December 2014 FIDE rating list

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Hard from my iPhone but that looks right to me quite straightforward?

After Rxg3+ and fxg3, the mate is straightforward, but less so after Kxg3. I am following up with Ra3+ and eventually Qg4+ to force the king to f1. Is the quiet non-checking move Rh3 needed to finish off? Am a bit concerned about Black's response of Qe5+ and Qg3. Am hoping the White b-pawn can't get through to promote in some lines where White gives up his queen for the second rook. Ah, the rook on b1 is loose and picked up by a check on f5 after taking the queen on g3, so that's all OK then.

[NickFaulks]

and there is room for opinion over which direction to go in.

Not if you're trying to get a system which predicts results as closely as possible there isn't. I though we had reached agreement that this is what we should be trying to do.

[Keith Arkell]

and there is room for opinion over which direction to go in.

Not if you're trying to get a system which predicts results as closely as possible there isn't. I though we had reached agreement that this is what we should be trying to do.

If I am reading this post correctly, you are saying that k-factors are now so perfectly set up that any further tinkering with them will inevitably result in a poorer system.
In which case, If you are so sure about that, then what did you mean by this:

The only question in my mind is whether 2400 is maybe a bit low for the final cutoff

.

I may be wrong, but this looks like you are saying that it may be better to have a higher k-factor than 10 for players above 2400. Maybe you are not saying that. I'm no sure. Anyway, that is certainly what I've been saying all along.

[Niall Doran]

For a number of reasons, which I won't bore people with here, I am quite a lot stronger than I was a year ago, and at some point in my old age the reverse will no doubt become the case.

I know it's not the point that being debated here, but I think a lot of people would be interested in hearing about the reasons for your improvement, myself included.

[Keith Arkell]

Nothing earth-shattering, Niall:

1) Booze reduction. That's a big one. When I revert to drinking too much, I lose to 2200s the next morning. It happened thrice this year, costing me 26 ELO points.

2) Motivation - old git's World and Euro titles to play for!

3) Family - my brother is into chess again, along with my niece and nephew, and that extra emotional support counts for a lot.

4) Drugs! Statins and blood pressure tablets, to be precise. I feel a lot calmer and healthier since I started on them a year ago.

However, I still don't work much on my chess between events, and rarely ever prepare - an exception being for friend and rival Mark Hebden, in the World Senior.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"4) Drugs! Statins and blood pressure tablets, to be precise."

I thought statins made me play worse! But it's probably the lack of preparation, work on openings etc.