English Chess Forum

"Playing through a database game you quite often find that the result is inconsistent with the final position."

It's all too easy to hit 1-0 instead of 0-1...

"Anybody can input games; I go to a number of tournaments as a player-inputter." Nevertheless, the inputters do a great job. I have just put the games on for an unnamed tournament. Even one pair of experienced (i.e. older than me) 150+ players made 4 mistakes in the first ten moves. The inexperience...

"So an all-China final or an all-Muzychuk final is still possible;"

Would we get the usual game played repeatedly then an exciting Armageddon game?

"A player has now told me that we haven’t in fact qualified for the knockout but a pre-lim round with less prize money. Might be true, might not be - I wonder when i’ll Find out?"

What's the wording on the entry form?

"They've never had any interest in building audience. Their whole idea has been to try and sell what they've got to people who don't really want to buy it. I don't mean that rhtetorically, I mean that's actually been their understanding, their business plan." Perhaps they saw Chess the musical "http...

"[Oh, and Carlsen is preparing for the match in London by skiiing, apparently.]"

Doesn't surprise me. When I played at Gausdal, I went for a walk in the snow and Magnus was expertly zooming down the hill.

"The objection only really comes up in regard to the British Championships (there is one particularly vociferous poster on the Chess Heaven facebook page) and my point is that the British is ultimately financed by all English chess players who should have an equal chance to play in it, not just thos...

"Even more bizarre, at one FIDE junior event a parent/coach was watching a game through the window with his mobile in hand showing a chess position. As his son was by the window he would turn the phone around for him to see! It would have been funny were it not so serious. It was reported and the pe...

"you can tell it is not an ECF event because no-one has objected to it being in London "

Brilliant. I may have mentioned here before that I found a report before the formation of the BCF (in 1904) that Yorkshire objected to the preliminary meeting being held in London!

"Have there been any cases of a parent and child caught cheating in collusion?" Yes. I also recall incidents where parents attempted to cheat on behalf of their child. E.g child claims draw on 10.2, comes to me with father, when we reach the board, the opponent is setting the pieces up. I ask if she...

"grrr! we live in a golden age when Grischuk and Girr do live commentary and people are longing for the days when Carol Vorderman interrupted Spess whenever he started to analyse!" However, we did have the exciting moment when Cathy Forbes offered an opinion and said gentleman said, "Shut up Cathy, ...

"it is beyond comprehension to think that his family might be involved but who knows?" No idea in this case, but I am aware of past cases of juniors talking to a parent who has the position on a laptop. This could of course just be a natural interest in the state of the game, or something more sinis...

"So if a result needs to be changed after submission (nothing to do with cheating), you have to ask your grader to resubmit the entire file? That wasn't necessary in the good old days. You contacted Richard Haddrell and explained the circumstances, and he amended the result for you." And on at least...

"Are we blaming climate change or the Russians?"

Or ECF membership schemes?

"I'm winging it here, but is there any reason the ECF could not have a strictly confidential list for the eyes of tournament organisers only? (Do organisers contact the ECF in advance of their events, normally?)" That is a good point. I'm not sure there has been an official confidential list before ...