Entries for the Kidlington Tournament (Saturday & Sunday 4 & 5 February) are coming in steadily. We have 52 entrants already, rather more than at the same stage last year. I hope we will have a particularly good turnout of local players for this year’s tournament, supporting and celebrating with us our landmark 40th year. So I invite you to come along to play if you can. The tournament website contains a list of entries submitted so far which is regularly updated.
If you visit the Enter Kidlington 2017 page on our website you may either download an entry form to send in to me or enter the tournament using the online entry form there. You may wish to bear in mind that our discount for early entries is available only until this coming Saturday, 14 January.
We have four sections: Open, Under-180, Under-145 and Under-120. Each section has five rounds, three on Saturday, two on Sunday. (A half-point bye can be taken in any one of the first four rounds.) The prize fund has been increased to £1970, with an additional Under-90 grading prize in the Under-120 section. Full details can be found on the tournament website.
This year the result of the newly revived Oxfordshire Individual Chess Championship will also be decided at Kidlington. The winner will be the eligible player with the highest score from the Open sections at the Witney Congress (held last October) and Kidlington combined. For further details of eligibility see the Oxfordshire Individual Chess Championship page on the website.
Even if you cannot play in the event, you will be welcome to come along during the event as a spectator. As usual, we shall have the excellent bookstall provided by Chess Direct, and a fine range of refreshments provided by Hackett’s Food & Drink of Witney.
Gerard O’Reilly
(Organizer, Kidlington Chess Tournament)
