It has been a busy year in Hastings as the town celebrates the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. One of the last events to take place in the Hastings calendar this year will be the Tradewise 92nd Hastings Chess Congress, which will open at Horntye Park Sports Complex on the 28th December 2016 – and we hope the battles which will take place across the chessboard will be an exciting and fitting end to these commemorative events. As the Congress logo is taken from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the 1066 battle this would seem entirely appropriate.
The event is sponsored by Tradewise Insurance Services in conjunction with the English Chess Federation and Hastings Borough Council. The John Robinson trust has also generously contributed £500 to provide bursaries for eligible players aged under-21 on 28 December 2016. Additional crucial support is provided by the White Rock Hotel, the Lansdowne Hotel and KC Computers.
As usual there are several events taking place concurrently to appeal to players of all ages and abilities. The nine-round Masters provides opportunities to qualify for titles and the FIDE Rating List. Such ratings go down to 1000, and it would be reasonable for any player over ECF 50 to aspire to a FIDE rating here. Other tournaments include —
♥ the 5-round Christmas Tournament over three days for players below ECF 200 (Elo 2200);
♥ the 4-round New Year Morning and Afternoon tournaments over four days also for players below ECF200 (Elo 2200) and;
♥ the 34th Hastings Weekend Congress with FIDE rated Major Section open to players below ECF 180 (Elo 2040), Minor Section open to players below ECF 150 (Elo 1825) and Under 120 section – under ECF 120 (Elo 1600).
We also intend that GM Chris Ward will hold a junior coaching session during the event – date to be announced. The regular Pairs and Blitz evening events will take place on Thursday 29th December and Tuesday 3rd January. In addition to the chess events the White Rock Hotel is once again hosting a Games Night on New Year’s Eve which proved very popular last year and wa welcomed by visiting chess players.
Further information from Congress Director, Alan Hustwayte alan.b.hustwayte@tesco.net or PR Officer, Pam Thomas pae123@aol.com