Final weekend (2013-14 season)

[Jonathan Rogers]

It has got hijacked, yes. Back on topic, I won't tempt fate by commenting on the pools where Barbican teams are involved (which also saves me a lot of time ) but as for pool 2c, I would say that BCM Dragons are still in it. They have played the most likely three qualifiers (Warwickshire, ADs and Hackney) already and are quite capable of making 3/3 against the others if they can get a full team out. At any rate, I would be surprised if Cambridge 2 makes it, even if BCM don't (in that case it would probably be Bristol who at least have experience on their side). Cambridge 1 and 2 will have quite a task on their hands in the final weekend, perhaps the most challenging of all - if their second team holds up they could even have two places in the first division next year, but all other combinations are quite possible too (and together, of course, much more likely).

[MartinCarpenter]

I wonder what survival in the Div 2 demotion pool is going to take? 6, or even more?

DCA definitely very unlucky in their choice of matches to win so far this season!

[Roger de Coverly]

I wonder what survival in the Div 2 demotion pool is going to take? 6, or even more?

With the packed nature of the table, I would have thought that even 7 could be relying on a favourable tie-break. 8 (+1) ought to be safe for finishing in the top half.

[Sean Hewitt]

Any one fancy predicting the div 3 pairings? (Where is Alex H when you need him?)

[LawrenceCooper]

(Where is Alex H when you need him?)

Waiting for a train at Moor Street in a lightning storm the last I heard

[Alex Holowczak]

(Where is Alex H when you need him?)

Waiting for a train at Moor Street in a lightning storm the last I heard

The glamorous world of a chess tournament organiser/arbiter.

I don't actually know what the pairing rules are, because they aren't published anywhere. The rules for the first three weekends don't work unless you have a multiple of 4 teams in the scoregroup, apparently. This somewhat reduces my ability to predict pairings.

[Mick Norris]

Any one fancy predicting the div 3 pairings? (Where is Alex H when you need him?)

No need now they are released:

Guildford 3 (16) v e2e4.org.uk 2 (12)
Kings Head 2 (12) v Anglian Avengers 2 (13)
MK Phoenix 1 (12) v Sussex Smart Survivors 1 (11)
Spirit of Atticus A (11) v West is Best 1 (11)
North East England 1 (11) v e2e4.org.uk 3 (11)
Celtic Tigers 1 (10) v BCM Rhinos (2) (10)
Guildford 4 (10) v Iceni 1 (10)
Ferry 'Cross the Maroczy 1 (10) v Surbiton (10)
Ashfield-Breadsall (10) v Leeds University Old Boys (10)
Fermented Sharks (9) v Spirit of Atticus B (9)
KJCA Knights (9) v e2e4.org.uk 4 (9)
Bradford DCA Knights B (9) v Anglian Avengers 3 (9)
Cheddleton 2 (9) v Cambridge University 3 (9)
Broadland (8) v Bristol University (8)
Oxford 2 (8) v Shropshire (8)
Holmes Chapel (8) v BCM Hippos (3) (8)
Cheddleton 3 (7) v The Full Ponty (7)
Barnet Knights 1 (7) v 3Cs 2 (7)
Warwickshire Select 2 (7) v North East England 2 (7)
Jorvik (7) v Gloucestershire Gambits (7)
Midland Monarchs (7) v Manchester Manticores 1 (7)
MK Phoenix 2 (7) v Bucks Juniors (7)
Bradford DCA Knights C (6) v Banbury Bulldogs (6)
Iceni 2 (6) v West is Best 2 (6)
The Rookies (6) v Sandhurst Scorpions (6)
Oxford 3 (6) v e2e4.org.uk 5 (6)
Bristol 2 (5) v Celtic Tigers 2 (5)
Witney (4) v Throw in the Tal (3)
Ferry 'Cross the Maroczy 2 (2) v Sussex Smart Survivors 2 (3)
Manchester Manticores 2 (2) v e2e4.org.uk 6 (2)

Barnet Knights 2 (4)
v
The Pitstop (4)
v
BCM Bison (4) (4)

[MartinCarpenter]

Not quite the same players of course but if Bradford do get cruelly relegated from Div 2 they have at least secured themselves some exceedingly fine compensation in the shape of their first Yorkshire league since 2001 With an exceedingly fine 11/11 too.

[LawrenceCooper]

Revised pairings here: http://www.4ncl.co.uk/1314_fixdiv3.htm

Guildford 3 (16) v e2e4.org.uk 2 (12)
Kings Head 2 (12) v Anglian Avengers 2 (13)
MK Phoenix 1 (12) v Sussex Smart Survivors 1 (11)
Spirit of Atticus A (11) v West is Best 1 (11)
North East England 1 (11) v e2e4.org.uk 3 (11)
Celtic Tigers 1 (10) v BCM Rhinos (2) (10)
Guildford 4 (10) v Iceni 1 (10)
Ferry 'Cross the Maroczy 1 (10) v Surbiton (10)
Ashfield-Breadsall (10) v Leeds University Old Boys (10)
Fermented Sharks (9) v Spirit of Atticus B (9)
KJCA Knights (9) v e2e4.org.uk 4 (9)
Bradford DCA Knights B (9) v Anglian Avengers 3 (9)
Cheddleton 2 (9) v Cambridge University 3 (9)
Broadland (8) v Bristol University (8)
Oxford 2 (8) v Shropshire (8)
Holmes Chapel (8) v BCM Hippos (3) (8)
Cheddleton 3 (7) v The Full Ponty (7)
Barnet Knights 1 (7) v 3Cs 2 (7)
Warwickshire Select 2 (7) v North East England 2 (7)
Jorvik (7) v Gloucestershire Gambits (7)
Midland Monarchs (7) v Manchester Manticores 1 (7)
MK Phoenix 2 (7) v e2e4.org.uk 5 (6)
Bradford DCA Knights C (6) v Banbury Bulldogs (6)
Iceni 2 (6) v West is Best 2 (6)
The Rookies (6) v Sandhurst Scorpions (6)
Bristol 2 (5) v Celtic Tigers 2 (5)
The Pitstop (4) v Barnet Knights 2 (4)
Witney (4) v Throw in the Tal (3)
Ferry 'Cross the Maroczy 2 (2) v Sussex Smart Survivors 2 (3)
Manchester Manticores 2 (2) v e2e4.org.uk 6 (2)

[IM Jack Rudd]

Division 2C is ridiculous. If my calculations are correct, no team in it is definitely ensured promotion, and no team is definitely out of it.

[Ian Thompson]

Division 2C is ridiculous. If my calculations are correct, no team in it is definitely ensured promotion, and no team is definitely out of it.

... and with hindsight we can now say that BCM Dragons would have been promoted if they'd scored 0.5 game points more in any match apart from the last one against Bristol. Similarly, Anglian Avengers had 5 matches where 0.5 game points more in any one of them would have seen them promoted. Cambridge University paid a heavy price for defaulting a game in Round 9 without prior notice - it cost them promotion.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

And as expected, things were very tight in the division 2 demotion pool as well:

http://4nclresults.co.uk/static/4ncl/xtab-div2d.html

Four teams ended up tied on 7 match points, with two going up and two going down. It is lucky I wasn't doing back-of-the envelope calculations for any of those teams, as I managed to get the game points slightly wrong (though the same result). It looks like KJCA Kings and Brown Jack tied on both match points and game points, and presumably Brown Jack went down because they lost the match between the two teams? Of the other two teams on 7 points, Barbican 4NCL Youth survived and Wessex went down.

Over in the division 1 demotion pool, the final relegation place went down to the wire in what were among the last games to finish in the entire league. Cambridge University 1 ran out 5-3 winners over Oxford 1, ensuring CU1 survived and sending Oxford down. Real drama there. The heavyweight clash at the top of the division was apparently some 6-2 anti-climactic thrashing...

PS. And Guildford 3 won Division 3 (though not with 100%, they dropped a draw on the Saturday). The three other teams to go up are: Spirit of Atticus A; MK Phoenix 1; and Sussex Smart Survivors 1.

I hear there was at least two IM norms made. Does anyone know if the full list of norms has been published yet?

[Mike Truran]

Final tables now published on the 4NCL website. Sorry for the delay - apparently 'user interface' issues.

Whatever they are.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Any news on norms achieved?

[MartinCarpenter]

From her twitter feed (via Yorkshire chess) it looks like Sue Maroroa got a full IM norm, which is a fine achievement.

I imagine James Adair must have got an IM norm too? He was certainly trying for a GM norm before the final weekend.