rated.

Prizes

EFCC Gold Medal tournament: Winner receives an engraved medal and £20 in prize money.

EFCC Silver Medal tournament. Winner receives an engraved medal and £15 in prize money.

EFCC Bronze Medal tournament. Winner receives an engraved medal and £10 in prize money.

The full Rules can be seen under "Medals Tournaments” in the left-hand Menu of the EFCC website or click here : EFCC Medals Tournament Rules

The closing date for entries is 15th March 2025. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

All English chess players are heartily invited to enter this tournament, both for the enjoyment of the games and for friendly contact/communication.

Tournament Organiser: Ian M Pheby -


North Sea Team Event

England have a strong team in the North Sea Team event:

In board order;

Les Ellis
Ian Mason
Les Eastoe
Trevor Brotherton
Steve Cole
Tim Spanton

Progress can be followed here Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

EFCC Correspondent Magazine - Issue 5

Mickey Blake and The EFCC Executive Committee are delighted to announce the publication of the 'EFCC Correspondent - Issue 5'.

The 5th edition of this very high quality magazine can be viewed and/or downloaded here - Correspondent_005.pdf (23mb)

Want future issues delivered straight to your Inbox ?
Contact Mickey Blake by Email here to place yourself on the mailing list.


The 5th English CC Championship - Update

The 5th English CC Championship - Update

It is not too late to enter the 5th English CC Championship. The closing date for entries is midnight on 1st February 2025. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

The entry fee is £15.00. Entries may be made by PayPal through the 'Online Fee Payment' section on the left hand side of this web page quoting “5th ECCC”. For those players wishing to pay their entry fee by cheque, please contact the Treasurer at

Providing a positive score is obtained, the Champion will receive a cheque for £175 together with an engraved trophy to retain. Monetary prizes will also be available to those finishing in second, third and fourth places of the Championship, and also for the first two places in the semi-final sections.

There shall be a Championship final, semi-finals & preliminary sections with all standards of player catered for. The games will be played on the ICCF webserver, and the tournament duration shall be approximately 22 months of playing time. The time limit shall be 40 days for each 10 moves.

Entries received to date are as follows:

Current 5th English CC Championship Entrants List
Name   Title   ICCF Number   2025/1 Rating
Ackley Peter   211537 2034
Broomfield Daniel   213376 2243
Clarke Sean   211742 2145
Craven Valerie CCM 210605 2361
Cutler Matthew   213218 2327
Hardwick Martin E.   620648 727
Herman Tom CCM 212544 2420
Joslin Kay   212505 1933
Kitson Keith SIM 210569 2383
Marchant Arnold CCM 210690 2360
Mason Ian J CCM 219137 2438
Morton Peter S.   210477 1448
Nierobisz Jim CCM 211586 2356
Plant Kevin D CCM 211509 2336
Roberts Anthony A CCM 211118 2159
Roberts Stephen   212579 1448
Sutton Alan B CCE 210709 2150
Vachtfiedl Petr   211811 2192
Webster Richard CCM 212803 2402

Good luck to everyone

Ian M Pheby
EFCC President


 

Qualifications for WCCC Preliminaries

The EFCC congratulates the following players who have a qualification for the WCCC Preliminaries;

210425 Brookes, John G.
211229 Ellis, Les
212527 Holland, Edward N.
212651 James, Angus
210569 Kitson, Keith
212933 Le-Marechal, Gerard
211431 Pugh, John
210745 Rawlings, Alan J. C.
212803 Webster, Richard
211942 Weldon, David J.
212314 Williamson, Dawn L.

We wish them every success !


 

We have a new GM

The EFCC is proud to announce that Harvey Williamson has met the requirements to be awarded the title of Grandmaster.
GM norms are difficult to obtain and it is 8 years since his first norm.

Runner up in the Germany Grandmasters event - Cross Table (iccf.com)

and he is leading in Memorial M.Avotins Group A - Cross Table (iccf.com)

His title will be formally awarded at Congress next year.


 

First England International Triple Block Open

First England International Triple Block Open

The English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce the First England International Triple Block Open. England cordially invites correspondence chess players from all countries to participate in this tournament.

Entry
All entries may be made by Direct Entry (go to ‘New events’ ‘England’) or through a player’s National Federation. Entries are not permitted by email.
Each player may enter a maximum of two groups. Players making a second entry will be placed in the group immediately after their first group where possible.
The closing date for entries is 20th May 2025. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.
The official start date is 20th June 2025.

Entry fee
The entry fee is 9.00 Euros by Direct Entry for each entry. Each National Federation can specify their own entry fee.

Rules
All ICCF rules shall apply to all games. If needed, adjudicators will be selected by the server.

Organisation
Registered players will be grouped by rating using the ICCF 2025/2 rating list. Players will be placed in groups of 11, 13, or 15 players in rating order so that all group members have as similar a rating as possible.

Time control
The event will be played in one stage on the ICCF server with each group being played using the Triple Block time control with a tournament duration of 350 days. No guaranteed time will be available after move 50.

Rating and Norms
All groups will be rated. Norms for ICCF titles will be available in all groups that meet the criteria required by the ICCF.

Prizes
No prize money is being offered. Certificates for the top three players in each group will be available subject to those players obtaining a positive score. The tiebreaker system for tied players will be: 1. Baumbach; 2. Sonneborn-Berger; 3. the results of the players tied with each other; 4. the lowest rating of the tied players in the group at the start of the tournament.

All chess players are heartily invited to enter this event, both for the enjoyment of games and for friendly contact/communication with players around the world.

Countries are kindly asked to give the event wide publicity to their players, and to forward entries as soon as they receive them. Thank you.

Amici sumus.

SIM Ian M. Pheby, IA
EFCC President and Tournament Organiser

Phillip J. Beckett, IA
England Delegate


 

Announcement for the 5th English CC Championship!

Announcement for the 5th English CC Championship!

The English Federation of Correspondence Chess (EFCC) is pleased to announce that the 5th English Correspondence Chess Championship (ECCC) will be held which will start in March 2025. The 5th ECCC is open only to those players who are registered or able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF.

The entry fee is £15.00. Entries may be made by PayPal through the 'Online Fee Payment' section on the left hand side of this web page quoting “5th ECCC”. Alternatively, entries may be sent to the Treasurer, Ian M Pheby (address: Oaklea Cottage, Horsham Road, Capel, Dorking, Surrey RH5 5JH) with a cheque for £15.00 made payable to “EFCC”.

The full Rules, tournament structure, eligibility, prizes, etc. can be seen under "English CC Championship (ECCC) in the left-hand Menu, or by clicking here: https://efcchess.org.uk/eccc.html

Providing a positive score is obtained, the Champion will receive a cheque for £175 together with an engraved trophy to retain. Monetary prizes will also be available to those finishing in second, third and fourth places of the Championship, and also for the first two places in the semi-final sections.

There shall be a Championship final, semi-finals & preliminary sections with all standards of player catered for. The games will be played on the ICCF webserver, and the tournament duration shall be approximately 22 months of playing time. The time limit shall be 40 days for each 10 moves.

The closing date for entries is 1st February 2025. Pairings will be issued as soon as possible after that date.

All players who are registered or able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF are heartily invited to enter this tournament, both for the enjoyment of the games and for friendly contact/communication.

Good luck to everyone

Tournament Organiser: SIM Keith Kitson


 

Seasonal Greetings!

As we approach the festive season I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all of England’s players and their families for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year. I hope that 2025 will prove to be a better year for everyone.

I also hope that you enjoy success in your games in 2025 and beyond.

Ian M Pheby
EFCC President


 

England Players in World Final

We wish Nigel Robson and Matthew Bailey every success in the World Final - our President Ian Pheby will be the TD.
Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Harvey Williamson in Category 11 event

We wish Harvey Williamson every success in this category 11 event in memory of Cenek Teichmann.
With a GM norm score of 7.5/14 it looks like Harvey has a realistic chance of his GM title. Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Friendly v Japan

Cross Table (iccf.com)

England slipped to defeat against Japan in our friendly match.


 

North Atlantic Team Event

England have two strong teams in the North Atlantic Team Event. There are numerous players with a chance of norms. Good luck to both teams.

Follow the event here - Cross Table (iccf.com)


 

Keith Escott Memorial

Cross Table (iccf.com)

This event is in the memory of Keith Escott and starts at the beginning of December.
The quality of the event is a fitting tribute to Keith, lets hope at least one of the participants secures a norm!


 

EFCC Continuous Tournament Update

We had an encouraging start to the new Continuous Tournament with 9 Preliminary groups in progress.

However, entries have significantly slowed.

It is unlikely we will get sufficient entrants in a reasonable amount of time to supply 9 semi-finals before we can run the first Final, and it is unfair to expect waiting entrants to be kept waiting for so long.

The EFCC Executive Committee determined that we have enough preliminary winners from the first 9 groups to feed into a CT Final. When all 9 groups have completed the final can be started.

Consequently, it has been decided to eliminate the semi-final stage and take the first 9 winners from the first 9 prelims straight to a Final round.

With this in mind the entrants for the EFCC CT will be closed off and no further preliminary sections will be run.

An announcement has been made on the EFCC site to launch a new tournament which will group entrants by grading bands (EFCC Rated Groups Tournament). More details can be found HERE.

It is felt this may be more successful at attracting entrants than the previous CT format, which pitched all grades together randomly.

Any CT entrants that are still awaiting the start of their CT preliminary group will be given the opportunity to transfer their entry to the new grading bands tournament.

Keith Kitson (24-10-24)
(EFCC Tournament Controller)


 

Announcement of New EFCC Tournaments

Announcement of New EFCC Tournaments

The EFCC is pleased to announce that tournaments for groups of similarly rated players will be held.

Entry is open to all English flagged players and players who are able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF.

The entry fee is £4.00 per group entered. Entry may be made through the ‘Online Fee payment’ facility on this website or by sending a cheque made payable to ‘EFCC’ to the EFCC Treasurer: Mr Ian M. Pheby, Oaklea Cottage, Horsham Road, Capel, Dorking, Surrey RH5 5JH.

Each group will consist of five players who shall play all other players in that group on a double round basis. The games will be played under Triple Lock rules for a tournament of 350 days. There shall be no guaranteed time after move 50.

The prize fund will be subject to a player obtaining a positive score at the end of the tournament.

The full rules can be found in the left hand column of this website (here). All ICCF rules shall apply to all of these tournaments.

Good luck to everyone!

The Tournament Organiser is SIM Keith Kitson -


Steve LeFevre 1951-2024

The following written by John Wheeler (Hampshire Chess Association):

I am sorry to have to report the recent death of Steve LeFevre after a short illness at the age of 72. Steve was a long-time member of Cosham Chess club, and played regularly in the Portsmouth League for many years. He was also a member of the Hamble club, and played in the Southampton League; and was a well-known figure at Hampshire county matches in various events.

His father and brother were also keen chess-players, and between them played in many of the Portsmouth League clubs over a long period of time.

The funeral will be on Monday 19th August at 1.30 pm at St Wilfred’s church, Cowplain.


Qualifiers for World Final

The EFCC congratulate both Nigel Robson and Matthew Bailey who have qualifications for the world final!


EFCC Executive Committee Meeting

Our next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Saturday 12th October, 2024 in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

If any eligible EFCC members have anything that they would like discussed at our meeting, please email me at – Email John Here by 21st September, 2024 at the latest.

John Rhodes, General Secretary


 
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Guide to Correspondence Chess

This document, written by Neil Limbert, is an excellent introduction to correspondence chess for new players; download it from here.

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