Olympiad dates change

The very latest International round up of English news.
User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by JustinHorton » Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:33 am

School holidays and availability of hotels
It says, unenlighteningly, here.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by NickFaulks » Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:50 am

There is of course history of Olympiad organisers changing dates, the most disgraceful being Dresden 2008. This time at least the players will be rewarded with better weather - early September in Baku can be described as summer, late September can't. The same is even more true in Khanty-Mansiysk, so bad news for the youngsters.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:07 am

Even late September can be balmy in Baku - it was nice and warm when I was there at that time last year (at the tag end of the World Cup). I was there from 27 September to 4 October for the 22nd European Deaf Chess Clubs Championships:

http://www.webalice.it/michess/Baku2015/european15.htm

Scroll down and you will see London Deaf Chess Club got bronze medals!

Baku can be very windy, though. It tried to rain once, and mostly failed. It is a very Mediterranean-type climate, but on the Caspian Sea instead of the Mediterranean. It reminded me a lot of the climate on the Mediterranean in Spain. You may end up with excessively hot weather if you are unlucky (hopefully the venue and hotels have good air conditioning).

(Any more details on how disruptive the Dresden date changes were?)

User avatar
Adam Raoof
Posts: 2720
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:16 pm
Location: NW4 4UY

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by Adam Raoof » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:13 am

Nice result. How was Salov allowed to play on board two for Halle throughout? Do they not have regulations about board order?
Adam Raoof IA, IO
Chess England Events - https://chessengland.com/
The Chess Circuit - https://chesscircuit.substack.com/
Don’t stop playing chess!

User avatar
IM Jack Rudd
Posts: 4818
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 am
Location: Bideford

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:17 am

Adam Raoof wrote:Nice result. How was Salov allowed to play on board two for Halle throughout? Do they not have regulations about board order?
They might be copying the Olympiad's rules: you can play in any board order you want, provided it remains the same throughout.

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by NickFaulks » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:21 am

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: (Any more details on how disruptive the Dresden date changes were?)
The change was announced quite early - almost as if they had planned it :shock: - so Bermuda at least didn't feel particularly disrupted. We were just annoyed that we had voted for nice late summer weather and got sleet and snow. Also, no cheap direct flights to Dresden in November because nobody wants to go there.

Thanks for the personal input on Baku weather, always more valuable than bare statistics.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

David Sedgwick
Posts: 5249
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:56 pm
Location: Croydon

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:24 am

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:Any more details on how disruptive the Dresden date changes were?
In August 1998 I played in the Dresden Open alongside a training match between Germany Women and England Women. The temperature was 35 degrees C.

The Dresden Olympiad was scheduled to take place in September 2008. The bid document indicated that the temperature at that time of the year would be 15 to 20 degrees C.

After the bid was accepted, the dates were changed to November 2008. The temperature was minus 5 degrees C.

The 40 degrees C variation is the largest I have ever experienced in two visits to the same location.

Edit: Nick's post reminds me that BA withdrew direct flights from London to Dresden with effect from 1st November 2008, just in time for them not to operate for the Olympiad.

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:09 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Adam Raoof wrote:Nice result. How was Salov allowed to play on board two for Halle throughout? Do they not have regulations about board order?
They might be copying the Olympiad's rules: you can play in any board order you want, provided it remains the same throughout.
Yes. We did that for the event in Croatia the previous year (an England event - see http://www.wdtc2014.org/) where I played on a lower board. It can work. To be fair, the player who was board 1 for Halle in Baku is a strong player, who is not out of place there.

Mick Norris
Posts: 10330
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by Mick Norris » Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:37 pm

Sinquefield Cup rescheduled to August 4-16 according to TWIC
Any postings on here represent my personal views

David Sedgwick
Posts: 5249
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:56 pm
Location: Croydon

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Feb 18, 2016 6:11 pm

Mick Norris wrote:Sinquefield Cup rescheduled to August 4-16 according to TWIC
Press Release: http://www.grandchesstour.com/press-rel ... escheduled

The St. Louis organisers have acted with commendable promptness.

User avatar
MJMcCready
Posts: 3178
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:30 pm

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by MJMcCready » Fri Feb 19, 2016 1:30 pm

The weather will still be warm by the time the Olympiad starts. The change in dates won't have anything to do with the currency devaluation which occurred twice last year. Azerbaijan budgets big for sporting events and the Olmpiad is one of the smallest in recent years, certainly much smaller and much less of a logistical nightmare than the European Games. I was stationed there just before that fiasco started. One of the many, many stories that didn't make it into the western media was that to ensure there was sufficient water for the athletes village, several large sections of the city had their water shut off for days. One of my former colleagues was only just out of hospital after giving birth, I'm sure you could imagine how that went down in her household. Knowing the Azeris very well, as I spent 2 years there, I suspect the change in date was to give themselves a better chance of winning the thing by making some of the stronger nations field weaker sides due to the aforementioned tournament clashes. You can expect further stunts to follow in due course I'm sure.

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by NickFaulks » Fri Feb 19, 2016 1:47 pm

MJMcCready wrote: Knowing the Azeris very well, as I spent 2 years there, I suspect the change in date was to give themselves a better chance of winning the thing by making some of the stronger nations field weaker sides due to the aforementioned tournament clashes. You can expect further stunts to follow in due course I'm sure.
Point taken, local knowledge noted and valued as always. In this case, though, I don't think that was the reason and, even if it was, it has clearly failed. FIDE was never going to permit a clash with the World Youth and the adjustment to the Sinquefield event seems to have gone smootly.

Some lesser nations will have their teams disrupted because amateur players have blocked out the wrong two weeks of holiday time, which is very bad, but they pose no medal threats.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

LawrenceCooper
Posts: 7175
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:13 am

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by LawrenceCooper » Fri Feb 19, 2016 3:06 pm

I don't recall what the FIDE calendar previously listed but they are now advertising bids for the following event: http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... -2016.html

Mick Norris
Posts: 10330
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by Mick Norris » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:36 pm

NickFaulks wrote:Some lesser nations will have their teams disrupted because amateur players have blocked out the wrong two weeks of holiday time, which is very bad, but they pose no medal threats.
Lennart Ootes
Any postings on here represent my personal views

User avatar
MJMcCready
Posts: 3178
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:30 pm

Re: Olympiad dates change

Post by MJMcCready » Sat Feb 20, 2016 9:45 am

Believe it or not the Azeris have very deep concerns about the state of chess in their country. They will talk to you at great length about how chess is in decline when compared to Soviet times. I'm quite sure they will try to win this Olympiad, they may even try to poach the odd superstar here and there to add to Naiditsch.