Published 27 May 2010

2010 Worcestershire Megafinal – Ray Collett

A total of 139 children entered. Over 20 Worcestershire schools were represented.   Numbers were down 30 from last year possibly because of the national organiser’s hike in fees of 33% (from £9 to £12 per entry) or my decision to hold the event earlier in the year.

Twelve girls and 32 boys from Worcestershire and two entrants from Gloucestershire qualified for the Gigafinal at  Dukinfield, Cheshire in July.  In the oldest age section, 27 players scored 4 or more points and I estimate that these players are playing at about a grade of 100 or higher although probably fewer than 10 have ECF grades.  At the Gigafinals,  Ibraheem Malik (Tony Miles Checkmates, Quinton, Birmingham)  won an Ultimo title in the Under-9 section.  He and nine other Worcestershire players have made it to the Terafinal or Terafinal Challengers to be played this coming weekend. The other Worcester players are: Sophia Emmanuel Andrew Fergusson and Matthew Fergusson (all Tony Miles Checkmates), Joseph Friar and James Friar (both Worcester Junior Chess Academy, and Hagley), Felicity Parker, Philip Purcell, Katherine Smith and Christopher Smith (all King Edward VI Sch, Fiveways, Birmingham).

As last year, the University of Worcester provided the venue and this sponsorship is worth in the region of £250. Equipment was loaned by the county, Worcester Junior Chess Academy, Worcester City CC, Camp Hill Boys’ School CC, Ray Collett, and Kidderminster CC. The Tournament Director was Andy Moore (Hagley CC) and section controllers were Andrew Farthing (Worcester City CC), Jim Friar (Hagley CC), Lyanne Furniss (parent), Colin Reed (Hagley CC), Michele and Ian Clack (Redditch), Giles Stanton (Redditch CC) and John Knee (Malvern CC). Help for registration and directing parents and children was given by Lesley Collett, Lorraine Cooper (School organiser), Giles Stanton (Redditch CC) and Jeremy Greenow (parent). Photography was provided by Jeremy Greenow and Roger Yates (Worcester City). Mike Dagg-Jenden (School organiser) ran the Tim Onions bookstall. The tournament takes place only through the generosity of these organisations and helpers and I am most grateful. Estimates in my Interim report presented at the county AGM were wide of the mark and the surplus is much larger than expected. Firstly I had wrongly thought that Mike Basman, the UK Chess Challenge national organiser, was offering one third of the entry fees for organising the event whereas he increased the proportion to 50%.  Secondly, several items of budgeted expenditure were not required. This leaves a surplus of about £600.

I recommend that the county consider how best to use the expected surplus to foster junior players’ entry into league chess and Worcestershire chess clubs. My suggestions are that the county (1) organise a competition for schools lying within the association’s boundaries;  (2) pay entry fees for Worcestershire  junior players who enter the planned MCCU junior event; (3) meet the costs of grading to Worcestershire-affiliated clubs for games played by under -18-year-olds.