British Chess Championships 2010

[JustinHorton]

That's what you get for playing 1-P-K4.

[David Sedgwick]

Black is OK!

Lawrence Cooper has pointed out that black won ALL 39 games in the Championships today!

http://www.britishchess2010.com/events/championship.htm

is that a record?

EDIT: it'll probably be corrected by the time you read this...

I think I know why this happened.

Arbiters test out "what if" scenarios: typically all White wins, all Black wins, or all draws. These are useful for checking title norm opportunities and potential gains or losses in ratings.

I imagine that one of these scenarios was briefly uploaded by mistake.

[Alex McFarlane]

Correct David.

[Stewart Reuben]

Richard Bates >However, i note you didn't include a non-incremental option which many might prefer. Whilst acknowledging the cost implications of that, wouldn't establishing preferences on that be an equally valid exercise? Or considering the cost implications, is the view that the use of increments is permanent, and therefore closed for discussion?<

Non-incremental option have been used and the options considered. The reason arbiters prefer an incremental mode is that it means they have less influence on the result and fewer arbiters are required. I introduced them for the 1997 World Knockout Championship and Women's Championship in Groningen because I could not stomach the idea that the World Championship might be decided on the opinion of an arbiter where another one might have made a different system. This is a much smaller problem in UK events because the arbiters are, by and large, a coherent group.
Kasparov prefers(preferred) an increment only after move 60. He felt the possibility of repeating moves and thus getting extra time was aesthetically displeasing. This option was not available on a clock in 1997.
What has horrified me is that all organisers (apart from the British and Australians) believe that the only possibility is the addition of 30 seconds. The Laws state that is the minimum add-on time to be required to keep score.
Stewart Reuben

[Stewart Reuben]

The following was referred to extensively early in this thread. I may have missed its conclusion from Tuesday.
Many people expressed concern that there were so few entries at an early stage and that the British was rather weak at the top.
At the first penalty fee date there were only 554 tournament entries.
On Monday afternoon there were 897. 9 GMs played in the British. It is very noticeable that this year there was a huge number of late entries. The penalty fees should be increased for 2011.

Alex McFarlane and David Welch should be congratulated on their achievement in attracting a number of entries only exceeded in Torquay 2009 and Scarborough 2004. This at a time of depression and with no sponsorship at all, unlike those two events.
WELL DONE
Stewart Reuben

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Today's board 1 game (Adams vs Williams) - I don't know this opening at all. It look's like Black has burnt his bridges as regards to castling; does his king stay in the centre in this line?

[Daniel Young]

Today's board 1 game (Adams vs Williams) - I don't know this opening at all. It look's like Black has burnt his bridges as regards to castling; does his king stay in the centre in this line?

Do you not mean White? For a start, Williams has already castled...

[Paul McKeown]

Today's board 1 game (Adams vs Williams) - I don't know this opening at all. It look's like Black has burnt his bridges as regards to castling; does his king stay in the centre in this line?

Errrr, Sicilian Defence and Black has already castled?

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Today's board 1 game (Adams vs Williams) - I don't know this opening at all. It look's like Black has burnt his bridges as regards to castling; does his king stay in the centre in this line?

Do you not mean White? For a start, Williams has already castled...

Sorry, I thought I was looking at board 1, but it was actually board 2! I can see why I made the mistake, White has a similar set-up in both games. I must have switched to board 2 and not noticed the differences.

[Paul McKeown]

Najdorf variation, h7-h5 hinders g2-g4. Although I haven't played 1. e4 regularly for nigh on a decade, it all looks quite standard.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

I can see the point of h5, it just surprised me as I thought it would offer a very quick target for White if Black decides to castle kingside.

[Paul McKeown]

Castling is overrated.

[Paul McKeown]

But Black can sometimes castle quite safely even with h5, as it can be difficult for White to exploit.

[Paul McKeown]

Board 17 seems to be the same variation...

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

But Black can sometimes castle quite safely even with h5, as it can be difficult for White to exploit.

Black has indeed castled now, after pushing the h-pawn all the way to h3 first! I can't see one good thing in Black's position.