The Ron Banwell Memorial, incorporating the Commonwealth Chess Championships, will be taking place as the MSO Masters event at the London half of the fifth Mind Sports Olympiad this year. The tournament takes place between Saturday 18th and Monday 27th August at South Bank University, London.
Play will take place between 4pm and around 10pm daily. The rate of play is 40 moves in the first 100 minutes then the rest of the game in 40 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 totalling £2,050 as follows:
- Open prizes available to all: £750, £400, £250, £150 and £100.
- Best score by a Disabled player: £100.
- Best score by a player Under-16: £50.
- Commonwealth champion: £200.
- Commonwealth ladies' champion: £50.
- Mind Sports Olympiad medals are also available.
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:
|
Grandmasters |
Players with physical disabilities |
| Overseas Commonwealth players |
£300 |
£200 |
| Overseas non-Commonwealth players |
£150 |
| British players |
£250 |
£100 |
However, financial support is limited. Confirmation must be sought before the event. Players accepting start money are obliged to play throughout the tournament.
The entry fees payable are as follows:
| FIDE GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs if received by the penalty fee date * |
Free |
| FIDE FMs and WFMs |
£20 |
| FIDE CMs and WCMs, players with FIDE ratings of 2300 or higher |
£30 |
| Players with FIDE ratings of 2150-2299 |
£50 |
| Players with FIDE ratings of 2000-2149 |
£75 |
| Players without FIDE ratings |
£110 |
- Players with disabilities may enter free.
- Players under 21 or over 60 on August 18th pay half the above fees.
- BCF Direct Members earn a discount of £4.
- Two entries from each country of the British Commonwealth will attract no fee - contact Tony Corfe for more information.
- Late Entries, postmarked after 11 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 London Chess Association, 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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