Middlesex's Senior Match Captain, Anthony Fulton, asks us to publish his vision for Middlesex''s county teams.
"Dear Middlesex Chess Players,
I am Anthony Fulton Middlesex's Senior Match Captain. Some of you may know me or seen me at county matches or at Middlesex/Hillingdon/London/Central league matches.
A little background on me. I have this title because I have captained the u2050 team (formerly u175 and u180) since 2006 and Open team since 2007 so am the longest serving Middlesex captain, in fact I am one of the longest serving current captains both regionally and nationally. I recognise my longevity is partly because of wanting to set new records as a Middlesex Captain but in part because of a vision. From the outset of my captaincy both had a low starting base consequently, I have intimate insight into the struggles a match captain has firstly in building a squad and second to organise a team for a specific match, so mentor existing and new county match captains. In spite of my longevity and the successes of my teams it is a constant struggle to maintain a squad if only because being a London-based county there is a high turnover of players however I have been able to do so due to the loyalty of a core of individuals. For those of you who have turned out for any one of my teams, "I thank you". This goes double for you who have turned out or willing to turn out during trying cycles.
Let me share with you a vision I have. County chess has been a staple in the south of England since 1884 when Sussex and Surrey played in the first match. From 1904 'big' county matches were arranged. These matches were 100+boards. After forming in 1907 and affiliating to SCCU Middlesex were not only able to consistently raise these teams but consistently won the titles that were contested for. In 1972 these types of matches were broken up and we have the current system of non-overlapping matches. The only time the overlap can occur is at the National Stage Final when on Finals Day all six matches (Open, Minor, u2050, u1850, u1650 and u1450) are played at the same time.
My vision is that Middlesex has a team in each section on finals day. The Open, u2050, u1850 are consistent qualifiers for the National stage with each reaching finals day at various times, but not all three at the same time. The u1650 is a work in progress, it has been a while since they played in National Stage and certainly consistently. The same applies to u1450 who have qualified a few times in recent times but not as consistently as I'd like or expect. Middlesex's u1450 team should really be one of the strongest in the country. If we are able to get all five teams to finals day once, we would have achieved one of my visions to field a team of 76players so emulate some of the big matches of the past. However, having done it once we would need to repeat and keep repeating. If we were to do this we would show that Middlesex are the best organised county in the country. Of course if all were to win their respective section we would have the undisputed claim of being the best in the country!
With this in mind I write to you with a personal request - please support the county team! Support my vision!
County chess is an important part of the chess pyramid as it affords many benefits. These include:
a) Playing a good quality game of classical chess
b) Playing an opponent of similar standard
c) Playing as a team with individuals whom you may played against in league or tournament chess - think the equivalent of golf's Ryder Cup
d) An opportunity to graduate to a higher team thereby prove improvement and continue to test yourself against your peers.
I could go on but give the main ones.
I hope the sharing of this vision gives you food for thought and either persuades to represent the county for the first time; or better yet reinvigorates your willingness to represent it! The county teams still have a few remaining fixtures for this cycle and all could still qualify for the National Stage should there be one. Get involved.
Go on the Middlesex!"