Northumberland

AM traveling to North Shields today to play in the 57th Northumberland congress, which is being held over five rounds in three main sections.

The open, which I am in, has 39 entries, the major has 37 and the minor has 45, with all using a time limit of 110 minutes plus a 10-second increment.

There is also a foundation section, which has 12 entries, in which opponents play each other twice with a time limit of 60 minutes and no increment.

I could not find a hotel in North Shields, so I will stay in Whitley Bay and commute on the Tyne & Wear metro.