SCCU U1850: Essex 7½-8½ Middx At Wanstead. Essex appeared to be set for a comfortable home win, 4 points up with five games still in play; just one more point needed. But one by one, Middx pulled back the deficit until they completed an amazing turn around to steal the points, winning the last five […]
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SCCU U2050: Essex 9½-6½ MiddxAt Wanstead. A good, solid performance from the U180 national champions (a long while ago, wasn’t it!) at home to familiar opposition. Essex found a new player as a late replacement on Board 8 for a successful debut. The new wider rating bands allowed Essex to complete a 16 board team […]
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SCCU U1850: Surrey 7½-8½ EssexAt Cheam. Despite conceding a point by default, Essex started the comeback competition with an away win. Full details with a selection of games, on the U1850 page (link below). Other match: Kent 9½-6½ Middx SCCU U1450: Essex 9-3 SurreyAt Wanstead. The visitors gave Essex a three game start with defaulted […]
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With the post-covid Essex League and Essex Minor League now geared to go – first fixture already played! – best now to bookmark the new location of all League information; fixtures, results, tables: the ECF League Management System. For the first time, team captains will be able to input match results online, on the LMS […]
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Barking (Essex League Champions) 3½-8½ The Rest of the League Eighteen months after the last pawn was moved in the 2019-20 Essex League, Barking who were finally declared Champions at the ECA AGM on 24 June 2021, challenged The Rest to the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season (2021-22), as we cautiously return to over-the-board […]
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Following the AGM in June, the first task of new League Secretary, Tom Barton, was to get the Essex League up and running again. This was no small task, requiring a re-build in these Covid times, with no League chess since the 2019-20 competition was brought to a grinding halt by national lockdown. There was […]
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The pre-season regional County Challenge competitions, Major and Minor, attracted just three counties in the south east, Essex, Kent and Hants. Kent actually entered three teams, one in the Major two in the Minor. Essex had the fillip of winning both competitions, reward for the players’ effors and for Peter Nickals, who made all the […]
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The Finals were held on 18 September with full anti-cheating regimen, run by the match Arbiters on Zoom. You have to hand it to Northumberland: they entered all three online Championships, Open, Major Open, U1800 and swept the board winning all matches in all three competitions; most impressive. Essex contested the Major Open Final against […]
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An away steal, a home romp and an inter Essex match too, Upstarts 4-2 Timeless, combined with two junior tournaments with over 40 entries, made for a busy day for the second Back to Real Chess Festival. Essex Major made the first away trip by an Essex County team team since County competition ceased for […]
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The last matches in the qualifiers for the online Minor Open and U1800 would see both Essex teams go through if they could win. Both would meet the all-conquering Northumberland, who are also in the Open Final. Essex Minor Open romped past Gloucestershire, Essex winning 8½-3½. In the other matches, Northumberland beat Hants (already out […]
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