CXL Varsity Match 2022

[John Upham]

The CXL (140th) Varsity match is scheduled to take place at The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall this coming Saturday.

Does anyone know if the teams have been declared?

See

http://chess-results.com/tnr617951.aspx?lan=1

[LawrenceCooper]

The CXL (140th) Varsity match is scheduled to take place at The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall this coming Saturday.

Does anyone know if the teams have been declared?

See

http://chess-results.com/tnr617951.aspx?lan=1

http://chess-results.com/tnr617951.aspx ... ES&flag=30 gives a very strong hint of the 1-9 for each team but not sure if that is final.

[John Upham]

Many thanks Lawrence!

[David Sedgwick]

The CXL (140th) Varsity match is scheduled to take place at The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall this coming Saturday.

Does anyone know if the teams have been declared?

See

http://chess-results.com/tnr617951.aspx?lan=1

http://chess-results.com/tnr617951.aspx ... ES&flag=30 gives a very strong hint of the 1-9 for each team but not sure if that is final.

Take it one step further and go to http://chess-results.com/tnr617951.aspx ... ES&flag=30.

I have the proof of the programme, but I don't think that I should publish it ahead of the match. However, I can confirm that the teams are as listed on Chess-Results. This order will be final unless anyone is ill or otherwise unavailable on the day.

The match is over 8 boards. The players shown as "Board 9" are the reserves.

[John Upham]

David,

What is the schedule / itinerary for the day please?

When do the players arrive and when are the first moves schedule to take place?

[David Sedgwick]

David,

What is the schedule / itinerary for the day please?

When do the players arrive and when are the first moves schedule to take place?

The players arrive by 1145.

The toss for colours takes place at 1200. The players then go downstairs for photographs to be taken.

Play commences at 1230, or conceivably a few minutes earlier if everyone is ready.

Play should end by 1830 at the latest.

[John Upham]

Am most grateful David.

Hopefully I will see you tomorrow am for a most excellent day.

Thanks to Stephen Meyler and Henry Mutkin for their support of these matches.

Hopefully John Saunders will also be in attendance.

[John Upham]

South West Trains must have noticed this thread since they have organised engineering works on the main line into Waterloo from Portsmouth.

I won't be daunted and will travel via the former location of Europe's most prolific aircraft factory.

[John Saunders]

The following tweet has the relevant pre-match info: https://twitter.com/johnchess/status/15 ... 2166670338

Live Link at Chess24: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... 2022/1/1/1

Team Lists at BritBase: https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/2 ... iewer.html

[Jonathan Rogers]

Just tuned in. To everyone's great surprise, NOT, it looks close, with Oxford 3-1 up but Cambridge are doing well/very well on three of the four remaining boards. I would be a little happier in Oxford's position though, simply by virtue of having the points on the scoreboard already.

Is BUCA still running its annual competition? Just wondering whether other Universities could currently claim to be of comparable strength (such as Warwick and Imperial College, in relatively recent times).

[Joey Stewart]

I think Warwick have been stronger then both of them over recent years,Oxford and Cambridge thrive off the hugely biased media attention they receive but I think it has been quite a while since either won a university championship title.

[Jonathan Rogers]

well, my questions remain - is there a University title still to be won? And strong as Warwick were a few years ago, it tends to be the fate of non Oxbridge Universities that they go through purple patches which cannot be sustained for long and they can be quite unrecognisable a few years later. Oxbridge will always bounce back, though. Just wondering what the current position might be.

[Jonathan Rogers]

some concerns on board three for Cambridge where their former advantage has not played with computer like precision, and whilst Cambridge are still winning on board eight, the computer's assessment of that probability probably does not accord with human experience. This is why one wants points on the board already.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Well the BUCA twitter account claims they "organise an annual tournament", so perhaps yes now that Covid is now gradually on its way out.

[Ian Thompson]

Is BUCA still running its annual competition?

Yes, but only as an online rapidplay event - http://chess-results.com/tnr615559.aspx ... turdet=YES. Warwick 1 were by far the strongest team and won it easily.