A welcome from the Organiser …

It is a pleasure to welcome you to Torquay for this year’s Championships.

My team and I look forward to meeting you through the Championships as we enjoy the many attractions, both at the venue and in the wider locality.

As you can see, there are many events (apart from the chess) scheduled alongside the Championships, and I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all those who have worked tirelessly to arrange them. I am sure these events will be supported and I know they are seen as an added attraction for the Championships. I would also like to thank the officers and members of the DCCA (Devon County Chess Association) for their support of the Championships in many ways.

Finally, I would like to thank all the players who make tha annual plgrimage to the Championships regardless of where they are held

— Kevin Staveley

A message from the Devon County Chess Association …

A very warm welcome to the 2019 British Chess Championships, the sixth time in its history that it has been held in Torquay. The Devon County Chess Association (DCCA) represents all the major chess clubs in Devon and is proud to welcome the UK’s premier chess event to the Torquay Riviera Centre. Devon has a good number of thriving and successful clubs with a strong tradition of competitive chess in local leagues and at County level, where the Devon team has won the West of England championship for the last four years.

The DCCA has helped to put together a programme of events to supplement the main congress. This leaflet contains details of these events – we hope there is something to interest everyone. We have subsidised the costs of many of the events, and are grateful to the British Chess Championships for financial support to help us do this. Please support this programme – for some events numbers are strictly limited and booking/tickets will be required. Details of each event and how to book are contained in this leaflet.

For all enquiries about the social programme, please don’t hesitate to visit the DCCA stand in the Riviera Centre. We can also provide details of chess across Devon, maps of the local area and copies of the English Riviera passport – a booklet of vouchers which provide discounted entry to tourist attractions across Torbay.

Finally, I hope you have a very enjoyable week, including lots of competitive chess, and have at least some opportunities to venture out of the Congress Hall to experience some the delights of Torbay and Devon.

– Paul Brooks, President, Devon County Chess Association

Friday 2nd August – Pitch ‘n Putt
Come and test your golf skills on the nearby 9-hole pitch and putt course. This is a ‘fun-only’ event (no prizes) – get yourselves into groups of 4 (or sign up and we will set you up in a team).
Tickets costing £2 each (normal price £5.50) can be purchased from the DCCA stand, maximum number 36.
Venue – Torre Abbey (meet at the DCCA stand 18:45)

English Riviera Centre Rosetor Lounge
Breakfast baps are available until 11:00 each day. For lunch there will be specials, which will vary each day. There will also be a large range of favourites – pasties, sausage rolls, sandwiches, baguettes, soup, chips, cakes and muffins.
Opening times — Friday 26th July 08:45 – 19:00; Saturday 27th July – Saturday 4th August (inclusive) 08:45 – 19:45; Sunday 5th August 09:15 – 17:00

English Riviera Centre Waves Pool
We are grateful to the Riviera Centre, who have offered all participants and their families discounted entry to the Waves Leisure Pool. Children under three years old are free, juniors (3-15) will be discounted to just £2.80 (normal price £3.80), adults (15+) will be discounted to just £3.80 (normal price £4.80), over 60s will be discounted to just £2.80 (normal price £3.80)
Please show this booklet to receive the discount – https://www.rivieracentre.co.uk/leisure-pool

Wednesday 31st July – Evening Congress Quiz Night with Kevin Staveley
(see Congress Noticeboard or DCCA stand for details of venue)
Join Quizmaster Kevin Staveley in a General Knowledge Team Quiz night. Teams of up to four (organise your own teams) plus any juniors you’d like to bring along. Free entry, just turn up on the night, but don’t be late! All will be explained! Small prizes for the winners.
Venue – English Riviera Centre @ 20:00 – 21:30

Thursday 1st August – Evening Chess Film Night 2
MAGNUS (U)
A documentary portrait of current world champion Magnus Carlsen, telling his story from childhood to chess super-stardom.
Drinks and snacks will be available at the venue from 18:00 onwards, so that you can combine the film with refreshments at the bar or in the secret private rear garden at the BLUE WALNUT.
There will be two showings of this 75-minute film at 19:00 and 20:45. Tickets for the film cost £2.00 and are available (together with maps showing the route from the ERC) from the DCCA stand in the ERC foyer.
Venue – Blue Walnut Cafe, 14 Walnut Road, Chelston TQ2 6HS

Saturday 27th July – Evening Chess Film Night 1
The LUZHIN DEFENCE (12)
The BLUE WALNUT CAFE-BAR and CINEMA has a small (23-seat) cinema situated only a short (10-minute) walk from the English Riviera Centre at Walnut Road, Chelston. We shall be screening the film ‘The Luzhin Defence’ from 20:00, which is loosely adapted from a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The film centres around a mentally-tormented grandmaster and the young woman he meets at a tournament in Italy. The film stars John Turturro, Emily Watson and Geraldine James. The BLUE WALNUT is fully licensed and has a secret private garden at the rear. Come early for a drink or a snack before the film. Tickets for the film cost £2.00 and are available (together with maps showing the route from the ERC) from the DCCA stand in the ERC foyer – http://www.bluewalnuttorquay.co.uk
Venue – Blue Walnut Cafe, 14 Walnut Road, Chelston TQ2 6HS

Sunday 28th July – Evening Simultaneous Display by IM Jack Rudd
Simultaneous Display (see congress noticeboard or DCCA stand for room details)
Test your chess skills against one the South West’s top players by taking part in this simultaneous display by International Master Jack Rudd. Numbers limited to 25, first-come first-served but please sign up at the Devon Chess Stand in the ERC foyer.
Venue – English Riviera Centre @ 19:30

Monday 29th  July – Evening British Chess Problem Solving Tournament
(see Congress Noticeboard or DCCA stand for details of venue – free entry)
Six problems (all direct-mates) to be solved in two hours. Three sections (Open, Minor & Junior) with £50 prizes (awarded on the night). Minor section for those with International Solving Rating of less than 1700 or ECF U160. Please sign up at the Devon Chess Stand in the ERC foyer.
Venue – English Riviera Centre @ 19:00 – 21:00

Tuesday 30th July – Afternoon Boat Trip to Brixham on ‘Western Lady’
Join us for a trip across Torbay and an afternoon visit to the delightful seaside town of Brixham. We will leave the conference centre for the short walk to the harbour before boarding the pleasure boat, the ‘Western Lady’. The crossing takes 30-minutes with excellent views of Paignton and the Torbay coastline. We land at Brixham, where there will be two hours free time to explore the town, its harbour, beaches and museums, including a life-size replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ‘Golden Hind’ (entry fees are not included). We catch the boat back at 17:30 arriving in Torquay just after 18:00. Maximum number – 40.
Tickets costing £2 (normal price £3.50) can be purchased from the DCCA stand.
Venue – Meet at the DCCA stand @ 14:00 return by 18:15

Coast, Countryside & Pub Walk
Enjoy views of the Torbay coastline along with pleasant parkland, lakes, woods and a country house on this relaxing evening stroll, ending at a local hostelry for drinks and/or food. This easy two-mile walk takes in Torre Abbey, Livermead Cliff and Corbyn Head, Cockington Lane and the lakes and woods of Cockington Country Park, before finishing at the Drum Inn. This is a relatively easy walk, but there are places where it can be muddy, so please bring a raincoat and sensible footwear. After the walk, you can stroll back into Torquay, or walk down Cockington Lane to catch the frequent number 12 bus back to Torquay or Paignton.
Venue – Meet at the DCCA stand @ 19h30

Tickets

Tickets, vouchers and sign-up sheets are available from the DCCA stand just inside the Riviera Centre. This is open from 08:45 to 12:45 and from 14:00 to 18:00 between Fiday 26th July and Saturday 3rd August. You should book for the events as numbers are restricted. Unless otherwise indicated, do not turn up without a ticket for those events requiring one. Likewise, if you book a ticket for an event, please do turn up, even if it is free. Many events are number-limited and, if you take a ticket and don’t turn up, you will be depriving someone else of the chance to go …