Individual - Minor Updated

North East Rapiplay Circuit
Latest leaderboard for the circuit after Fred Stobbarts Hetton Event

Here is the email we received and the web address

Dear chess friends, I thought it would be appropriate to contact you to let you know that today I received the Teesside set, box, and board that I had purchased from the winner of the Tennant auction. It is a magnificent piece of history, and I wanted to assure you that the trophy will be very well cared-for and appreciated.

Best regards,

Jon Crumiller
Princeton, New Jersey USA
www.chessantique.com
(I am solely a collector, not a dealer, so my website is only for the benefit of antique chess collectors around the world.)
 

Grading List Update
Paul Douglass (121e) has now played 5 games
And his revised estimate for board order purposes is now 119e

Darlington B 4-1 Synthonia A

Tom Wise Ko Cup & Jeremy Burnett plate

One match has still to be played however I decided to make the draw early thus allowing teams more time to arrange their respective fixtures.

The draw was made on Friday 14th December at Middlesbrough chess club by Stuart Morgan and witnessed by several players.

Ernie Lazenby
See Tom Wise KO Cup for Rd2 fixtures

A Div Middlesbrough Wasps 4½-1½ Guisborough
 

 Calendar Updated
Entry forms for Cleveland Congress (Jan 2008) + Hartlepool Congress (May 2008)  have been updated.

League
Synthonia B 2½-2½ Redcar C

KO Cup
Billingham Synthonia A 2-3 Hartlepool
Stokesley 2-3 Middlesbrough Wasps

Darlington - 2 New Players registered
103341E Fell, Alan Darlington 85e
164762D Howell, FB Roland Darlington 86e

County Team - Report By U125 Cpt Brian Whitaker added
League Table - A+B+C Div Updated

NEW CONSTITUTION
At an EGM of the CCA held on Monday 26th November 2007 the draft constitution as prepared by Mr Mitcheson was unanimously accepted after minor amendments to it were agreed by those present.

The new constitution will take effect from 1st May 2008. In the interim the current constitution prevails. Acceptance of the new constitution was essential to allow Mr Mitcheson to proceed with his review of the current set of rules that govern how chess is played in the CCA. In the new year Mr Mitcheson will be in a position to offer his draft rules for consideration by all members.

The new Constitution as amended will be published on the CCA web site in the near future. The rules of the organisation will govern how we play organised chess in the CCA and it is hoped that as many members as possible will take an active interest in the proposals that will be submitted in due course.

The officers wish to thank all those who turned up at the meeting and for the constructive comments that resulted in a positive outcome.

On behalf of the entire membership of the CCA I wish to publicly thank Mr Phillip Mitcheson for the tremendous amount of work he has done to get us to where we are now and thank him for the thoroughly professional way he dealt with issues raised during the meeting. I think we are indeed fortunate to have someone from the legal profession so willing to give his services for free to help the game he and all of us cherish so much.

Ernie Lazenby. Chair CCA

Ivory Chess Set Sells !!
Today myself ,Steve Henderson and Phil Semp attended Tennants auction house at Leyburn North Yorkshire to witness the sale of the Ivory Chess set.

Bidding started very slow and initially it appeared the set was not going to be sold however a bid of £1000 started the ball rolling and it continued to roll as telephone bidders pushed the bid up to £10,000. At this point we started looking at each in disbelieve at this figure however that was not the end. The room went very quiet as the bidding increased beyond £12,000 and one could hear a pin drop. The bidding war finished when an unidentified chess collector bidding via a telephone link offered £15,000. Less commission and other fees involved in advertising the CCA has realised approx £13,400 from the sale of the set. The full amount will be deposited in a deposit account where it will remain untouched. The 2008 AGM will have an agenda item allowing discussion on how this liquid asset should be managed.

The identity of the buyer will not be disclosed by Tennants.

Ernie Lazenby Chair CCA

15/11/07 - TOM WISE KNOCKOUT CUP Round 1.

Just a reminder that all matches must be played before 22nd January. That may seem some time off however with the Christmas break and other league committments time is short. Currently only one match has been completed. I ask the captains of the home team to notify me of any date that has been arranged to play a match. Please refer any difficulty in arranging a match to me asap.

Thank you
Ernie Lazenby

The 2007 U16 Pennine Cup will take place at: CANCELLED
St Cuthbert's Church, The Market Square, Darlington DL1 5QG
 
 on Saturday 15/12/07. The organiser on the day is Bill Metcalfe:
 William Metcalfe Tel: 01325 286815
 william.metcalfe[at]btinternet.com
 
 Teams are of 12 players. Could you please let Bill know as soon as possible whether your county will be entering a team on the day.
 
 The timetable for the day > Click HERE.

Cleveland U125
Cleveland are away to Yorkshire in the next round of the county championships. For those interested it will be played at :-

York Railway Institute
Queens Street
York
YO24 1AD

25th November 2007, 1PM start.

Hartlepool chess club.
Registration issues resolved and Hartlepool will resume playing in the CCA. The postponed match against the Rooks will be played ASAP.

Ernie Lazenby Chair

IMPORTANT
I have given the incorrect date for the sale of the Teesside Chess Association Trophy (News Item 05/11/07), please note it is NOT Thursday 22nd - it is Friday 23rd - 10am, Sale room 2 - lot # 1249.

Teesside Chess Association Trophy
Auction date is Thursday 22nd 10am Friday 23rd November, Sale Room 2, lot # 1249 - See Link below for more details

http://www.tennants.co.uk/Cat_Works_Art.asp

http://www.tennants.co.uk/BidCat/detail.asp?SaleRef=LS142&LotRef=1249
 

Hartlepool Chess Club - Suspended
It is with very much regret that the officers of the CCA have to announce that Hartlepool chess club has been suspended from the league for a period of 7 days and has been deducted 1 pt for each of the 2 matches played in the A Division. Unfortunately a number of players have played league games and have not to date become members of the ECF via an MO as required by the CCA rules. The officers felt this 7 day suspension, albeit one without precedence, allows the club a short period of time to sort out its internal affairs without suffering the specified penalty of being removed from the league for the remainder of the season.

The registration officer has been very pro active in direct correspondence with Hartlepool club since the specified dates elapsed trying to normalise the situation without the need to take the action that has become necessary.

It is hoped that the situation will be rectified and that Hartlepool can rejoin the league in due course. The league match due to be played Friday 2nd November between Hartlepool and The Rooks has been cancelled until further notice.

Ernie Lazenby
CCA Chair
 

RE the EGM Monday 26th November.

This meeting will be one of the most important in the recent history of the CCA and it is hoped that as many members as possible attend. Mr Mitcheson has worked long and hard at preparing the draft constitution and the end product if approved should form the bed rock of how the CCA functions both now and in the long term. Any organisation must have structures in place that allows it to function efficiently and its rules must be transparent leaving no doubt as to what is required of its members and thus allow all to play competitive chess free from rancour.. This meeting is the first step along the road to removing ambiguity from our current structures and will help establish a role model of how an unincorporated association should be run.

I will be chairing the meeting and will ensure that all who wish to speak are able to do so freely and without interruption when invited.

Please make an effort to attend this meeting your contribution will be appreciated.. Thank you.

Ernie Lazenby Chair CCA
 

There will be an EGM on Monday, 26th November 2007
at The Queens Head, Stokesley, 7 p.m.

1.The Draft Constitution

In accordance with the decision taken at the 2007 A.G.M., an EGM is called with the sole item to discuss the revised Constitution, as drawn up by Philip Mitcheson, which has been on the website now for some time. In order to expedite business we are starting at 7 p. m. so that we can have a full discussion and finish at a reasonable time. While the AGM decided to deal with the Constitution and Rules at a single meeting, Philip has made it clear that he cannot draft a revision of the Rules without first re-writing the Constitution. Accordingly, he will get to work on the Rules immediately after the meeting on 26th November.

Any suggestions for amendments, alterations or additions to be sent to me (Phil Semp), either email or to my home address (24 Fairfield Road, Stokesley, North Yorkshire, TS9 5EA) at least two weeks prior to the meeting i.e. by 12th November at the latest. I shall communicate these to Philip so that he can think about these in advance of the meeting and I shall also send these out to members one week before the meeting. The meeting shall decide the new constitution, which will be ratified at the next AGM.

Phil Semp
CCA Secretary
 

HARTLEPOOL CHESS CLUB
Hartlepool Chess Have Changed Venue and the night they play on.

NEW VENUE
Athenaeum Club, Church Street, Hartlepool, TS24 7DH. Tel: 01429 272112
Play in CCA League is now Wednesday Nights

Grading List - CCA MO + CCA Reg
I used the grading list to highlight players status
RED - Player has not registered to CCA
Yellow - Players are CCA Registered but have not Registered to MO as yet, be it CCA MO or any other MO.

Note: Guisborough and Hartlepool have been informed and are dealing with.

White - Players are fully registered and paid up.

If you spot any errors please let me know ASAP - Cheers!

R Moore - Redcar new grade given e121
M Tarlow - Darlington new grade given e122
 

County Results
Cleveland 10½-1½ Durham - Results + photos

12/10/07
Nominated Players 07/08 list online

County Team U125 Fixture List is online

1st Round of Individual OPEN updated

Tom Wise KO Cup Draw now online

Grading List Updated- Richard Moore Redcar E113

 B Div Cpt
Upper Eskdale inform us of a change in Cpt - Terry Legge is now Cpt for U Eskdale - All online doc's and web pages have been updated.

Grading List Updated
The grading list has been updated with players added, deleted, duplicates removed, players now listed for the clubs they are playing for this season.

The grading list in the downloads section has now been removed, please use the web page grading list and print this off if required.

If you find any errors or missing players please inform me so I can updated the list.

Cheers Everyone

Steve H

 - A B C Divisions Updated - 22.54hrs
All divisions in the league have been updated, please make sure you have the most up to date information.

Grading List Updated
Middlesbrough Player Mark Kirkpatrick added

KO CUP Organiser
Mr Ernie Lazenby has volunteered to be the Tom Wise KO CUP Organiser, could you please let him know ASAP if you are NOT entering a team into this event this season. Ernie's contact details are on the Officers page.

CCA Chair - Interim Appointment
Statement From Mr Ernie Lazenby
I was appointed Chair of the CCA at the AGM in June but it became necessary for me to stand down following the EGM at Marton when we discussed the sale of the Ivory Chess set. At that time my wife was very concerned about my health due to the amount of pressure I was under due to the the contentious and convoluted issues that I had been trying to resolve since June 2006. Suffice to say there was much happening in the background which is not for public consumption. I bowed to my wife's demands that I stand down however since then it has become clear that the CCA is now moving forward in a very positive manner and a new dawn is upon us. Following a chat with my good lady wife she has no reservations about me resuming the chair and I am very pleased to do so following consolation with your President who in turn consulted the other two officers of the CCA.

At the next EGM needed to discuss the new constitution my appointment will be on the agenda and thus members can offer their thoughts. If needs be the matter can be put to a vote.

I have been a member of the CCA continually for 37 years and my sole motivation for anything I have done or intend to do is to help the CCA move forward and restore credibility and hopefully attract more members.

Hopefully all the unpleasant matters of the last 2 years are behind us and we can look forward to playing chess in an environment free from rancour.'

Ernie Lazenby Chair CCA

Grading List Updated 11.51hrs
Stokesley - Players name corrected - Graham Shuttleworth was down as Gary Shuttleworth.

C Div Update 11.15hrs
League Organiser has sent the updated C Div which is now online and also available via the Download page.

C Div Update
League Organiser has just been informed that Guisborough B have disbanded. This leaves the C Div with 6 teams at present . Whitby (B Div) have yet to inform the LO if they are entering a team.

 - CCA Start Of Season Pack
The CCA Start Of Season Pack is now online and is available on the downloads page! If you have any questions please contact Steve H or Phil Semp who will assist you. This CCA Pack has been emailed out to all CCA Club Secretary's. Can we ask that club Secretary's registered players as quickly as possible on the forms provided and return the completed forms with payment to the Registration Secretary.

As per every year, all teams will be entered into the KO Cup - so if you do NOT want your team entered please let Ernie Lazenby know ASAP.

Provisional Fixtures for A, B & C Div's are now online. These League Fixtures are also available for download (if required) via the download page. NOTE* These are provisional fixtures and are not yet final. If you have any questions about the fixtures lists, please contact the league organiser (Keith Smith) for assistance.

 - CCA Registration Secretary
Steve Henderson will do the CCA Registration Secretary's job for this season. All cheques/payments and completed forms (e.g Club Reg List/ ECF CCA MO/ Nominated player list etc) should be sent to Steve H, Steve will then process membership and then forward all payments to CCA Treasurer Peter Ridsdale for banking.

The CCA Start Of Season Pack will be available very soon!
The Pack consists of the following
Introductory Letter
Fixtures For A, B & C Division’s
CCA Registration Form
ECF Registration Form – CCA MO
CCA Fee’s for Season
Set Of Rules - League - KO CUP - Individual
Grading List
Nominated Players Form – for clubs with more than one team

Steve H

- EGM - Key Points in Brief
CCA Treasurer Mr Steve Dauber has resigned.
Peter Ridsdale (who expressed an Interest) was formerly asked today if he would take up the CCA treasurers post - he has confirmed that he will.

CCA League Organiser - Keith Smith Volunteered and was duly elected
Keith has taken on the league Organisers post but not the KO Cup, if anyone is interested in running the KO Cup please contact Phil Semp. It was agreed to place Hartlepool A into the A Div to make that div up to 8 Teams, it was agreed to place Middlesbrough Bishops in the B Div to give the B Div 7 Teams, the C Div has 2 new teams entered, Redcar C and The Griffin, which gives the C Div 7 Teams, this is provisional at the moment. Closing date for entering teams into the CCA League is September 22nd after this date the leagues will be finalised. A proposal was put forward that the B Div & C Div have no more than 1 team difference between them, this was seconded and passed.

KO CUP - Agreed that the first two rounds be played at the home team's venue in the month specified by the KO Cup Organiser, only the Semi-final and the Final to be played at a neutral venue.

CCA MO - Agreement with ECF is now in place, forms will be available shortly, these will be sent to all club secretary's and will be available for download via this web site.

U125 Team - 10 players now available but need at least 15, if anyone is interest please contact Brian Whitaker or Peter Ridsdale ASAP as time is running out and if we don't get enough players then we will not be able to enter a team - if you are graded under 125 then please come forward and make your self available for selection.

Steve Henderson
CCA President

To All CCA Clubs

If possible, can you let me know how many teams you will be fielding in the league this coming season? I realise that some of you might not be able to give a 100% definite answer. No sweat. However, if you could all call your AGMs by the first week in September, at the latest, and make a decision there, it would help the officers to have ready a list of teams and fixtures for each league for the Exec meeting in the second week in September.

Obviously, it is not altogether ruled out for teams to enter after the Exec meeting, but before the season gets under way, but it would help if we could wrap this aspect up -especially as we do not, to date, yet have a league organiser....


Regards
Phil Semp
CCA Secretary

Ernie Lazenby has stepped down from CCA Chair & League Organisers position because of health issues. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the CCA to thank Ernie for all the time he has spent on CCA matters and the immense effort he has put in to make sure the CCA runs properly. Thank you Ernie!

Can all CCA matters now be directed to Steve Henderson or Phil Semp to deal with.

Thank you for your co-operation

Marsh Towers
Sean Marsh has now got his own blogspot, and this is where you can find his latest chess book review.

To view his latest article go to

http://marshtowers.blogspot.com

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