Latest News
21.5.2019 -
Tim Wall is proposing to set up a North East League, aimed at giving
local players an
opportunity to play FIDE-rated games without having to travel too far. For the
details
click here.
3.5.2019 -
The Annual General Meeting of the Durham County Chess Association will be held
on Wednesday 15th May at Antioch House, Durham, starting at 7.15 p.m. Click here for the
Minutes of the 2018 AGM
and the Agenda.
10.4.2019 -
An Executive Meeting of the Durham County Chess Association will be held
on Tuesday 16th April at Hetton WMC, starting at 7.15 p.m. Click on here for the
minutes
of the last meeting and the
agenda.
10.4.2019 -
The Durham County Junior Championships were held at Coxhoe Village Hall
on Saturday 23rd March. For a full report by Douglas Smith, including several
photographs, click
here.
17.3.2019 -
The re-scheduled Northumbria Masters will now take place at Novotel
Newcastle Airport from 23-27 August. For full details
click here.
7.3.2019 -
The ECF Board is proposing to move from a six monthly to a monthly
grading update, and to replace the traditional three-digit grade, used in
English chess since the 1960s, with a four-digit, Elo style system. To read
details of the proposal and to express your own views,
click here.
But hurry up - the consultation period ends on 15th March.
4.3.2019
- Malcolm Clarke, development officer for the Hamsteels
Community Centre in Esh Winning,
DH7 9LS,
is looking at starting a weekly chess club at the centre, if possible on an
evening when it does not clash with any other local clubs. Anyone interested is
invited to contact Malcolm at this email address:
hamsteels-admin@cornsaypc.org.uk
4.3.2019
- Hetton Lyons B have withdrawn from the B Division of the County League
and will not be fulfilling their remaining fixtures.
20.2.2019
- The Durham County Junior Championships will be held at Coxhoe Village
Hall on Saturday 23rd March. For the entry form
click here.
13.2.2019
- A Chess in Schools and Communities Training Day for chess teachers and
volunteers is to be held at Newcastle City Library on Tuesday 26th February.
For details, supplied by Tim Wall,
click here.
16.1.2019
- Fred Wilkinson has proposed that a new Friendly League played in the
summer months should be arranged. For the full text
click here.
13.1.2019
- Here are the pairings for the next two rounds of the Ron Evers
Tournament, due to be played at Hetton on Tuesday 22nd January:
Round 3
South Shields 2 v. South Shields 1
Peterlee 1 v. Peterlee 2
Bishop Auckland v. Durham City
Hartlepool v.
Darlington
Round 4
South Shields 1 v.
Bishop Auckland
Peterlee 2 v. Hartlepool
Darlington v. South Shields 2
Durham City v. Peterlee 1
For the updated rules of the competition
click here.
1.1.2019
- Northumbria Masters announcement
Sadly, due
to a sudden family bereavement, the Northumbria Masters will not now be going
ahead on its scheduled dates of February 16-20, 2019. It is planned to organize
the event in the same format later in the year.
All
entrants so far will be reimbursed immediately. Any questions should be
addressed to: timpeterwall@gmail.com
29.12.2018
- Please note that Graham Matthews, the Ron Evers Organiser, has a new
email address:
grahammathews2107@outlook.com
18.12.2018
- An Executive Meeting of the Durham County Chess Association will be
held on Tuesday 15th January at Hetton Workingmen's Club, starting at 7.15 p.m.
All clubs are urged to send a representative. The
Agenda
and the
Minutes of the Previous Meeting are attached.
18.12.2018
- In a junior tournament held in Coxhoe on 2nd December the overall
winner was Zhenya Tumarkin and the prize for the best primary school pupil went
to Simon Conway – both are members of the Durham City Junior Club.
28.11.2018
- CONGRESS CANCELLED. The DCCA Congress Director Tim Wall has just
made the following announcement:
Hi everyone,
It is with great reluctance that I have to announce the cancellation of
the County Durham Chess Congress, which was due to be held 7-9 December,
2018.
This is due to a low number of entries, which stood at 31 as of this
morning. Durham County Chess Association feels that the financial cost
of going ahead with the Congress would be too great, and has therefore
decided to cancel the event.
The future viability of the congress, at a time when weekend congresses
in the North East in general are not being well supported, will be
reviewed by the DCCA.
I would like to apologise to those people who have entered. All entry
fees will be returned.
If you have any queries, please feel free to write to me and I will be
happy to answer your questions.
Best regards, Tim
28.11.2018
- The annual DCCA Congress, due to be held over the weekend of 7-9
December, is in danger of being cancelled because of the low number of entries.
Durham County players are urged to support this, their own local congress. If
you are thinking of playing, please send in your entry as soon as possible -
otherwise it may be too late!
18.11.2018
- For the pairings for the first two rounds of the Ron Evers
Tournament, to be played in Hartlepool on Thursday 29th November,
click
here.
5.11.2018
- Graham Matthews has informed me that this season's Ron Evers
Tournament will be a 6-round Swiss event with 10 teams. The first two rounds are
due to be played in Hartlepool on Thursday 29th November.
25.10.2018
- For beginners or anyone wanting to play a few casual games, a new
Chess Group is being set up at Belmont Library in Durham. Starting on 1st
November, the group will meet on the 1st and 3rd (and occasionally the 5th!)
Thursdays of each month from 5.30-7.00 pm. Anyone interested should contact Ken
Neat (0191-3864795; kp.neat@gmail.com).
23.10.2018
- A reminder that the first two rounds of the Ron Evers Team Tournament
will be played at Hartlepool on Thursday 29th November. The organiser is Graeme
Matthews:
gwm1969@hotmail.co.uk;
07450 899 291.
21.10.2018
- The ECF rule regarding the registration of players who only play a
small mumber of games has caused some confusion. Keith Smith has kindly supplied
the website page, where the relevant section is
No.3.
13.10.2018
- Two events at Coxhoe Village Hall have been arranged by the Junior
Coordinating Team – an Individual Tournament on Sunday 4 November, and a Schools
Team Tournament on Sunday 2 December. For details
click here.
8.10.2018
- Please note the updated contact details for Durham University,
Hartlepool and South Shields.
1.10.2018
- A reminder for all visiting teams to Darlington Chess Club: you have
to register your vehicles at the bar prior to playing. It is a simple process,
and failure to do so may result in a £100 fine. The operation is run by a
private company, and neither Darlington Chess Club nor Cockerton Bank Club have
any control over fines being issued.
19.9.2018
- The league fixtures for the new season will shortly be posted on
the website. In the meantime they can be accessed here:
Division A;
Division B.
17.9.2018
- The 15-round UK Blitz Championships Qualifier in Newcastle
attracted 28 players and was won by Grandmaster Danny Gormally with a 100%
score! Durham's David Eggleston finished 3rd on 12 points. For the final scores
click here.
5.9.2018
- An Executive Meeting of the Durham County Chess Association will be
held at Hetton WMC on Tuesday 18 September. All clubs are urged to send a
representative. For the Agenda
click here.
31.8.2018
- Tim Wall's (slightly amended) report on the recent
Chester-le-Street Congress is now available –
click here.
29.8.2018
- A regional qualifying event for the UK Open and Women's Blitz
Championships is being organised by ECF Chief Arbiter Lara Barnes on Sunday 8
September, 11am-6pm, at RGS Newcastle Junior School cafeteria, Lambton Road,
Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 4RX.
The qualifing events and finals will have a
combined prize fund of over £5000, and for the Newcastle qualifier there will be
additional junior prizes donated by the Northumbria Junior Chess Association. To
enter via the ECF website
click
here.
28.8.2018
- The 2018 Durham County Congress, organised by Tim Wall, will be
held at Houghton Miners Welfare Hall over the weekend of 7-9 December. There
will be four sections: Open (FIDE-rated), Major (under 165), Minor (under 135)
and Foundation (under 100). For the entry form
click here.
20.8.2018
- The Chester-le-Street Congress, held over the weekend of 18-19
August and organised on an innovative 'World Cup' format, attracted several
strong players (some of whom came out of retirement!), although not a huge
number overall. Three players shared first place with 5/6: Yichen Han, Graeme
Oswald and Tim Wall. A report by Tim Wall will be posted later. In the meantime
the results can be found
here. Set the
dates between 2018.08 and 2018.09, sort according to Name, set the country as
England, and then scroll down to find the results of the various
Chester-le-Street sections.
9.8.2018
- A one-day Junior Tournament on Saturday 18 August has now been added
to the Chester-le-Street weekend congress. For the entry form
click here.
6.8.2018
- Congratulations to David Eggleston on his fine performance in the
British Championship in Hull. His score of 6 points from 9 games gave him a
share of 5th place, and, more importantly, his 3rd grandmaster norm. Now, to
gain the title, he 'only' needs to raise his rating to 2500!
David at
the prize-giving with Mike Truran, Chief Executive of the English Chess
Federation.
31.7.2018
- The new July 2018 grading list has been published! For the relevant
page on the ECF website
click here.
31.7.2018
- David Eggleston from Durham is one of 65 players competing in the
British Championship in Hull. In the second round he captured a notable 'scalp'
by defeating the No.4 seed, GM Luke McShane, in a topsy-turvy game. The results
and games can be followed on various websites.
23.7.2018
- IM Andrew Martin, a Senior FIDE Trainer, will be leading a Chess
Summer School at the Royal Hotel, Dunston, Gateshead, on Tuesday 24, Wednesday
25 and Thursday 26 July. It is open to juniors of all standards. The cost is £30
per child per day's coaching.
For more deails, please contact Manoj Arora on
myhsbc@gmail.com or call
him on 0792 1725 273.
23.7.2018
- The indefatigable Tim Wall has announced another new venture which he
and Mike Smith are organising: two new chess clubs at Newcastle City Library
(Saturdays 12.00-14.00) and Gateshead Central Library (Tuesdays, 17.00-18.45).
The clubs will be running over the summer, are free, and are open to anyone,
regardless of age or ability. For further details contact Tim Wall (0750 372
2366; timpeterwall@gmail.com) or Mike Smith (0771 771 8761).
23.7.2018
- Congratulations to Andy Horton on becoming an International Master!
The Durham University student obtained his third and final norm at a tournament
in Pula a few weeks ago.
23.7.2018
- Your webmaster was honoured to receive one of this year's ECF
President's awards for services to chess. Thanks to whoever put in a good word
for me, although I should point out that I myself never use the 'Dr' title! For
the full list click here.
10.7.2018
- 27 players took part in the 9-round FIDE-rated Blitz Tournament in South Shields
on 8th July. The joint winners, with 7½ points from 9 games, were Thomas
Eggleston and Daniel Abrahams. For the full results
click here.
10.6.2018
- Some very sad news from the Northumberland Chess
Association website – Les Whittle passed away on 9th June. For an appreciation
by Tim Wall click here.
24.5.2018
- A 9-round FIDE-rated Blitz Tournament is to be held in South Shields
on Sunday 8th July. For the entry form
click here.
17.5.2018
- Last night trophies were presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Durham County Chess Association.
Click here for a
photo of the prize-winners (kindly supplied by Stan Johnson).
13.5.2018
- The Annual General Meeting of the Durham County Chess Association
is to be held this coming Wednesday, 16th May, at 7.15 p.m. at Antioch House,
the venue of Durham City Chess Club.
8.5.2018
- Tim Wall has published details of this year's Chester-le-Street
Congress, to be held over the weekend of 18-19 August. and featuring an
innovative 'World Cup' format.
Note that the entry arrangements have been changed - ECF Silver Membership will
now be required.
Click
here for the revised entry form.
6.5.2018
- Nigel Hall has produced the final Individual County Championship
tables for this season –
click here.
4.5.2018
- Tim Wall (again!) is organising a 'Chess for All' Open Day at
Gateshead Central Library on Saturday 19 May.
Click here for the
details.
24.4.2018
- Douglas Smith has posted the results of the Durham County Junior
Championships on the Durham City website.
Click here for a
full illustrated report.
22.4.2018
- Nigel Hall has produced the fifth Individual County Championship
tables –
click here. Although there is still one match to be played, the results can
be announced:
County Champion (Alan Sayers Cup) – Thomas Eggleston
(Durham City).
Under-165 Section (Robin Horner Cup) – Collin Smith
(Peterlee).
Under-140 Section (Terry Holmes Cup) – Kevin Cox (Gateshead).
Under-120 Section (William Bentley Shield)– Bryan Bainbridge (Bishop Auckland).
Congratulations to all the winners!
22.4.2018
- Carl Stephens has asked me to post this important announcement from
Darlington Chess Club:
Their venue, the Cockerton Band Club, have
introduced a permit parking scheme to their premises. This was brought in to
keep out unwanted visitors whilst construction at the rear of the premises takes
place.
As of Monday 23rd April 2018 the permit system will go live, and
they have cameras on both the entrance and exit to the premises to read your
number plate. If you have teams visiting our club for match fixtures, please
ensure that the owner of the vehicle speaks with the bar staff and leaves their
name, vehicle registration number and purpose of visit (i.e. chess). Failure to
do this could result in your being issued with a fine of up to £100 for any
unregistered vehicles. Please note that Darlington Chess Club cannot be held
responsible for failure to comply with this instruction.
15.4.2018
- An executive Meeting of the DCCA is to be held on Tuesday 17
April at 7.15 p.m. at Hetton WMC. Click here for the
Agenda
and the
Minutes of the last meeting.
15.4.2018
- The Ron Evers Tournament was won by Durham City, just half a game
point ahead of South Shields 1, after both teams finished with 12 match points
from their 7 matches. Click on the button on the left for the full results.
27.3.2018
- Nigel Hall has produced the fourth Individual Championship tables for
the current season.
Click here.
14.3.2018
- Tim Wall has sent details of a low-cost congress with four sections
and a FIDE-rated blitz tournament, to be held at Forest Hall over the weekend of
27-29 April. For the entry form
click here.
11.3.2018
- Nigel Hall has produced the third Individual Championship tables for
the current season.
Click here.
1.3.2018
- CONGRESS POSTPONED. Because of the adverse weather conditions it
has been decided to postpone the DCCA Congress, which was due to take place this
weekend. It is hoped to find another date later in the year. Apologies for the
inconvenience, but this seems the only sensible decision.
20.2.2018
- Nigel Hall has produced the second Individual Championship tables
for the current season.
Click here.
19.2.2018
- The Northumbria Masters in Chillingham concluded yesterday in victory
for the top-rated player, grandmaster Alexander Donchenko from Germany, who
scored 7 points from his 9 games. International Master David Eggleston, the top
player with Durham connections, had a solid tournament, losing just once and
drawing with four grandmasters to finish on 5½ points.
For the full results
click
here.
17.2.2018
- This year's Durham County Congress is less than 2 weeks away, and due
to the low number of entries it is in danger of being cancelled. If you are
planning to enter, please don't leave it to the last minute. And if you weren't
planning to play, why not reconsider and support your local Congress!
The
entry form can be downloaded by clicking on the link in the right-hand column.
But the easiest way is to enter online via the DCCA Congress link in the
left-hand column.
6.2.2018
- Nigel Hall has produced the first Individual Championship tables
for the current season.
Click here.
4.2.2018
- Thirty players competed in the first FIDE-rated Northumbria Blitz
Championship, held at Chillingham on Saturday 3 February. The clear winner with
8/9 was Malola Prasath, a point ahead of James Moreby.
The event was
organised by Tim Wall, and the arbiter was Brian Towers. For the full results
click here.
Perhaps a similar Durham County event should be arranged?
26.1.2018
- Next Friday (2 February) at 9.00 a.m. on BBC Radio 4,
Kirsty Young's guest on Desert Island Discs is Garry Kasparov!
22.1.2018
- Carl Stephens from the Darlington Club recently arranged the first
online broadcast of a game from the Durham League! In the future he hopes to
have two live games running per night.
18.1.2018
- The Durham County Congress is coming up in just a few weeks' time
- have you entered yet? For the entry form
click here.
18.1.2018
- New DCCA Grader required! Stan Johnson has been doing this job for the
last 25 years, and he would like to step down. It would suit anyone with an
interest in computers and maths.
18.1.2018
- Dates for your diary – the next DCCA Executive Meeting will be held at
Hetton WMC on Tuesday 17 April, and the AGM at Antioch House (the home of Durham
City Chess Club) on Wednesday 16 May.
12.1.2018
- A DCCA Executive Meeting will be held on Tuesday 16 January at Peterlee
Chess Club (Peterlee Labour Club SR8 5SN) starting at 7.15 p.m.
12.1.2018
- Malola Prasath has informed me that the DCCA Junior Championships will
be held in Coxhoe Village Hall on Saturday 24 March, from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00
p.m. Further details to follow.
4.12.17
- The NCCU Club Championships will be held during the first half of 2018,
with four sections – Open, Major, Minor and Seniors. Can your club enter one or
more teams? For details
click here.
3.12.17
- Some very sad news from the Northumberland Chess Association website:
Bob Forsythe, a well-known figure in North-East chess for many years, passed
away earlier this week.
3.12.17
- GREAT NORTH Junior London Qualifier and Blitz Tournament for all –
Saturday 9 December. For information and entry form for this event, please
click here.
27.11.17
- The entry form for the 2018 Durham County Congress has now been
finalised. Please click here.
25.11.17
- Please note that the venue and contact details for the Durham
University team have been changed.
24.11.17
- Graham Matthews is asking teams in the Ron Evers Tournament on Tuesday
28 November at Hartlepool to arrive by 7.00 p.m. in time for a 7.10 start.
13.10.17
- League Rule 5 has now been amended slightly...
5.10.17
- In the League Rules, please note the change to Rule 5 concerning the
time limit and the use of digital clocks.
5.10.17
- In the Rules for the Ron Evers Tournament, Rule 1, concerning the
players eligible for a team, has been modified.
3.10.17
- The minutes of the DCCA Executive Meeting, held on 19 September, can be
read
here.
2.10.17
- Congratulations to our President, Bryan Bainbridge, who has
received one of the ECF President's Awards for Services to Chess! The details
can be found here.
5.9.17
-
An Executive Meeting
of the DCCA will be held at Hetton Workingmen's Club on Tuesday 19 September at
7.15 p.m.
Click here for the Agenda.
21.8.17
-
The Chester-le-Steet Congress, organised by Tim Wall with arbiter assistance
from Brian Towers and Paul Bielby, was held over the weekend of 18-20 August. It
attracted 53 entries and produced the following winners:
Open
(FIDE-rated): Charlie Storey and David Walker 4/5.
Open results.
Major: Robert Clegg (Huddersfield) and Robert Dean (Pudsey) 4/5.
Major results.
Challengers: Vivien Webster (Calderdale) 5/5.
Challengers results.
21.8.17
- Another belated post. The DCCA Junior Championships were held on 25 March and
produced the following winners:
Under-18 - Sam Neil
Under-15 - Jared
Watson
Under-13 - Edwin Smith
Under-11 - Ashwin Amtharaj
Best Girl -
Eleanor Lamb
However, the overall winner was a visitor, 7-year-old Daniel
Shek from London!
Report.
15.8.17
- The new ECF grading list was
published a couple of weeks ago. To check on individual or club grades,
click here.
15.8.17
- Rather belatedly, here are
the winners at the DCCA Congress, held in Houghton-le-Spring over the weekend of
5-7 May:
Open: Andrew Burnett (Scotland) 4½/5;
Major: David Hall
(Scotland) and Robert Clegg (Huddersfield) 4/5;
Minor: Christopher Sayers
(South Shields) 4/5.
Thank you to Lara Barnes for supplying the link to the
full list of
results.
15.8.17
- Congratulations to South
Shields on winning the 2017 NCCU Senior Club Championship. On the South Shields
Club website there is a
report by Paul Bielby.
14.8.17
- Tim Wall is proposing to
set up a North East League during the coming season. As Tim says:
'The
idea is to provide serious, FIDE rated league games for ambitious, aspiring
players in Cleveland, Durham and Northumberland – without having to travel long
distances away from the North East.'
Click here to read the proposal.
8.8.17
- Several County Durham
players took part in the 104th British Championships in Llandudno from 26 July
to 6 August. International Master David Eggleston had an excellent result in the
British Championship itself, scoring an undefeated 6 points from 9 games,
including a draw with the top seed David Howell.
Click here for results.
8.8.17
- Grandmaster Danny Gormally
is giving a simultaneous display at Darlington Chess Club on Monday 11
September. Contact Carl Stephens if you would like to take part (07581 069 774).
18.7.17
- The annual
Chester-le-Street Congress will be held at
Park View Community Centre,
Church Chare, Chester-le-Street, County Durham DH3 3PZ,
on August 18-20, with a £1500 prize fund. There will be four sections: Open
(FIDE-rated), Major (under-160), Challengers (under-120) and Junior (born 2001
or later; under-100).
The organiser is
Tim Wall, Email: timpeterwall@gmail.com
16.7.17
-The play-off for the DCCA Division B trophy has been won by
South Shields, who defeated Durham City Canons 4-1 in the final. In
the semi-finals South Shields needed a replay to beat
Gateshead 4-1, after the first match ended 2½-2½. Durham City Canons
also won 4-1 against Darlington Locos.
9.4.17
- DCCA Play Offs for
Division B
trophy are as follows:
Durham
City Canons v
Darlington Locos
South
Shields v Gateshead
Games
are to be played by the
14th May 2017.
9.4.17
- DCCA Play Offs for
Division C trophy are as follows:
Hartlepool
v Darlington Quakers
Bishop
Auckland v Peterlee
Games
are to be played by the 14th May 2017.
9.4.17
- The Final Scoreboards for the Individual Ch. are HERE.
19.3.17
- The members of Thornaby Chess Club
would like to invite all DCCA members to a one day Rapidplay event,
being held in the Thornaby Pavilion, on Saturday 17th
June. This event is to commemorate ten years since the club’s inception
and also to remember one of our founder members, who died so tragically
young in 2010, Mike Closs.
Members of the public, as well as CCA members, are also being
encouraged to take part (hence the wording on the form) in an effort to
attract new people to the world of club chess. Please click on the link
to download a copy of the Entry Form.
19.3.17
- The Fourth Scoreboards for the Individual Ch. are HERE.
6.3.17
- The Third Scoreboards for the Individual Ch. are
HERE.
16.1.17
- The
Second Scoreboards for the Individual Ch. are HERE.
1.2.16
- The
Pairings for the Final Round of the Ron Evers are now on the Ron Evers
page. The venue is Hartlepool and they are providing all the equipment.
29.1.17
- Durham University is holding another blitz 7pm on Tuesday
7th February at Durham Student's Union (Dunelm
House, New Elvet, Durham DH1 3AN). Link to Event.
26.1.17
- The
Durham University fixtures are now on the League Fixtures page. Note
they are listed as Home and Away, so teams know the correct board
colours, but remember all their fixtures are played at their club.
16.1.17
- The
First Scoreboards for the Individual Ch. are HERE.
16.1.17
- For
details of the Durham Schools Team Ch. and Problem Solving contest on
Saturday 28th January, see this Poster.
9.1.17
- Details
for Durham University are now available on the Club Information page
and their fixtures are being added to the League Fixtures.
5.12.16
- The
Pairings for the 2nd Round of the Ron Evers are now on the Ron Evers
page.
26.11.16
-
The funeral
service for Roger Simpson is to be held at Durham Crematorium on
Wednesday 7th December at 1.30 p.m., followed by refreshments at the
Duke of Wellington. So that the family has some idea of how many to
cater for, if you intend to come to the pub after the service would you
please inform Ken Neat by phone (0191-3864795) or email (kp.neat@
gmail.com). The Duke of Wellington (postcode DH1 3QN) is at the
junction of the A167 and Lowes Barn Bank.
26.11.16
- Ken
Neat has told me the sad news that Roger Simpson has died, and will let
us know if he hears about the funeral arrangements.
6.11.16
- The
Pairings for the 1st Round of the Ron Evers are now on the Ron Evers
page.
20.10.16
- The
list of Seeded Players is now on the website.
4.10.16
- The
League Rules have been updated.
23.9.16 - Last year's results
are now being moved to the Archive.
19.9.16
- Entry details for the 2016-17 NCCU Club
Championship.
25.8.16
- The August ECF grades used for the season are
HERE.
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Local Congresses
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Northumbria Masters
23-27 August at Novotel Newcastle Airport. For
full details click
here.
Northumberland Congress
The Parks Leisure Centre, North Shields 27-29
September. Click here for the
Entry Form.
2020 DCCA Congress
Durham County Congress, 8-10 May 2020 at the
Mercure Hotel, Darlington. Click here for the
Entry Form.
Junior Events
Meeting Dates
DCCA Executive Meeting
Tuesday 17th September at Hetton Workingmen's
Club.
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