Four Nations Chess League 2018/19
The Four Nations Chess League 2018/19 was the 26th season of the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL).
Guildford A&DC won its seventh straight title and prevailed for the sixth consecutive time without losing points. In the previous year Manx Liberty , the Celtic Tigers, the Wood Green Monarchs and North East England had risen. While Manx Liberty, the Celtic Tigers and the Wood Green Monarchs achieved relegation, North East England together with Oxford, West is Best and Alba had to relegate directly.
For the reported team squad, see the Four Nations Chess League 2018/19 team squad .
Game dates
The competitions took place on November 10th and 11th, 2018, January 12th and 13th, February 9th and 10th, March 16th and 17th and from May 4th to 6th, 2019. The first four rounds were in Daventry aligned the following laps at Telford .
Preliminary round
Grouping
The 16 teams were divided into the two preliminary rounds as follows:
| Pool A | Pool B |
|---|---|
| Guildford A&DC I (1) | Cheddleton (2) |
| White Rose Chess (3) | Guildford A&DC II (4) |
| Wood Green (5) | Grantham Sharks (7) |
| Barbican Chess Club (6) | 3Cs (9) |
| Oxford (8) | Blackthorne Russia (10) |
| West is Best (11) | Chess.com Manx Liberty (A1) |
| Alba (12) | Celtic Tigers (A2) |
| North East England (A4) | Wood Green Monarchs (A3) |
Note : The previous year's position is given in brackets; if it is preceded by an "A", it is the previous year's position of a climber in Division 2.
Pool A
All decisions were made ahead of time.
table
| Pl. | society | Sp | G | U | V | MP | Board P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Guildford A&DC I. Team (M) | 7th | 7th | 0 | 0 | 14: 0 | 49.0: 7.0 |
| 2. | Wood Green | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 38.5: 17.5 |
| 3. | Barbican Chess Club | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 31.0: 25.0 |
| 4th | White Rose Chess | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 28.5: 27.5 |
| 5. | Alba | 7th | 1 | 2 | 4th | 4:10 | 21.0: 35.0 |
| 6th | North East England (N) | 7th | 1 | 2 | 4th | 4:10 | 16.5: 39.5 |
| 7th | Oxford | 7th | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3:11 | 17.5: 38.5 |
| 8th. | West is best | 7th | 0 | 1 | 6th | 1:13 | 19.5: 36.5 |
decisions
| Championship Pool Participants: Guildford A&DC I. Team, Wood Green, Barbican Chess Club , White Rose Chess | |
| Participants in the Demotion Pool: Alba, North East England, Oxford, West is Best | |
| (M) | Last season champions |
|---|---|
| (N) | Promoted last season |
Crosstab
| Results | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4th | 5. | 6th | 7th | 7th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Guildford A&DC I. Crew | 5 | 7th | 7th | 7½ | 7½ | 7½ | 7½ | |
| 2. | Wood Green | 3 | 5½ | 3½ | 6½ | 8th | 7th | 5 | |
| 3. | Barbican Chess Club | 1 | 2½ | 6th | 5 | 6½ | 4½ | 5½ | |
| 4th | White Rose Chess | 1 | 4½ | 2 | 4½ | 6th | 5 | 5½ | |
| 5. | Alba | ½ | 1½ | 3 | 3½ | 4th | 4th | 4½ | |
| 6th | North East England | ½ | 0 | 1½ | 2 | 4th | 4½ | 4th | |
| 7th | Oxford | ½ | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4th | 3½ | 4½ | |
| 8th. | West is best | ½ | 3 | 2½ | 2½ | 3½ | 4th | 3½ | |
Note : Barbican was deducted half a board point in the match against Oxford because of a loss without a fight. Oxford lost two games without a fight in the competition against White Rose, for which they were deducted two board points.
Pool B
While the first three places were already taken after six rounds, the decision about the last starting place in the championship pool was not made until the final round.
table
| Pl. | society | Sp | G | U | V | MP | Board P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chess.com Manx Liberty (N) | 7th | 7th | 0 | 0 | 14: 0 | 38.5: 17.5 |
| 2. | Cheddleton and Leek Chess Club | 7th | 6th | 0 | 1 | 12: 2 | 40.5: 15.5 |
| 3. | Guildford A&DC II crew | 7th | 4th | 1 | 2 | 9: 5 | 34.0: 22.0 |
| 4th | Blackthorne Russia | 7th | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5: 9 | 26.0: 30.0 |
| 5. | 3Cs | 7th | 2 | 1 | 4th | 5: 9 | 24.0: 32.0 |
| 6th | Celtic Tigers (N) | 7th | 2 | 1 | 4th | 5: 9 | 21.5: 34.5 |
| 7th | Wood Green Monarchs (N) | 7th | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4:10 | 19.0: 37.0 |
| 8th. | Grantham Sharks | 7th | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2:12 | 20.5: 35.5 |
decisions
| Championship pool participants: Chess.com Manx Liberty , Cheddleton and Leek Chess Club , Guildford A&DC II. Team, Blackthorne Russia | |
| Participants in the Demotion Pool: 3Cs , Celtic Tigers, Wood Green Monarchs, Grantham Sharks | |
| (N) | Promoted last season |
|---|
Crosstab
| Results | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4th | 5. | 6th | 7th | 8th. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chess.com Manx Liberty | 4½ | 5 | 6th | 4½ | 7½ | 5 | 6th | |
| 2. | Cheddleton and Leek Chess Club | 3½ | 5½ | 5 | 7½ | 6th | 7th | 6th | |
| 3. | Guildford A&DC II crew | 3 | 2½ | 4th | 7th | 5½ | 6½ | 5½ | |
| 4th | Blackthorne Russia | 2 | 3 | 4th | 4th | 3½ | 5½ | 4th | |
| 5. | 3Cs | 3½ | ½ | 1 | 4th | 3½ | 6th | 5½ | |
| 6th | Celtic Tigers | ½ | 2 | 2½ | 4½ | 4½ | 3½ | 4th | |
| 7th | Wood Green Monarchs | 3 | 1 | 1½ | 2½ | 2 | 4½ | 4½ | |
| 8th. | Grantham Sharks | 2 | 2 | 2½ | 4th | 2½ | 4th | 3½ | |
Finals
Championship pool
The defending champion Guildford A&DC clearly stood out in the end.
table
| Pl. | society | Sp | G | U | V | MP | Board P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Guildford A&DC I. Team (M) | 7th | 7th | 0 | 0 | 14: 0 | 45.5: 10.5 |
| 2. | chess.com Manx Liberty (N) | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 34.0: 22.0 |
| 3. | Cheddleton and Leek Chess Club | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 32.0: 24.0 |
| 4th | White Rose Chess | 7th | 3 | 0 | 4th | 6: 8 | 23.5: 32.5 |
| 5. | Guildford A&DC II crew | 7th | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6: 8 | 23.0: 33.0 |
| 6th | Wood Green | 7th | 2 | 1 | 4th | 5: 9 | 26.5: 29.5 |
| 7th | Barbican Chess Club | 7th | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4:10 | 21.0: 35.0 |
| 8th. | Blackthorne Russia | 7th | 0 | 1 | 6th | 1:13 | 17.5: 38.5 |
decisions
| British Champion: Guildford A&DC I. Team | |
| (M) | Last season champions |
|---|---|
| (N) | Promoted last season |
Crosstab
| Results | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4th | 5. | 6th | 7th | 8th. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Guildford A&DC I. Crew | 6th | 6½ | (7) | 7½ | (5) | (7) | 6½ | |
| 2. | chess.com Manx Liberty | 2 | (4½) | 3½ | (5) | 6½ | 6½ | (6) | |
| 3. | Cheddleton and Leek Chess Club | 1½ | (3½) | 5½ | (5½) | 4½ | 7½ | (5) | |
| 4th | White Rose Chess | (1) | 4½ | 2½ | 3½ | (4½) | 2 | 5½ | |
| 5. | Guildford A&DC II crew | ½ | (3) | (2½) | 4½ | 4th | 4½ | (4) | |
| 6th | Wood Green | (3) | 1½ | 3½ | (3½) | 4th | (5½) | 5½ | |
| 7th | Barbican Chess Club | (1) | 1½ | ½ | (6) | 3½ | (2½) | 6th | |
| 8th. | Blackthorne Russia | 1½ | (2) | (3) | 2½ | (4) | 2½ | 2 | |
Notes :
- Results in brackets are taken from the preliminary round.
Demotion pool
Before the last round, 3Cs and the Wood Green Monarchs had secured relegation, while the decision on who was relegated was only made in the final round.
table
| Pl. | society | Sp | G | U | V | MP | Board P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | 3Cs | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 36.0: 20.0 |
| 10. | Wood Green Monarchs (N) | 7th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10: 4 | 30.0: 26.0 |
| 11. | Grantham Sharks | 7th | 4th | 1 | 2 | 9: 5 | 31.5: 24.5 |
| 12. | Celtic Tigers (N) | 7th | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8: 6 | 28.0: 28.0 |
| 13. | Oxford | 7th | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7: 7 | 25.5: 30.5 |
| 14th | West is best | 7th | 1 | 2 | 4th | 4:10 | 25.0: 31.0 |
| 15th | North East England (N) | 7th | 1 | 2 | 4th | 4:10 | 24.0: 32.0 |
| 16. | Alba | 7th | 1 | 2 | 4th | 4:10 | 22.5: 33.5 |
decisions
| Relegated to Division 2: Oxford, West is Best , North East England, Alba | |
| (N) | Promoted last season |
|---|
Crosstab
| Results | 9. | 10. | 11. | 12. | 13. | 14th | 15th | 16. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | 3Cs | (6) | (5½) | (3½) | 6th | 3½ | 5½ | 6th | |
| 10. | Wood Green Monarchs | (2) | (4½) | (4½) | 2½ | 5 | 5½ | 6th | |
| 11. | Grantham Sharks | (2½) | (3½) | (4) | 6th | 5½ | 4½ | 5½ | |
| 12. | Celtic Tigers | (4½) | (3½) | (4) | 3½ | 4th | 4th | 4½ | |
| 13. | Oxford | 1½ | 5½ | 2 | 4½ | (4½) | (3½) | (4) | |
| 14th | West is best | 4½ | 3 | 2½ | 4th | (3½) | (4) | (3½) | |
| 15th | North East England | 2½ | 2½ | 3½ | 3 | (4½) | (4) | (4) | |
| 16. | Alba | 2 | 2 | 2½ | 3½ | (4) | (4½) | (4) | |
Notes :
- Results in brackets are taken from the preliminary round.
- Because of one defeat without a fight, Oxford was deducted half a board point in the competition against 3Cs and one board point was deducted from the Celtic Tigers in the competition against North East England.
The championship team
| 1. | Guildford A&DC |
 |
Michael Adams , Matthew Sadler , Étienne Bacrot , Gawain Jones , Luke McShane , Hou Yifan , Laurent Fressinet , Romain Édouard , Jorden van Foreest , Vojtěch Plát , Nicholas Pert , Jean-Pierre Le Roux , Adrien Demuth , Elisabeth Pähtz , Mark Hebden , Sophie Milliet . |
Web links
- Tables of the season 2018/19 when 4NCL (English)