- There was a minutes silence for lost colleagues and extra recognition for the special contribution that Phil Wallace had made across 17 years as the B&DCL Grading Officer, also for his work at Wimborne Chess Club.
- President’s remarks – He was pleased with the number of juniors coming through the ranks which augurs well for the future success of the B&DCL.
- Chairman’s remarks – It was an exciting season with many close finishes. The Bacchus League has proved successful in attracting new players, particularly juniors to league chess. Discussions with the Dorset County Chess Association in respect of a prospective merger had now come to a mutually agreed end and there would be no merger.
- Officers’ reports were all presented – All positive, no major issues noted except with the significant level of postponements (which can distort league fixtures and favour teams initiating the postponement), player registrations and some of the other current B&DCL rules. League fees for the 2023/24 season were agreed at £5 per team if a high interest rate savings account can be opened.
- All current officers re-elected, John Belinger is the new Ratings Officer.
- 13 boards / trophies / shields were presented for the 5 main divisional winners (teams & individuals) in 2022/23, also to the 2022 Team Handicap Knockout Cup, Super Cup & 2 Towns match winners.
- Significant rule changes include:
- A player not registered with the League Controller in advance of a match by clubs, hence not included on the B&DCL Player Allocation File on the Saturday prior to the match, will have their game effectively defaulted (but the game will still count towards grading) and in the event of a repeat offence, an additional team penalty point will be deducted automatically from the team’s score for that match.
- Postponements need to be advised to the League Controller in advance (rather than agreed separately by team captains) also providing exceptional reasons otherwise teams will be defaulted if the match is not played on the scheduled date.
- The Reserve Places model is to be re-introduced (allowing for an average of 1 reserve to be played per match across the whole season) replacing the current restriction on players only being allowed to play a maximum of 3 games as a reserve for a higher team.
- If a registered player misses the first 4 games of the season, then another player needs to be registered with that team.
- The use of a lower board player with a rating differential of more than 75 points higher than a higher board player cannot be corrected retrospectively after a match has commenced and there would be no team penalty.
- A game is forfeit by a player who arrives 30 minutes late without any prior notice after the start of play. If prior notice is provided then up to the full hour is permitted.
- A player may play for a separate club in the Bacchus League to the main divisions.
- Captains’ notes will be updated to reflect the revised rules and issued to team captains prior to the start of the season.
- Two Towns Match – Richard Ursell and David Fuller (in absentia and subject to agreement) were appointed as the Bournemouth and Poole team captains which will be held at the Poole Centenary Club on Monday 11th September.
