Tournament disasters

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Michael Jones
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Michael Jones » Wed Mar 16, 2011 1:23 pm

I don't play that many tournaments, so I've had fewer opportunities for disasters; I scored 1.5/6 at the 2007 BUCA, but given the standard of the opposition that was pretty much what I'd have expected. I had a one-off "disaster" when I was a junior - playing someone several years younger than me who could most politely be described as a novice, I managed to leave my queen hanging on about move 5. Somehow I managed to recover from that and finish mid-table.

Leagues, however, are a completely different matter. The largest club in my local league regularly enters two teams in the top division, and over the time I've been playing there I've notched up 16 games against them; occasionally I've been massively outgraded so defeat was unsurprising, but mostly I've been playing someone close to my own standard - despite which my record from those sixteen games is six draws, ten losses and no wins.

Malcolm Peacock
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Malcolm Peacock » Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:49 pm

I manged 0.5/6 at Bury rapidplay one year (the 0.5 was in round 5). I don't play in that one anymore!

Simon Brown
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Simon Brown » Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:30 pm

When I was about 15 and a "promising junior" graded about 200, I played in a 9 round all-play-all rapidplay at Centymca. I was certainly one of the weaker players, with the top seeds being Bronstein and Tamainov, but I didn't expect to get 0/9. But I did.

At least I got to play the Albin Counter Gambit against Tamainov!

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John Upham
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by John Upham » Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:55 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote: Even more so, when said player is local legend Mike Surtees. After 1e4 e5, he replied 2 a3, and then 3 d3, 4 f4 and 5 c4.......
When playing Mike you need to wear an even more stupid hat : that will upstage him or play The Fred.

If you are White play 1. c3 and after 1..e5 play 2. c4 and laugh loudly :lol:
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Michael Jones
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Michael Jones » Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:37 pm

John Upham wrote:When playing Mike you need to wear an even more stupid hat : that will upstage him or play The Fred.
If wearing stupid hats was the key to winning chess games, I'd be a GM.

Douglas Smith
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Tournament disasters

Post by Douglas Smith » Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:26 am

Southend Congress 2009 Minor - 19 entrants. One player higher rated than me and four of us as joint 2nd seeds. I was in good form and thought I could win a prize. Round 1, a young Essex Junior and I escaped with a draw. Round 2, I got completely outplayed in ending. Round 3 was going to be the start of my comeback, but I am drawn against another of the Number 2 seeds also having a mare. Lost again. Round 4, drawn against top seed also having a disaster. Lost again. I'd had enough. It was long way to travel next day for one game, so I withdrew and took half point bye in final round. Website still shows my name at bottom of cross table in that tournament. Last place in bottom tournament. Did they have a wooden spoon prize?!

Simon Ansell
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Simon Ansell » Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:52 pm

Simon Brown wrote:When I was about 15 and a "promising junior" graded about 200, I played in a 9 round all-play-all rapidplay at Centymca. I was certainly one of the weaker players, with the top seeds being Bronstein and Tamainov, but I didn't expect to get 0/9. But I did.

At least I got to play the Albin Counter Gambit against Tamainov!
I played a 12 player all-play-all in Rishon-le-Zion (Israel) when I was 17. My memory is hazy, but there were I think 4 established GMs/IMs (including Bronstein), 5 top Israeli juniors - most of whom were only slightly higher-rated than me (2300ish) at the time but at least 4 of them are now strong GMs (Milov, the Liss brothers, Har-Zvi etc...), Andrew Webster and myself. Andrew, who is a couple of years older than me, and I travelled alone to Israel with no adult accompanying! This was in 1991 or 1992, shortly after the Gulf War - three hour security questioning at the airport, burnt out military vehicles beside the roads etc. - slightly disconcerting. On arrival we were put up by a Russian family who spoke no English but were generous with the vodka at dinner, then we were moved to stay in a very basic room at a place that I think was holding accommodation for immigrants.

I started with 0.5/7- the draw was a quick one offered by Har-Zvi when I was clearly worse, I think he had to another engagement and had no time to win the game! There is a happy ending though - somehow a night on the town was arranged with one of the organisers sons and after that I finished with an unbeaten 3/4 - including a win against Bronstein in the last round :D

I'm not sure what the moral of this story is.

William Metcalfe
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by William Metcalfe » Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:30 pm

I played the northumberland congress 2 years ago i blew a game on Friday night in a manic time scramble i did not feel to well on the Sat but deceided to play lost in the morning on the afternoon i fealt terrible and resigned my game after a few moves it transpired i had Swine flu that is the 1 and only time i have scored 0 in a torny as i withdrew on Sat night and did not play on the sunday at least i had a legitamate excuse unlike a player in the open who was on zero points after 3 rounds and just did not turn up on the Sunday in another congress that i played in
I am speaking here for myself and not the NCCU which i am now president of

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:47 pm

Well, looks like Big Vlad is having his right now :shock: :(

That game against Karjakin.......<shakes head>
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

Geoff Chandler
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Geoff Chandler » Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:15 pm

Ha.

I've posted in the wrong thread.

(I'm rushing getting ready for work).

er....tournament disasters....Carl what is the maximum length of a post?

Alex Holowczak
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:24 pm

Geoff Chandler wrote:Ha.

I've posted in the wrong thread.

(I'm rushing getting ready for work).

er....tournament disasters....Carl what is the maximum length of a post?
If you press reply or quote, and type it in the box, then you will avoid such future disasters. I can't see an advantage of typing a reply elsewhere and then copying and pasting in. :?

David Sedgwick
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:14 pm

Alex Holowczak wrote:I can't see an advantage of typing a reply elsewhere and then copying and pasting in. :?
It's something I do quite often. I can discern at least four advantages:

1. It's helpful if I want to quote something from another thread.
2. If I'm likely to have to break off, I can quickly save what I've done.
3. I don't lose everything if there should be a technological malfunction, as does happen occasionally.
4. I can use a spell check function, which this Forum doesn't have (to the best of my knowledge).

Apologies for going off topic.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:41 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:I can use a spell check function, which this Forum doesn't have (to the best of my knowledge).
I believe the spell-checker piggy-backs from the Browser. I use Firefox, but I managed to get an English spell-checker. I might even have asked on the Forum where to find it. So center gets a red underline, but not centre. It doesn't seem to mind ungraded but always prefers non rated or non-rated to unrated. It doesn't like the word Firefox either.

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John Upham
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by John Upham » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:42 pm

David Sedgwick wrote: 4. I can use a spell check function, which this Forum doesn't have (to the best of my knowledge).
Your http client most likely will have one : mine certainly does.
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Ian Kingston
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Re: Tournament disasters

Post by Ian Kingston » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:54 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Alex Holowczak wrote:I can't see an advantage of typing a reply elsewhere and then copying and pasting in. :?
2. If I'm likely to have to break off, I can quickly save what I've done.
You can save a draft at any time - there's a button just to the right of the 'Submit' button in the editor. I confess to having spotted this for the first time only last week.

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