AS many people will have heard by now, the annual Hastings congress has found a new sponsor in Caplin Systems.
The company aims at "investment banks, online brokers and other financial firms," so its main interest in becoming a chess sponsor is the exposure it will get in media such as The Times.
Details of the congress are now available online, and congress-stalwart Marc Bryant kindly rang me yesterday to let me know online entry facilities are expected by the end of next week.
A stack of entry forms appeared at the British championships in Torquay last week, showing the congress will follow its traditional format, running from Saturday December 28 through Sunday January 5.
Anyone whose most-recent memories of the congress are playing at the Falaise Hall, or the notorious end-of-the-pier shows, might be very pleasantly surprised by the modern venue, Horntye Park sports complex.
The playing area is also used for indoor cricket (not concurrently with the chess), which means it has superb lighting. It is also spacious, and has flooring that makes it almost impossible to hear people moving about.
There is a canteen, a bar with a large-screen TV and a viewing balcony. All-in-all, Hastings has the best playing conditions of any congress I visit.
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