Visit to Delft 2023
Visit date: Thursday, 23rd February - Sunday, 26th February 2023
Eight players took part in the return trip to Delft, in the Netherlands this year. The team (in board order) with ECF rating were as follows:
- Jeremy FM 2088
- Ian Gooding 2066
- Paul Lawrence 1918
- Steve Millar 1774
- Ian Cross 1745
- Lubomir Botev 1700
- Ray Claret 1497
- Martin Hill 1143
Delft Old Town
Base camp for this year’s trip was the Best Western Museum Hotel, located in the old town. This is the same hotel where the team stayed in 2018.
Match v Delft (Thursday evening, 23rd February)
Our first opponents were the DSC club in Delft. Their venue was about 15 minutes’ walk from the hotel, the same venue as our previous visit. It was decided to play one long-play game, with a time limit agreed as 70 minutes plus a 10 second increment. St Albans were White on odd numbered boards. The match was keenly contested and ended in a win for Delft by 5-3. The result in 2018 was a draw 2½ - 2½.
Rotterdam (Friday 24th February)
With free time on Friday, most of the team headed for Rotterdam for lunch and some sight-seeing. The weather was wet on Friday morning, but it steadily brightened up as the day went on.
Match v De Uil (Saturday afternoon, 25th February)
Our second opponents were our friends at the De Uil club in Hillegom. This meant a train journey from Delft to Leiden central station, where we changed trains for the line to Hillegom. It was decided to play one long-play game again, with a time limit of 90 minutes plus a 10 second increment. St Albans were White on odd numbered boards again. The match end in a narrow win for St Albans by 4½ - 3½. The result in 2018 was a win for De Uil by 3½ - 1½. After the match, players met for dinner at “The Alternative”, a restaurant with European style food. There were 15 players at the meal, so a set menu was on offer which offered plenty of choice with 3 or 4 courses available.
Rotterdam (Sunday 26th February)
With free time on Sunday, some of the team opted for a relaxing day walking around Delft. The team met up in the afternoon to return to Schiphol Airport to catch the return flight to England.