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5th Cornwall Spring Congress 2025
Date

Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th May 2025

Venue
Falmouth Hotel, Castle Beach, Falmouth, TR11 4NZ
List of Entries
The list of entries received to date is here.
Sections
Open
The highest placed Cornish player will become Cornwall champion and will receive the Emigrant Cup to hold for a year.
Major
For players rated below 1800. The highest placed Cornish player will receive the Falmouth Cup to hold for a year
Minor
For players rated below 1500 and ungraded novices. The highest placed Cornish player will receive the Penwith Cup to hold for a year.
Rating
The March 2025 ECF OTB Rating List will be used to determine section allocation and grading prizes.
Ungraded players must provide evidence of previous grades and recent performances in other competitions.
The decision of the organisers will be final as to which section an ungraded player may enter
Schedule
Round 1 Friday 1900
Round 2 Saturday 1000
Round 3 Saturday 1430
Round 4 Sunday 1000
Round 5 Sunday 1430
½-Point Bye
Except in the final round players may take one half-point bye in rounds 1 to 4, provided this is requested before the first round pairings are drawn.
Rate and Conditions of Play
All moves in 75 minutes plus 30 second increment per move from move 1
A player failing to appear at the board within 30 minutes of the start of any round is liable to be defaulted for that round.
Prizes
The prizes for each section will be as follows:
1st £125
2nd £80
3rd £60
Grading £30
Grading £30
Junior £20
In addition to the above, the trophy winner in each section will receive a bonus of £40 in addition to any other prize that he or she may qualify for.
An ungraded player may not win a trophy or a sum of money higher than half the full amount of their prize in the Major or Minor nor any grading prize in any section.
Only players fulfilling the eligibility rules may be awarded the title of Cornwall Champion and/or the Emigrant, Falmouth or Penwith Cup.
Entry Fees
£30 for all sections. Players under 18 years old at 31st August 2024 are entitled to a discount of £5.
ECF membership
Current ECF membership is required at the Gold level. Players (including juniors) not satisfying this condition will need to pay a "pay to play" fee of £15 in addition to their entry fee. At the end of the congress the organisers will arrange for this to be paid to the ECF.
Entries
By email
Using the entry form, which may be printed from here, complete and attach it to an email to cornwallcongress@gmail.com
Payment of ECF and entry fees
By cheque
Please make all cheques payable to Cornwall County Chess Association and send them to Mrs Rebecca Gardiner, 18 May Gardens, Lanner, Redruth, TR16 6AR.
By bank transfer / online payment
Bank details are sort code: 20-87-94, account number: 70948624. For identification of your payment on our bank statement please use your first initial and surname as the reference. Please also send an email to cornwallcongress@gmail.com confirming your payment.
Players will not be entered in the draw until all monies due have been received. Players making payment after the controller has commenced making the draw for round 1 will be required to take a first-round bye.
Mobile Phones, etc.
If a player's mobile phone or other electronic device makes an audible sound, he/she loses the game automatically.
Congress Rules
It is a condition of entry that players agree to abide by the congress rules. These may be downloaded from here.
Controller
ECF Arbiter John Constable
Organisers
Colin and Rebecca Gardiner
18 May Gardens, Lanner, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 6AR
Email: cornwallcongress@gmail.com