The Ron Banwell Memorial will be taking place as the MSO Masters event at the fourth Mind Sports Olympiad this year. The tournament takes place between Sunday 20th and Monday 28th August in Alexandra Palace, North London.
Play will take place between 3:30pm and 10pm daily. The rate of play is 40 moves in the first 100 minutes, then the rest of the game in 50 minutes - with 30 seconds per move added from the first move. (Visually impaired players may use their own special clocks and then play at the rate of 40 moves in 2 hours, followed by all the moves in 1 hour.)
We have a guaranteed prize fund as follows:
- Open prizes available to all: £1000, £500, £300, £200, £150 and £100.
- Best score by a Disabled player: £200 and £100.
- Best score by a player Under-16: £50.
- Mind Sports Olympiad medals are also available in each of those categories.
If the income warrants it, the prizes will be increased. No player may win more than one cash prize nor more than one medal. The tournament is part of the Terence Chapman Group Grand Prix.
Some start money is available as follows:
|
Resident outside the UK |
Resident within the UK |
| Grandmasters |
£250 |
£200 |
| FIDE rated players with disabilities |
£200 |
£150 |
| Players with disabilities but without FIDE ratings |
£100 |
£50 |
However, financial support is limited. Confirmation should be sought before the event. Players accepting start money are obliged to play throughout the tournament.
The entry fees payable are as follows:
| GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs if received by the penalty fee date * |
Free |
| Players with FIDE ratings of 2300 or higher, FMs and WFMs |
£30 |
| Players with FIDE ratings of 2150-2299 |
£50 |
| Players with FIDE ratings of 2000-2149 |
£75 |
| Players without FIDE ratings but BCF Grade 175 (National 2000) or higher |
£100 |
| Players without FIDE ratings but BCF Grade 174 (National 1999) or lower |
£150 |
- Players with disabilities may enter free.
- Players under 21 or over 60 pay half the above fees.
- BCF Direct Members earn a discount of £4.
- Late Entries, postmarked after 12 August, attract a penalty fee of £20.
* Players with international titles who accept a free entry will be expected to be prepared to work with a disabled player for the period of the event. This might include post game analysis, pre game preparation.
All players registered Disabled by a National Agency qualify for the above benefits. Others may also qualify according to our full definition of 'disabled'. Players in doubt as to whether they qualify should contact Tony Corfe in confidence.
The tournament will be directed by Stewart Reuben on behalf of the London Chess Association with the financial assistance of the British Chess Federation and of Friends of Chess.
Ron Banwell, a haemophiliac, left a substantial bequest to the British Chess Federation. It will be possible to gain international honours in this tournament. The event also has the objective of demonstrating that people with disabilities can compete at chess on totally equal terms.
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