Location: 329A Coleford Road, Sheffield, S9 5NF. We’re next door to the Furniture Warehouse. Free parking on street is available, and the top half of the Furniture Warehouse car park can also be used (space permitting).
The no.18 bus (closest stop: Coleford Road/Greenland Road) stops just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Sheffield Chess Centre.
The 52 route is frequent from the city centre, and the Main Road/Greenland Road stop is 10 minutes’ walk from the Sheffield Chess Centre.
Finally, the Arena/Olympic Legacy Park tram stop is 15 minutes’ walk from the Sheffield Chess Centre, and is served by the Yellow Route and Tram Train.
The closest hotels are near the Arena/Olympic Legacy Park tram stops. The Premier Inn (Sheffield Arena) hotel, the Ibis Budget (Sheffield Arena) and the cheaper Don Valley Hotel are all a 15-20 minute walk from the venue.
There is a McDonald’s at the bottom of the hill.
Terms and conditions of entry to our events
Arbiters’ decision: The Arbiters’ decision is final in all matters. Where there is more than one arbiter at one of our events, any player may appeal (immediately) against an arbiter’s decision to the Chief Arbiter of the event. Once the clocks have been restarted, it is too late to appeal.
Refund policy: Up to 7 days before event, £5 administration fee deducted from entry fees. 1-6 days before event, £10 deduction or 50% deduction (whichever is the greater). Withdrawals on the day, no deduction. Where there is an exceptional reason, organisers may at their discretion provide a full refund.
Ratings: Unless otherwise stated on the entry form, eligibility for sections for FIDE-rated events will be determined by FIDE rating – and eligibility for sections for ECF-rated events will be determined by ECF rating.
Provisional ratings: Where a player has a provisional rating, the Arbiters may either: a) Use the player’s provisional rating, or b) Use an established rating from another source, when determining which rating to use for the competition. This is a judgement call made by arbiters and will be taken on a case-by-case basis.
For example: suppose we’re running an ECF-rated Rapidplay event. If a player has a Rapid provisional rating based upon 5 games, but has a history of hundreds of Standardplay games, we might prefer to use the Standardplay rating. Conversely, if there is little difference between the two, we might stick to the Rapidplay rating.
Unrated players: Unrated players must give an indication of their playing strength where possible at the time of entry (e.g. online account, ‘live’ rating which has not yet been published, rating from another country, recent results). Unrated players will not be eligible for rating prizes unless (in the opinion of the arbiters) they provide acceptable evidence of their playing strength. Organisers reserve the right to transfer an unrated player into a higher section if they believe that player may be stronger than the section limit.
Prize money: Advertised prizes are guaranteed only with sufficient entries. Where possible, we publish the minimum number of entries for any competition in advance.
Default times: For all Standardplay events, unless otherwise stated, the default time is 30 minutes from the scheduled start of the round. The arbiters reserve the right to extend this period at their discretion – for example:
a) If it is known that a player is on their way
b) If there is inclement weather, poor traffic conditions, etc.
Re-pairing when opponents do not turn up: Re-pairing is voluntary at our events; any player may claim a default win and refuse to be re-paired.
Players who do not turn up: You will not be paired in future rounds unless you let us know before publication of pairings that you intend to be there.
Mobile phones: Phones are allowed in the venue but must be switched off during play. Phones and other electronic devices should not be on one’s person while a game is in progress. Anyone wearing an electronic device for medical reasons should inform the arbiters before play.
1. If your mobile phone makes a sound during the game, you will be defaulted.
2. If you attempt to use a mobile phone to cheat during a game, you will:
a) Be defaulted from that game, and
b) Be removed from the competition without refund, and
c) Be reported to the English Chess Federation and/or FIDE, who may ban you from future events.
Code of conduct: By entering, players agree to behave in a reasonable manner which respects the venue, the arbiters, the organisers, our volunteers, and other players/opponents. They agree to abide by reasonable conditions of the venue. They agree to behave in a manner which is not distracting to the opponents, and which is respectful of the arbiters’/organisers’/volunteers’ time. For events at the Sheffield Chess Centre in particular, but all events, participants should be aware of noise which could be overheard in the playing hall whilst games are ongoing. The Sheffield Chess Centre is a nut-free venue due to a serious allergy; you must not bring nuts onto the site.
Unsportsmanlike conduct will be penalised on a case-by-case basis as per the FIDE Laws of Chess. In the event that a player is asked to leave the event due to a serious breach of the Code of Conduct, they should expect that a refund of entry fees will not be provided.
Email mailing list: Entry deems consent for information about future events to be sent to you by email. You may opt-out from this at any time by contacting the organisers in writing.
Photographs: Entry deems consent for photographs to be taken for publicity purposes. You may opt-out from this at any time by contacting the organisers in writing.
Rating prizes: Except where otherwise stated, rating prizes are not shared. Ties are broken by given the prize to the lower-rated player of those tied, providing an incentive to players towards the bottom of their rating band.
Sheffield Chess Centre - Events Site 