Adam Raoof's Contact Details

Adam Raoof(left) pictured with Nigel Short

Editor: BBC Ceefax Chess pages 578 & 579
Columnist: British Chess Magazine, Chess Monthly
Events Director: Four Nations Chess League
FIDE International Organiser (appointed 1997)

21 Golderton
Prince of Wales Close
London NW4 4QZ
0044 (0) 181 202 0982 tel/fax

Adam Raoof's achievements and thanks

Just recently FIDE awarded me the title of FIDE International Organiser. I'm still waiting for the offers of work to flood in. Since June 1996 I have run

7 IM norm tournaments (1 cat 3, 5 cat 4 and 1 cat 6)
1 GM tournament (cat 10)
2 Challenge Matches
1 team event (London vs Beijing)
2 swisses
4 FIDE rating tournaments

A total of 16 IM norms and 1 GM norm have been achieved, mainly by UK players, including Luke McShane (2 norms), Danny Gormally, Dharshan Kumaran, Andrew Kinsman, Karl Mah, Chris Beaumont and others.

Events have been held in London, Cardiff, Newport, Edinburgh, Rotherham, Manchester and Newcastle.

This is just a short thank you note to those who have made it possible to run these events. If I forget anyone then forgive me...

-> David Sedgwick, the BCF International Director who has, despite his meagre official budget, given more in terms of personal advice and help than I could have ever expected.

-> The 'mercurial Mr Nigel Johnson' (copyright BCM, 1997), whose company ChessEvents 96 backed my first ever IM tournament, and John Richardson who scored 'my' first IM norm in that same event.

-> The Welsh Chess Union, especially Kevin Staveley and his band of Arbiters, who encourage me to continue running events in Wales.

-> The mysterious Friends of Chess, a charity whose continuing financial support is critical to so many norm events in the absence of sponsorship.

-> Jane Seymour who, as the BCF's Women's Director, persuaded the BCF to sponsor a tournament for Women with a large amount of money and who then asked me to run it and then forgave me for inviting five men.

-> The wise men on the board of the 4NCL, the UK's National Chess League.

-> Those who have provided venues for nothing.

-> Every player (or parent) who has ever forked out hard cash in order to play. I have tried to return the favour by inviting them back as newly- qualified IMs, or to GM tournaments, or to more prestigious events or simply by overlooking the odd entry fee if they had no money and I could afford it.

If you want to play in these sort of tournaments, please contact me.

Next year there are plans for more events in London, Newport, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Worcester and even one in Belgium in April. Treat all dates as provisional except Newport in July.

Other 1997 titled events

London 18-24 October GM apa IM apa Rated Event

Edinburgh 15-19 December IM Swiss

Edinburgh 14-19 December IM Challenge
(Rowson-Hillarp Persson)

1998

London 19-23 January IM Rated Event

London 25-29 March (Weds-Sunday) IM Rated Event

Belgium 6-10 April IM

Worcester May ?? (tba) GM IM Rated Event

London (Agency) 15-23 June GM

Newport 6-10 July (Wales) IM apa Rated Event (confirmed)

London 24-31 October GM apa IM apa Rating Swiss

Edinburgh 14-18 December IM Swiss