The entry form for the 2023 Northumbria Masters will be published soon.
There are some exciting new features to the Northumbria Masters Congress this year that we hope you will like.
1) A Stronger Northumbria Masters Tournament, With More Title Norm Opportunities
There is now a minimum rating requirement of FIDE 2000 for The Northumbria Masters tournament. This will improve the chances for players seeking GM, IM, WGM and WIM norms, as it will raise the bar for players to enter the tournament and ensure a higher average rating of your opponents.
2) More FIDE-Rated Tournaments
There are now FIDE-rated tournaments for players rated Under 2000 FIDE, Under 1800 FIDE and Under 1600 FIDE. All three tournaments will use FIDE ratings (although they will also be ECF rated).
3) A Great New Entry-Level Foundation Tournament
Following the example of other congresses in North East England, Wwe are introducing a new 5-round ECF-rated Foundation Tournament, for players rated under ECF 1400 and for newcomers to tournament chess. Participants will play two games in each round (one with White and one with Black, against the same opponent). Games will be at the Standard Play time control of 45 minutes for all moves, plus an increment of 15 seconds per move.
This means that new players can gain a full ECF rating from a single weekend tournament.
4) Dedicated New Chess Venue
The 2023 Northumbria Masters will be held at Forest Hall Social Club, Errington Terrace, Palmersville, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 7LJ. Forest Hall Social Club is the home of Forest Hall Chess Club, one of the largest chess clubs in the North of England, and has hosted title norm tournaments and rapidplay congresses.
Forest Hall Social Club facilities include:
a) 400 square metre main playing hall, for the Masters, Challengers, Major, Minor and Foundation tournaments;
b) Separate function room for the GM and WGM tournaments;
c) On-site refreshments (tea, coffee, licensed and soft drinks, sandwiches, snacks);
d) Ample free parking available nearby (outside the Social Club, plus in the car park near Aldi, 200 metres away, and in nearby streets);
e) Analysis and coaching areas;
f) Ground floor disabled toilet and ground-level easy access for disabled players to the main playing hall.
5) Upgraded GM and WGM Norm Tournaments
There will be 2 all-play-all events – one primarily for for GM and IM norms, and one primarily for WGM and WIM norms, organised according to the Schiller Team Tournament System.
Each tournament will consist of 12 players (4 teams of 3 players each) as follows:
GM event: Team A – 3 GMs, Team B – 3 IMs, Team C – 3 FMs, Team D – 3 Juniors
WGM event: Team A – 3 WGMs, Team B – 3 WIMs, Team C – 3 WFMs, Team D – 3 Juniors
Under the Schiller System, each player plays the nine players in the other 3 teams, enabling players to score various title norms.
6) Junior Coaching Between Rounds From Experienced FIDE Trainers
As a new feature, the Northumbria Masters Congress will offer Junior Coaching from experienced FIDE Trainers in between rounds. Each participating junior will have post-game analysis with a licensed FIDE Trainer and be able to participate in interactive lectures (typically 20-30 minutes in length) with the FIDE Trainers.
The total cost of the coaching over 9 rounds is £50 per junior, and we hope to be able to offer a number of bursaries to English juniors aged under 21 to cover this cost. More details of the coaching will be available on this website shortly
