I know – it’s been a long, long time since my last blog entry.
Sad to say, I can’t claim that this was because I’ve been away sunning myself on a tropical island or trekking in Nepal. The truth is much more prosaic (and kind of depressing when I think of it), namely that I’ve been busy all summer working on ECF business and the blog took a back seat.
If it helps, I have been feeling guilty about not posting, and the gentle reminders from friends desperate for my latest ramblings made sure that the guilt was never allowed to fade for too long. Thanks, chaps!
Previously on “ChEx”…
When I last posted, I was encouraging feedback on the funding proposals and anything else about the ECF that people wanted to discuss. Since then, my consultation paper was published and I received dozens of responses (probably over a hundred in all), as well as the usual lively exchanges on the English Chess Forum. I’m grateful to everyone who took the trouble to comment. All of the responses were helpful, even if, inevitably, it wasn’t possible to incorporate every suggestion into the final proposals (published a few weeks ago).
My previous post included a list of the chess congresses in which I’d be playing, in case anyone wanted to collar me for a chat. The last in the list was the Cheltenham congress on the Whitsun Bank Holiday. Amazingly (for me), this was to be my last event for over three months, a drought broken only by the wonderful Paignton congress on 4-10 September.
Coming attractions
Now that I’m playing again, I’m due to play in several congresses over the next couple of months, so if you’re going to be at any of the following and want to make contact, please do so:
Fareham, 24-25 September - a new event from Norman Went’s Spectrum Chess
Dudley, 1-2 October – another new event in the calendar, this time from Tony Corfe’s Castle Chess
Scarborough, 21-23 October – one of the biggest and best congresses in England, set in a terrific venue with views onto the North Sea
Bury St Edmunds, 29-30 October – a well-established congress but a new one for me. I’ve been invited to present the prizes at the end, a clear sign that the organisers have already heard my reputation and twigged that I won’t be one of the recipients.
Hampshire, 4-6 November – the Hampshire Championship, held in a school in Eastleigh and open to all
Torquay, 18-20 November – another trip to the English Riviera. Here’s hoping for an Indian summer…
If this seems like a lot of chess, it is! The way I see it, I’ll have a relative lull in my ECF work once the papers have been published for the AGM, and it will take a little time after that for everything to accelerate to its usual madness. Who knows how much chess I’ll have time for in 2012, so why not seize the day?