Division Three South (2015-16)

[Joey Stewart]

It would be good to see both Welsh sides (or at least the Welsh side and the half-Welsh side!) in the Promotion Pool, and not just so we can carry our points against you forward! I haven't managed to get the 50/50 balance in the First Team yet; both weekends it has been 4/2 in favour of the South West, but with Ioan playing, I have high hopes!

If the FIDE transfer fee had not been so extortionate I would have taken the squad up to 50% welsh members.

[Matthew Parry]

I suspect that you are already in the promotion pool but with only two teams going up you probably can't afford to ease off, except maybe in round 7

How about a deal; we both rest our captains for that round?! Then you and Alex can both take it easy...

[pauldhatchett]

It would be good to see both Welsh sides (or at least the Welsh side and the half-Welsh side!) in the Promotion Pool, and not just so we can carry our points against you forward! I haven't managed to get the 50/50 balance in the First Team yet; both weekends it has been 4/2 in favour of the South West, but with Ioan playing, I have high hopes!

If the FIDE transfer fee had not been so extortionate I would have taken the squad up to 50% welsh members.

Don't hesitate ... the benefits of being Welsh are priceless.

[LawrenceCooper]

I suspect that you are already in the promotion pool but with only two teams going up you probably can't afford to ease off, except maybe in round 7

How about a deal; we both rest our captains for that round?! Then you and Alex can both take it easy...

Rest is best

[IM Jack Rudd]

We won today. Our place in the championship pool is assured.

[benedgell]

[LawrenceCooper]

Congratulations to West is Best who maintained their 100% record, Midland Monarchs stumbled into the promotion pool by beating Rhyfelwyr Essyllwg today to partially repair the damage done by their captain in yesterday's match against Shropshire. The Rookies kept their hopes alive by winning the final game against Shropshire and so still have a chance if they can beat Anglian Avengers in round 7, incidentally my team's only hope of us carrying forward any points from the first six rounds. Shropshire are almost there but not quite. http://www.4nclresults.co.uk/2015-16/me ... div3a.html

[Neil Graham]

In Pool B, Wessex and Ashfield-Breadsall 1 confirmed their positions in the Promotion Pool over the weekend whilst MK Phoenix 2 are the backmarkers and clearly in the Relegation Pool.

As for the remaining five teams - well it's anyone's guess how they are going to end up. It may go down to game points.

Here are the positions : Warwickshire Select 2 6 pts 19.5 Game Points Last match v Wessex
Fermented Sharks 6 pts 18.5 Game Points Last match v CSC Rhinos
CSC Rhinos 6 pts 17 Game Points Last match v Fermented Sharks
Surbiton 5 pts 17 Game Points Last match v MK Phoenix 2
Poisoned Pawns 5 pts 14.5 Game Points Last match v Ashfield-Breadsall.

It look likes the winner of Fermented Sharks/CSC Rhinos to join the promotion pool. Poisoned Pawns are out of it barring an unlikely set of results. Surbiton must hope for a win against the backmarkers and look to Wessex to defeat Warwickshire.

[Joey Stewart]

Even though Wessex and ashfield are guaranteed into the promotion pool, they will not be getting up there with many points. The third placed, Warwickshire select, actually stand to go up with 6/6 if they succeed in defeating Wessex.

Meanwhile, in pool a, midland monarchs could go up from second place with a record 0 points if they lose to west is best - despite being a consistently good team.



I said it before and will say it again- the pool splitting system is a total farce and needs changing!

[MartinCarpenter]

Can see how it gets a bit random feeling in a really evenly balanced league - something which Div3S seems to be taking to new heights!
(The number of 3.5 and 3-3 matches is incredible.).

Not sure if the Monarchs could complain that much to get 0 carry over if they do lose in round 7. Seems harsh, but they'd have got into the promotion pool based on a series of 3.5 - 2.5 wins vs the bottom half of their part of the league, and losses to the top. Its hardly the most compelling case for promotion

[LawrenceCooper]

Can see how it gets a bit random feeling in a really evenly balanced league - something which Div3S seems to be taking to new heights!
(The number of 3.5 and 3-3 matches is incredible.).

Not sure if the Monarchs could complain that much to get 0 carry over if they do lose in round 7. Seems harsh, but they'd have got into the promotion pool based on a series of 3.5 - 2.5 wins vs the bottom half of their part of the league, and losses to the top. Its hardly the most compelling case for promotion

Having the top three seeds in our pool isn't altogether helpful albeit we faced a weakened Shropshire with allegedly our strongest team of the season

Last season we won our last five matches which wasn't enough for promotion, albeit starting with 2 losses at the first weekend, followed by another one in round 4 and a draw in round 6 is easy enough to explain away. I suspect a repeat of that run will prove somewhat more tricky this season though

[Joey Stewart]

I dont think it should be acceptable in a game of skill, that some sort of carnival style lottery decides where the points are allocated. At the end of the day all the results are hard earned victories and ALL should be taken through to the playoff stages.

I wish more captains would get on board with this - merging pools is not, and never will be, a fair system and needs speaking out against. The organisers are fair people, and would respond to a majority complaint to remove a really bad rule, this is chess not football !

[Mike Truran]

Joey

As you say, we're fair people. The pros and cons aren't quite as clear-cut as you make them out to be to be honest, but you're clearly passionate about the subject.

Anyway, if there's a groundswell of opinion that all results should be carried forward I'm sure we would have no particular problem changing.

Over to you!

Mike

[Brian Towers]

How about the compromise solution of carrying over half the points against teams which didn't make the cut along with current system of all points against those which did?

[MartinCarpenter]

Maybe. It definitely isn't obvious as pure points has issues with unbalanced groups and a 11 round swiss with 16 teams has very obvious problems.

In the end if you've got a league as well balanced as 3S seems to be, then the choices of teams for promotion/relegation are going to be a bit random anyway.