All UCU tournaments and chess talks during April/May/June are hereby cancelled.

The below statement by the UCU Tournament Director has been approved by the UCU Executive Board

CANCELLATION OF ALL REMAINING UCU EVENTS AND LEAGUES THIS SEASON

Given the coronavirus peak is not set to hit the UK until the end of May or the month of June, I don’t feel comfortable that we continue to run events over the next 10 weeks.

As UCU Tournament Director and League Controller, I believe it would be irresponsible for us to continue holding events whereby we could unwittingly transmit the virus to the most vulnerable in our families and our communities.

The following measures come into effect immediately:

1. All UCU tournaments and chess talks during April/May/June are hereby cancelled.

2. The City of Belfast Championships (due to take place at the end of May) will NOT be rescheduled to later in 2020. Next season’s calendar would become too congested with the City of Belfast Championships on top of 3 other full weekenders before Christmas - i.e. the Ulster Championships, the Irish Juniors and the Ulster Masters. On top of 4 one day Saturday events at MCB, the Bangor Congress and the Omagh Rapidplay (all before end of 2020)

3. The AGM will be rescheduled to later in the year, perhaps the end of August or early September, before the new season kicks off. UCU President Ross Harris and I will both stay on in our roles until then and we will remain organisers for the rescheduled Irish Junior Chess Championships (aiming for the weekend of Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2020).

4. The Annual Prize-Giving will not take place. In terms of classic league awards, I will distribute all 22 of the individual trophies and board prize trophies to each of the relevant players or their team captains. I will pass on the 22 rapidplay league trophies to Vice-League Controller Evan Elwood so he can distribute after the speed league finishes.

5. The rapid league will be suspended until the start of September when the 5 remaining weeks of fixtures will be played until mid-October. The team rapidplay event was held in 2016 and 2018 and then again in 2020 (in league format) so it is not a problem to have it run again after the Summer break and then normal classic league can run from November to April.

Stay safe everyone.

Best wishes,

Brendan Jamison
Ulster Chess Union Tournament Director & League Controller