East Anglian Chess Union Grand Prix

Published 11th August 2008

At the AGM of the East Anglian Chess Union in July it was agreed to run a Grand Prix which would be open to all chess players resident in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk or Suffolk, who are members of a chess club affiliated to one of those four County Associations.

Anyone who plays in a qualifying event will score Grand Prix points depending on how many points they get in the event. At the end of the season the winner will hold a splendid engraved trophy for a year and get a momento to keep.

The aims of the Grand Prix are twofold: to encourage participation in more events and to provide a bit of fun (for example competition between clubmates or within clubs or counties).

There is no need to enter: just play in a qualifying event and your scores will be picked up and displayed on the EACU website. Periodic updating will enable you to see how you are getting on against your rivals.

The qualifying events are the Bury St Edmunds, Great Yarmouth and EACU (Newmarket) Congresses; the Norfolk (Thetford) and Cambridgeshire Rapidplays; County matches (EACU group stage only) and the EACU Club Championship. Players will score one Grand Prix point for every point scored in the Quickplay events, and double points for every point scored in the other (slowplay) events. Points acquired by means of default wins and half-point byes will count for Grand Prix purposes. If there is a tie at the end of the season the player with the most double points will be the winner, and if this too is equal the title shall be shared.

For 2008/09 there will be just one section, rather than several sections with different grading limits. However this should not disadvantage lower-graded players who may play in the lower-graded sections of the Congresses and in the grade-limited County teams.