4NCL North 2015-16

[Alex McFarlane]

All three teams were consulted.

As accommodation would have been booked by time IoM pulled out this seems the best arrangement, or perhaps that should be least bad!

[Alex McFarlane]

Today's triangular games

Board Team Player Result Player Team
351 A1 W Jaunooby, Ali R B Sreeves, Clement B1
352 A3 B Jarmany, John W Burnett, Andrew B3
353 A5 W Flores, Marcial B Brechin, Hugh R B5

354 B2 W Findlay David John B Hurwitz, Ed J G C2
355 B4 B Oswald, David C W Slinger, Tony J C4
356 B6 W Bamber, Elaine B Barker, Arron C6

371 C1 W Bak, Andrew B Mazek, Marek A2
372 C3 B Gardiner, Eric D W Duke, Michael A4
373 C5 W Johnson, Paul A B Whitehead, Mark A A6

[MartinCarpenter]

As long as everyone is happy enough

Rather useful looking Manticores team that, and Alba not as strong as previous weekends so it could be close.

[Mick Norris]

Really should be very comfortable for 3C's 2/Ched 2/Broadland (seemingly 2/2 this weekend including 5-1 vs Holmes Chapel) Brad A for the promotion pool there - a big gap down to Holmes Chapel.

All 4 won today, albeit HC ran 3Cs close, so that must be the 4 promotion pool slots tied up now

[Mick Norris]

Tons of promotion pool candidates in the other division, but MM1/Alba have made a good start on getting a chunky carry over there. (I think I'll randomly back Spirit and whoever wins DCA B vs MM 2.)

SoA B beat MM2 today, so look like to join MM1 & Alba - Bradford B must be favourites to join them, as MM2 will need to beat them and win their other matches too to have any chance

[MartinCarpenter]

Not sure. Only two matches left, and I was going to say that you'd surely back MM2 to beat Ched3 and Alba to beat Bradford B tomorrow. Then I checked and the round 6 results claim Bradford are currently 2-1 up vs Alba(!). They should still make that gap up but.... MM1 still well in their match with Alba too.

Definitely a good chance it'll come down to a straight shoot out in round 7 with Bradford B having draw odds. Wouldn't like to call that as I think, this weekend at least, MM2 are the slightly stronger team.

Jorvik finally won an individual game

[Mick Norris]

Alba won both games as you would expect, but it was a close match with Bradford

[MartinCarpenter]

Decent chance of a tie break for that MM2/Bradford B/Spirit B group actually. 6,7 and 7 respectively with one left. Game points in the first instance, but they're very close too!
(Spirit B are playing Manx which could a reasonably tough match, or I guess.....).

Not that it matters too much outside pride. Nil chance of promotion for any of those teams from here, and I doubt they'll mind much either. Alba/MM1 beat all three teams so it can't even mess with that.

[Mick Norris]

I would expect SoA B to beat Manx Ravens anyway, so I think MM2 need to beat Bradford B, so that should be the main match in round 7 (not sure how that sits with MM1, as we can presumably chose to weaken them for a match that won't count, I assume this comes up in Divs 1 & 2 every now and again)

Alba will be carrying over 3 wins and look certain to get promoted, not sure who you think most likely to get the second spot?

[MartinCarpenter]

The board order rules don't really give a whole lot of leeway for weakening/strengthening first vs second teams.

Second spot? Well, the two from DCA B/Spirit B/MM2 with 2 carry over at most and Chedd 2 with 1 would require miracles - even 4/4 might not do it.

DCA A carry over 5, MM1 4 ~joint favourites you'd think. Strong teams obviously after promotion, MM1 have played Alba, which is worth about half match.

Outside shots would be 3C's 2 currently 3, Broadland currently 1. Broadland really do need a result vs 3C's 2 in round 7 though. If 3C's 2 do win that match then they'll obviously be in with very realistic a priori chances. Maybe slightly lower as the other two as I'm not sure how much of a priority promotion is for them.

As for winning the ummm, other, pool? Well, whoever misses out from pool B is going to start on 6 Holmes Chapel will be on 3 or 5 depending on their result vs Jorvik in the 7th round.

[Mick Norris]

Weekend 3 report SoA

Yorkshire chess

[Mick Norris]

3 North pool A

1 Bradford DCA Knights A 13
2 Broadland Bitterns 11
3 3Cs 10
4 Cheddleton 2 7
5 Spirit of Atticus C 5
6 Manchester Manticores 3 4
7 Holmes Chapel 3
8 Jorvik 3

3 North pool B

1 Alba 14
2 Manchester Manticores 1 11
3 Manchester Manticores 2 8
4 Spirit of Atticus B 8
5 Bradford DCA Knights B 7
6 Manx Ravens 5
7 Bradford DCA Knights C 2
8 Cheddleton 3 1

I'm not sure how that compares to the seedings, but it does seem to have worked out fine (although I may be a bit biased )

[Mick Norris]

3 North Promotion pool

1 Alba 6
2 Bradford DCA Knights A 5
3 Manchester Manticores 1 4
4 Broadland Bitterns 3
5 3Cs 2 3
6 Spirit of Atticus B 2
7 Cheddleton 2 1
8 Manchester Manticores 2 0

Just a question of who goes up with Alba (and can they win every match)

[Mick Norris]

3 North pool D

1 Bradford DCA Knights B 6
2 Manchester Manticores 3 4
3 Manx Ravens 4
4 Jorvik 3
5 Holmes Chapel 3
6 Bradford DCA Knights C 2
7 Spirit of Atticus C 2
8 Cheddleton 3 0

[MartinCarpenter]

Like Jorvik's carry over We win something like two individual games in 6 matches, suddenly get a biggish win vs Holmes Chapel and we're halfway! Even drew the annual York derby vs Bradford B

Think results (and teams) today make MM1 non trivial favorites for the second promotion spot. Bradford really need to win that head to head, and MM1 look definitely stronger to me.