2nd Cambridge International Open

[Graham Borrowdale]

So! Who thinks they can predict the winner?!

After todays game I will say Adams - he survived a scare against Richard Pert to win today, and remains half a point behind the leaders.

[Leonard Barden]

The round 7 draw just up is headed by Willow v Tiviakov. Fernandez, who shares the lead with them. is shown unpaired and with a zero. Can anybody tell this hack with a deadline to catch what that's all about?

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

The way that Mark Hebden's game went from drawish to completely lost was quite shocking. His opponent was 11 or 12 (depending on when her birthday is).
https://lichess.org/broadcast/2nd-cambr ... X/cTe3LcHb

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The round 7 draw just up is headed by Willow v Tiviakov. Fernandez, who shares the lead with them. is shown unpaired and with a zero. Can anybody tell this hack with a deadline to catch what that's all about?

Is there a way to contact the organisers (or Fernandez himself?) direct? I can only think that there was some sort of bye requested earlier and it can't now be granted because he is one of the leaders?

Though it does say "not paired" and looks for all the world like it is a withdrawal like the other "not paired". Hope not.

Hope you get an answer in time for the deadline.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

The round 7 draw just up is headed by Willow v Tiviakov. Fernandez, who shares the lead with them. is shown unpaired and with a zero. Can anybody tell this hack with a deadline to catch what that's all about?

Apparently he requested a half point bye, which he is allowed to do in the first seven rounds but not in the final two. I think the zero on chess-results.com must be incorrect.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The round 7 draw just up is headed by Willow v Tiviakov. Fernandez, who shares the lead with them. is shown unpaired and with a zero. Can anybody tell this hack with a deadline to catch what that's all about?

Apparently he requested a half point bye, which he is allowed to do in the first seven rounds but not in the final two. I think the zero on chess-results.com must be incorrect.

Do you mean first 6 rounds, not the final three? Hang on, I see what you mean. The bye is allowed, but has been entered incorrectly. There was a debate about byes in one of the tournaments Keith Arkell played in. Not quite comparable though.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Do you mean first 6 rounds, not the final three?

No, I meant what I wrote. He is allowed to take one (*) half point bye in rounds 1-7 but not in rounds 8 or 9. I think the zero result for him in round 7 on chess-results.com is a mistake and will be corrected in due course.

(*) "players who receive conditions can only request one half-point bye" (https://www.englishchess.org.uk/2nd-cam ... onal-open/)

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Leonard's Guardian column has been published with (after the main topic) a fair amount about the Cambridge International Open and comparisons with other events like this abroad.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... op-players

[Tim Spanton]

Leonard's Guardian column has been published with (after the main topic) a fair amount about the Cambridge International Open and comparisons with other events like this abroad.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... op-players

Interesting piece, especially if you persevere to the end.

[LawrenceCooper]

Leonard's Guardian column has been published with (after the main topic) a fair amount about the Cambridge International Open and comparisons with other events like this abroad.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... op-players

Interesting piece, especially if you persevere to the end.

One minor point. Lorenzo Fava, Mickey's 5th round opponent, isn't a GM, albeit a very strong untitled Italian junior born in 2008

[Jonathan Rogers]

Also, as Graham noted yesterday, Adams was really quite lost against Richard Pert. He drifted between moves 31-37 and Pert's winning line from 39 Re7 was not too hard to see. However I would hazard a guess that Richard was short of time and his misfortune was that the second best, "safe" move did not quite even give him equality ...

[LawrenceCooper]

Also, as Graham noted yesterday, Adams was really quite lost against Richard Pert. He drifted between moves 31-37 and Pert's winning line from 39 Re7 was not too hard to see. However I would hazard a guess that Richard was short of time and his misfortune was that the second best, "safe" move did not quite even give him equality ...

To quote Richard from Facebook: "What else is there to say other than my brain stopped working when the finishing line was in sight. Gutting."

[Jonathan Rogers]

There was a very important observation in the article that players between 2000-2400 (though I would say, more like 2150-2400) are simply absent from these events but everywhere at 4NCL. It is as though players in different rating groups are living parallel chess lives. (Though age is another factor; a young improving 2300 still has an incentive to play any type of event).

It seems to be a problem to which there has been no solution in the UK for several years, although actually Cambridge at least has more players in the experienced FM category than any other UK swiss. Location helps there, I expect.

[Roger de Coverly]

There was a very important observation in the article that players between 2000-2400 (though I would say, more like 2150-2400) are simply absent from these events but everywhere at 4NCL. It is as though players in different rating groups are living parallel chess lives. (Though age is another factor; a young improving 2300 still has an incentive to play any type of event).

One point is that in the absence of a tournament minimum rating, you are less likely in the 4NCL to run into a player whose rating is too low by several hundred points. Cambridge had a modest minimum rating of 1600. Players above 2000 can have an incentive not to allow their ratings to be excessively damaged, there are after all titles at 2200 and 2300.

[NickFaulks]

I think the zero result for him in round 7 on chess-results.com is a mistake and will be corrected in due course.

It's the way chess-results treats byes. It is only a mistake if you believe that piece of software is a mistake.