Division One 2018-19

Venues, fixtures, teams and related matters.
Neil Graham
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Division One 2018-19

Post by Neil Graham » Fri Nov 09, 2018 10:34 am

Opening a new topic for each Division

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Sat Nov 10, 2018 3:56 pm

I kicked off with a draw against Matthew Turner. Had I been feeling well, I'd have played on in the final position.

MartinCarpenter
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by MartinCarpenter » Sat Nov 10, 2018 7:27 pm

Guildford keeping the highest 8 board average grade, although Manx clearly serious :)

Chris Skulte
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Chris Skulte » Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:48 am

Very well run weekend. Thanks organisers, and we enjoyed meeting the crazy Gonzaga team, and love the new sharks logo.
Thumbs up for the venue too.
We hope to have our newsletter out on Friday.
If anyone wants to connect to cross promote on social media get in touch.
Chris
Tiger's Captain.

Richard Bates
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Richard Bates » Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:46 am

Chris Skulte wrote:
Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:48 am
Very well run weekend. Thanks organisers, and we enjoyed meeting the crazy Gonzaga team, and love the new sharks logo.
Thumbs up for the venue too.
We hope to have our newsletter out on Friday.
If anyone wants to connect to cross promote on social media get in touch.
Chris
Tiger's Captain.
Is there a link to this (newsletter) - given that the website seems to direct to the wrong place?

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Sat Jan 12, 2019 8:57 pm

It is obviously all very 1998 to write in excited tones about 4NCL. That all seemed to dissipate a long tme ago. I don't think I even saw a single report on the November weekend, and now the January one has started; it's really a great shame.

Still, not being there today, I take time to notice:

(a) Michael Adams made his debut for Guildford, winning quickly against the last 2300+ player left in Oxford's ranks. They ask him every year, but it hasn't happened before, apparently because they don't expect to need him before the final weekend and then there is the Bundesliga clash in any event. But here he is now, in January, and will presumably play Speelman tomorrow.

(b) I don't really think they are playing Adams just to make their second team that bit stronger. Overall the Guidlford second team was about its usual strength, but they did give Manx Liberty a good run for their money. It was Manx's first test against a top six team and they did not do much to suggest a likely title challenge. This year. But there is still room for strengthening those lower boards, presumably.

c) Jack Rudd has tweeted that "now" it is vital that his team beats Oxford and North East England. "Now"? Had they been expecting a result today v White Rose?

d) Celtic Knights are perhaps causing the most (positive) surprises so far. Wins over Blackthorne and now 3Cs put them in a strong position to make the championship pool. They seem to have changed their previous strategy of paying for players only when in the second division, and now they seem to pay (modestly) for some respectable foreign players in the first division too.

Mike Truran
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Mike Truran » Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:49 pm

Jonathan

You'll be pleased to know I have (I hope) at long last found a new reporter, following the resignation of both last season's scribblers - both of whom decided they had better things to be doing with their lives.

Despite what you may think, persuading people to take the queen's shilling is no easy task - even when a modest stipend is attached to the role.

Your own journalistic endeavours in this place are much appreciated. It should have occurred to me to ask you to take on the job. :idea:

Mike

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IM Jack Rudd
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Sat Jan 12, 2019 11:48 pm

Well, at one stage in the match, it looked as if we might win it.

Richard Bates
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Richard Bates » Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:40 am

Whether by pure coincidence, or something related to the way that the seedings were played about with, the two divisions seem incredibly imbalanced this year.

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:09 am

Mike Truran wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:49 pm
Jonathan

You'll be pleased to know I have (I hope) at long last found a new reporter, following the resignation of both last season's scribblers - both of whom decided they had better things to be doing with their lives.

Despite what you may think, persuading people to take the queen's shilling is no easy task - even when a modest stipend is attached to the role.

Your own journalistic endeavours in this place are much appreciated. It should have occurred to me to ask you to take on the job. :idea:

Mike
Excellent news. I realise that it is not easy.

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:15 am

Richard Bates wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:40 am
Whether by pure coincidence, or something related to the way that the seedings were played about with, the two divisions seem incredibly imbalanced this year.
Not sure about that. There are seven strong teams overall. Four are in one pool. Three are in the other, but with a higher number of competitive teams vying for fourth place. Admittedly that number is very high in pool B, and with the benefit of hindsight, Oxford should have been swapped with Celtic Knights (or 3Cs, Blackthorne or Grantham!!) but that is all. It looks more or less like the usual slight imbalance to me.

Richard Bates
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Richard Bates » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:41 am

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:15 am
Richard Bates wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:40 am
Whether by pure coincidence, or something related to the way that the seedings were played about with, the two divisions seem incredibly imbalanced this year.
Not sure about that. There are seven strong teams overall. Four are in one pool. Three are in the other, but with a higher number of competitive teams vying for fourth place. Admittedly that number is very high in pool B, and with the benefit of hindsight, Oxford should have been swapped with Celtic Knights (or 3Cs, Blackthorne or Grantham!!) but that is all. It looks more or less like the usual slight imbalance to me.
Although it was only based on a cursory glance at the round 3 teams (not highly scientific and in itself of course a snapshot) in my defence I was somewhat misled by the 4ncl software appearing to have a bit of a difficulty with calculating averages! I did think our 2311 seemed a bit high!

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:51 am

They exclude board eight, I think.

Leonard Barden
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Leonard Barden » Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:12 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 8:57 pm
I don't think I even saw a single report on the November weekend,ship pool.
Just remembered that this was in my Guardian column for 16 November....

Two world championships meant a low profile for the first weekend of the Four Nations Chess League. Results already answered a key question, whether the perennial champions Guildford will face serious competition this season from the newly promoted Chess.com Manx Liberty team. The answer, yes they will.

The Isle of Man’s core players are highly rated Romanian grandmasters, who clocked in with a team average of 2501 to Guildford’s 2564, slightly lower but still highly competitive. And the expectation is that Manx will also bring in an elite GM or two for the showdown match with their Surrey rivals scheduled for the final 4NCL weekend in May 2019.

Mick Norris
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Re: Division One 2018-19

Post by Mick Norris » Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:26 pm

2 Romanians, 2 Hungarians, 3 Poles and a German only just beat 3Cs today
Any postings on here represent my personal views

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