Report on 2022 Congress

Thanks to the generous financial support of various sponsors, including The Chess Trust, The English Federation, The Friends of Chess, Northumberland Chess Association, Northumbria Junior Chess Association and an anonymous donor, the 2022 Northumbria Masters Congress took place successfully from 26-30 August at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7PE.

This sponsorship was highly instrumental in our event going ahead and in securing its future.

A total of 177 competitors took part in six tournaments (Masters Open, GM norm all-play-all, IM norm all-play-all, Challengers, Combined Major & Minor, and Junior Rapidplay). Altogether, 18 different national chess federations were represented.

Two International Master norms were achieved, by Daniel Fischer (Switzerland) and Bao Nghia Dong (Vietnam). In addition, three FIDE Arbiter norms were submitted, for John Shaw and Satish Gaekwad (both England) and Paul McKeown (Ireland).

Tournament winners

The Masters Open, with a total of 67 players, was won jointly by IMs Brandon Clarke and Marcus Harvey (both England) on 7.5/9.

The GM norm all-play-all was won by IM Matthew Wadsworth (England) on 6.5./9.

The IM norm all-play-all was won jointly by Fischer and Dong on 6.5/9.

The Challengers (Under 2000 FIDE) tournament, with a total of 41 players, was won jointly by Robert Sanders (England) and David Geaney-O’Brien (Ireland) on 7.5/9.

The Combined Major & Minor (Under 1750 ECF) tournament, with a total of 27 players), was won by Joel Tofield-Brown (England) with 6/7.

The Junior Rapidplay, with a total of 22 players, was won by Kenneth Hobson (England) with 4.5/5.

Juniors and female players

A total of 48 junior players (aged under 18 on 1/1/2022) took part in the Congress, including 39 England players.

A total of 15 female players took part in the Congress, including 13 England players.

(Details are available on pages 2 and 3 of the attached excel document.)

Support for amateur players

The total prize money won by amateur (i.e. non-GM, IM or WGM) players was £2,651.00.

Including:

Masters Open £800.50

Challengers £925.50

Combined Major & Minor £625.00

Junior Rapidplay £300.00

(Details are available on Page 4 of the attached excel document.)

Bursaries awarded

A number of bursaries were awarded by the Congress and the John Robinson Youth Chess Trust to young players to help with their entry to the Congress.

Junior entry discounts were in place for Masters Open (-£30), Challengers (-£20), Combined Major & Minor (-£10) tournaments.

Looking forward to 2023

Next year, it is planned that the Northumbria Masters Congress will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend (24-28 August, 2023) at the same venue (St Mary’s Catholic School, Newcastle) and with a similar range of tournaments.

Please watch this space for further announcements!

Tim Wall
Congress Director
Northumbria Masters Congress