Tournament choice: grade limit or time control?

[Nicky Chorley]

Hi all,

I'd like to get in some more OTB games before the new year and since I won't be playing any more league games until then, I've found there are two events that I can get to:

5th Northwick Park Congress (17-18 December), U115, 30 moves in 90 min + 15 min to finish
London Christmas Congress (28-30 December), U125, 30 moves in 90 min + 30 min to finish

I'm not sure which to enter (both isn't really an option). I'm leaning towards the U125 event, because I'd prefer to have more time and also, play starts in the morning and ends early evening each day, which is better for me. There's also the advantage that I've got a bit more time to prepare. However, opponents are likely to be a lot stronger than me and I'll be out of my depth.

Any suggestions? .

Thanks!

[Jonathan Bryant]

If I'm reading it right the upper limit is only 10 points higher? That won't make any noticeable difference in practice - 10 points is at the very least 'margin of error' in the grading system - even *if* you only play people at the top end of the field.

If you fancy that one then go for it.

[Ola Winfridsson]

I agree with Jonathan, and especially if you prefer the longer time control (so would I).

[Brendan O'Gorman]

Beware of 170+ players saying there's little difference between 115 and 125. From their perspective, they're right but I suspect matters are different when one's grade is less than 115. I also suspect you need to get some wins under your belt to sustain your interest in the game. Playing in the u115 would give you a better chance of winning against tactically more fragile players. As to the time difference, do many games last more than 40 moves at this level?

[Jonathan Bryant]

Beware of 170+ players saying there's little difference between 115 and 125.

I would disagree with this myself if I'd have said it (which I didn't).

[Nicky Chorley]

Thanks all. Yeah, I figured playing the U115 would give me more of a chance to get opponents that I'm more evenly matched with, so that was the big advantage of playing there. This past weekend, I managed to get past 40 moves in 2 out of 4 games, against opponents graded 114 and 75 (and I think I could've drawn the first one, though I might be a bit optimistic).

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Beware of 170+ players saying there's little difference between 115 and 125."

I once expressed surprise to a GM that he had played an unusual line in the previous round, and he said, "Well, he was only 180, so he was bound to put a piece en prise."

So, it's all a matter of scale!

[Krishna Shiatis]

Thanks all. Yeah, I figured playing the U115 would give me more of a chance to get opponents that I'm more evenly matched with, so that was the big advantage of playing there. This past weekend, I managed to get past 40 moves in 2 out of 4 games, against opponents graded 114 and 75 (and I think I could've drawn the first one, though I might be a bit optimistic).

Hi Nicky,

I am impressed that you are here asking for advice on this. You clearly wish to improve and do enjoy your chess. I am not sure if what I am about to say is for you and I suspect that many may shoot me down.

I would say, to look at your threshhold. You may ask, well what do you mean by that?

What I mean is, how much do you mind not winning? How well do you cope?

This is different for everybody. Some people cope fine, others handle it not so well, some are in the middle. (I have children in two of these categories, so there is IMO no right or wrong category to be in, you are, where you are.) Even at top level, some GMs drop out if they have several bad losses in a row, believe me when I say I could name one or two.

If you do not mind losing and your aim is to improve fast, then play as high up as you can tolerate. You may take a hit in the short term, but you will improve in the long term, as long as you analyse your games and learn from your mistakes.

When my son played in his first long play, it was an U100 and he was in so much awe of anyone graded over 80. The next year, he played in the U130s (again, anyone graded 100-130 was clearly superb!), the next he moved to U160s (wow - anyone graded 140-160 - clearly unbeatable) and this year he has begun in the open sections. He began by losing all his games and just recently won a grading prize - scoring 3.5 out of 6.

Each year, as he improved, his perceptions and ours, have changed.

Do not let anyone tell you that this is only possible with juniors. It is not. I have seen adults improve similarly. It is about having the right attitude (which you have!) and about giving it a shot. Be positive and strong about your chess and you will do well.

All the best,

Krishna

[Ola Winfridsson]

My recommendation is based on my own games and watching the games of others. In my experience, what really tends to stump the lower graded player when playing someone higher graded is a shorter time control or running short of time. Higher graded players tend to have a more developed chess intuition (for want of a better word) which allows them to play certain moves quicker or on autopilot as it were, because they're familiar with the position/pawn structure/opening/able to judge the upcoming endgame etc., whereas a lower graded player normally needs a little bit more time to work out (i.e. calculate) the correct solution. That's why I feel Nicky's better off playing in the stronger section and with a longer time control. This is especially if you don't fear the odd clobbering, which we all suffer from time to time.

And also, Krishna: You have to remember that even GMs and World Champions make mistakes! I remember the first round of the Easter Congress at Southend many years ago. I played someone graded about 100-110, and I (graded around 170 at the time), expected a very easy ride, but my opponent played well, didn't make any real mistakes and the game ended in a draw - about a year later I drew with a grandmaster ... To me, this is one of the beauties of chess, even in cases of great grading/rating differences, you're normally in with a chance of a good game.

[Krishna Shiatis]

My recommendation is based on my own games and watching the games of others. In my experience, what really tends to stump the lower graded player when playing someone higher graded is a shorter time control or running short of time. Higher graded players tend to have a more developed chess intuition (for want of a better word) which allows them to play certain moves quicker or on autopilot as it were, because they're familiar with the position/pawn structure/opening/able to judge the upcoming endgame etc., whereas a lower graded player normally needs a little bit more time to work out (i.e. calculate) the correct solution. That's why I feel Nicky's better off playing in the stronger section and with a longer time control. This is especially if you don't fear the odd clobbering, which we all suffer from time to time.

And also, Krishna: You have to remember that even GMs and World Champions make mistakes! I remember the first round of the Easter Congress at Southend many years ago. I played someone graded about 100-110, and I (graded around 170 at the time), expected a very easy ride, but my opponent played well, didn't make any real mistakes and the game ended in a draw - about a year later I drew with a grandmaster ... To me, this is one of the beauties of chess, even in cases of great grading/rating differences, you're normally in with a chance of a good game.

I agree. (See yesterday at the Classic!). Well done on your draw with the GM! Are you still playing regularly?

[Nicky Chorley]

Everyone seems to make good points here. I find chess quite addictive, so I'm still playing even though I take a lot of beatings (in 11 games so far this season, I've managed just one win and one draw). It is disheartening to lose so much and I did have to withdraw from the Imperial congress after I lost in round 4 really quickly (half an hour or so, I think). Time is one of my problems and for that reason, I don't want to play rapid events right now. Sometimes, I feel like I can cope with much stronger opponents, so I kinda agree with Ola on that point (the game against the opponent graded 114 was quite enjoyable).

[Ola Winfridsson]

Thanks, Krishna! However, it should be pointed out that the draw was thanks to the fact that the GM took his foot off the pedal and allowed me to swindle him at the moment he was about to win a piece. We're all fallible. And yes, I'm still playing regularly (I play for Poisoned Pawns in the 4NCL among other things), although over the last couple of seasons I have had less time for chess than I'd like and I feel my level has dropped.

Nicky: That's one of the problems of chess, although very enjoyable and addictive, it takes up a lot of time. My advice would be to try to make the most of the time you have left over for chess. From my personal experience, doing combination exercises (there are plenty of good puzzle books out there) every day or every other day pays off very quickly and you'll probably find that you're able to play faster because you see more things more quickly. The other good thing about combination exercises, as opposed playing over master games (also very good, but much more time consuming, so I tend to try to do that on weekends and holidays instead) is that you can easily fit them around your day. Solve one or two when you have a coffee or a tea break for instance.

[Nicky Chorley]

Thanks Ola. Yeah, I started doing problems at chesstempo.com a while ago, but had to put those down for a while (I think because of PhD viva preparation and panic). I've recently started to pick those up again, so I'll be getting back to doing them every day. I'll also start reading Simple Chess by Stean, as I've heard that should help with my planning problems. I'll be starting a job in January, too (yay), which may mean I've got no time for league chess, but in that case, I'll be trying to get to weekend congresses.

[Ola Winfridsson]

Good luck with your new job, Nicky! And I should of course have realized that I'm an old dinosaur, preferring puzzle books to puzzle websites

[Krishna Shiatis]

Thanks, Krishna! However, it should be pointed out that the draw was thanks to the fact that the GM took his foot off the pedal and allowed me to swindle him at the moment he was about to win a piece. We're all fallible. And yes, I'm still playing regularly (I play for Poisoned Pawns in the 4NCL among other things), although over the last couple of seasons I have had less time for chess than I'd like and I feel my level has dropped.

Nicky: That's one of the problems of chess, although very enjoyable and addictive, it takes up a lot of time. My advice would be to try to make the most of the time you have left over for chess. From my personal experience, doing combination exercises (there are plenty of good puzzle books out there) every day or every other day pays off very quickly and you'll probably find that you're able to play faster because you see more things more quickly. The other good thing about combination exercises, as opposed playing over master games (also very good, but much more time consuming, so I tend to try to do that on weekends and holidays instead) is that you can easily fit them around your day. Solve one or two when you have a coffee or a tea break for instance.

Hi Ola and Nicky,

I was going to suggest the same as Ola! Nicky, you are clearly ahead of us.

Nicky, there is just one other thing which I might suggest. I help to administrate a chess academy. It is only for juniors predominantly in the Kent area - though we do take any junior who wants to join, subject to space - one of the things which has helped them all to improve has been the Kent Junior Chess training days.

In the past, they have only been open to juniors, but I do believe that they may be being opened to adults now as well. There are only four days per academic year and they teach in a very structured way. There are exams at the end (levels 1-5) for the Institute of Chess and it is all fun!

As I said, it has helped all our juniors. At ACES, we have several British Junior Champions, one of ours recently came joint first at the British U11 rapidplay in Leeds, one went to the World Championships in Brazil to represent England and another has been representing England at the Classic. Our kids are always dominant and on the top boards at junior events. Obviously, their success is down to a number of factors, but I do think that the training days are a part of it.

Also, Chris Ward GM (much bowing and scraping....) is a super coach and he has written a lot of the material. The other super-duper coaches who help/have helped are John Emms GM, Ian Snape, Sabrina Chevannes, Simon Brown, Des Tan, Ros Kieron, Kevin Bailey and many, many more.

Take a look at the KJCA website for more info and have fun chessing!

Take care,

Krishna