County Durham in the North of England is not too far from the Scottish border. Within the County there is the Norman town and cathedral, green hills, moors and the “Durham Chess Congress”
The 2022 edition of the “Durham Chess Congress” marks the renaissance of this tournament which had not taken place for some five years. This year, thanks to the work of the organising team and in particular Michael Riding, the tournament was held in Darlington.
Playing conditions
For this new start, the tournament was organised in the Dolphin Centre in Darlington, one of the largest town in County Durham. A large and quiet room was provided by the leisure centre allowing up to 160 players.
The tournament
The Durham Chess Congress is a weekend festival ranged to permit players who work during the week to participate without taking days off. The first round started on the Friday evening at 5 pm. The five rounds were played with a time control of 1h50m + 10s per move, thus allowing for the game to finish at a reasonable time.
There were 159 players participating in the Durham Chess Congress split into three tournaments:
- The Open, unrestricted entry and FIDE approved, 59 players including the GM Daniel Gormally and the IMs Brandon Clarke and Tim Wall.
- The Major, which was limited to players with an ECF rating below 1900 – 42 players
- The Minor which was limited to players with an ECF rating below 1675 – 58 players
The Open provides a qualifying place for the English Championship and is also part of the North County Chess Union championship
Our results
Zoe
Open, 0/4 points, 58/59
I never lose. I either win or learn.
Let just say that I learned a good deal in this tournament …. Now let’s put the lessons to good use !
Clément
Open, 4/5 points, 6/59 (2nd and 3rd prizes ex aequo)
This tournament was good in terms of results with one game drawn against a player with a slightly lower rating than mine another draw with a player with a slightly higher rating. Overall, my play is visibly open to improvement and I made a number of mistakes which were not picked up by my opponents.
Conclusion
This stay in Northern England was an excellent experience with fine weather for early May as though inviting us to return.
The tournament was very pleasant and the players welcoming. We would have liked to have more time to exchange with them.
Summary
- Tournament type: 3 opens, Swiss system
- Time control: 1H50 + 10s/move
- Rhythm: Five rounds over a weekend with the first on Friday evening
- Number of players: 159 in total in 2022: Open 59 – Major 42 – Minor : 58
- Level of tournament: Average (3 to 10 titled players)
- Location: England, County Durham, Darlington
- Dates 2022: 6-8 May
- Dates 2023: Not announced yet
- Tournament website
- Results 2022 - Open
- Results 2022 - Major
- Results 2022 - Minor
Tournament anecdote
The opening ceremony was of note : the entire assembly standing for the entrance of the Mayor of Darlington who was announced by a herald and arrived wearing red ceremonial costume and a gold chain of office.
What we liked
- Quiet playing area
- Chess books stall
- High quality chess boards
- Warm welcome from the organisers
- Reasonably priced accommodation (A good deal cheaper in Darlington than in the tourist cities of Durham or York)
- Magnificent English parks
- The local nature of the tournament which gives access to the community
- For Zoe, the pleasure of playing a tournament on the land of her ancestors and the opportunity to discover the little known riches of the North of England.
What we liked less
- The tournament website lacked information (is it possible for a foreigner to participate in the Major/Minor tournament? No link to pairings and results)
- The Major and Minor tournaments were not FIDE approved. This was a disadvantage for Zoe who would have been more at ease in the Major tournament
- No tournament rules (a player trying to win prices would be interested in knowing what was the prize allocation system.
- The midday breaks too short (after playing a 4-hour game would hardly have half an hour for lunch)
- No prize ceremony (prizes are sent by bank transfer)
Tourism notes
Darlington
Darlington is a situated in the North of England in County Durham close to the better-known towns of Durham, York or Newcastle. During our English trip we concentrated particularly on the towns of Durham and York with their historic city centre. However, we particularly appreciated the Darlington South Park after our games. This park contains two giant sequoias with the extremely rare feature of having multiple “branch-roots”.
York
York gives its name to the County of Yorkshire and is known for its medieval centre and its city walls of roman origin then modified and improved by the Vikings and the English. York Minster, the immense cathedral is visible from the city walls and is also one of the most important features of the city. There are charming city centre streets which give an authentic medieval character. The “shambles” was apparently a source of inspiration for J.K. Rowling for the creation of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter Saga.
The various English towns which we visited contain beautiful parks or green spaces. Within the York city walls lies the Museum Garden, a much-visited park with well-preserved ruins of a church. At the beginning of our stay, we also spent some time in the Rowntree Park, quieter but not less charming with a particular area reserved for voluntary organisations or clubs wishing to carry out public activities.
Durham
Durham, is a city full of Norman history. William the Conqueror made it a fortified city near the Scottish border thus giving it a strategic importance. Built on a hill, the imposing cathedral and castle are fine examples of Norman architecture in England.
The town and the County of Durham were ruled by a Prince Bishop who had an important political power making him at a time one of the most important nobles after the king. At the beginning of the 19th century the last Prince Bishop of Durham William Van Mildert participated actively in the creation of Durham University which is today the 5th in England. He also gave Durham castle to the College.
Quite apart from its old stone buildings, Durham is also excellently placed for walks in the green surrounding countryside and valleys.
This ends our first journey consisting of tournaments in Menorca and Durham. We will meet again soon for the second journey by continuing to the North of Europe with the Kronborg Chess Open in Denmark.
