English Chess Forum

Oooh, looking at that top 20 list, that includes a player who withdrew. Do they count as finishing in the top 20 or not?

(If not, that brings in five more qualifiers: Moore, Stoyanov, Hand, Modi and Brewer.)

"Oooh, looking at that top 20 list, that includes a player who withdrew. Do they count as finishing in the top 20 or not?"

Good question. It might depend on the reason for the withdrawal, and the amount of notice given.

Incidentally, why were there two defaults in the last round of the 65+?

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:01 pm

Incidentally, why were there two defaults in the last round of the 65+?

In at least one case, after a tiring game the day before, the player couldn't get out of bed for the early start!

Ah yes, early starts on the last day.

Something that I have always found abominable

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:01 pm

Ah yes, early starts on the last day.

Something that I have always found abominable

And so say all of us.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:01 pm

Ah yes, early starts on the last day.

Something that I have always found abominable

I'm assuming that's a consequence of the switch to a 9 round format over 2 weekends, though, with time needed later the final day for any playoff as well as the prizegiving

Looking at it from an organiser's viewpoint, a late finish means another day off work (i.e. the Monday after the Sunday finish) as well as another night's accommodation, so increases costs

Or am I missing something obvious?

Nearly all the arbiters who were still there on the Sunday stayed overnight that evening, so it doesn't really increase costs much for the team. It may or may not increase costs for individual players. (I, for example, can't usually get back home the same day as I play a game, although Torquay would have been an exception.)

"Ah yes, early starts on the last day."

Has not the Reverend Karpov preached to us on many occasions, "It is not correct to start a game before 4 pm"?

Coming from a Russian how hard and fast is that?

When it's 16:00 in Moscow it's 15:00 in Kaliningrad, 17:00 in Samara, 18:00 in Yekaterinburg, 19:00 in Omsk, 20:00 in Krasnoyarsk, 21:00 in Irkutsk, 22:00 in Yakutsk, 23:00 in Vladivostok, midnight in Magadan and 01:00 tomorrow in Kamchatka.

Hi John,

A wee bit of grumpy post from you, not normal, usually it's me grumbling and mumbling.

Cannot really agree with this bit.

"There was a strong element of Adams just going through the motions."

Is that not the professional way, win with White (P.5 W.5) draw with Black (P.4 W.1 and 3 draws under 22 moves.)
What is Mickey meant to do if the player behind the White pieces is happy with a draw.
He was not given much of a chance to show 'anything new as Black.' Twice he faced the Scotch Four Knights
which has been analysed so deep anything new will come on along around about move 50.

And the last round win. Saccing the exchange for those two wonderful Knights v Stephen Gordon.

r3n1k1/3r2bp/pP1p1pp1/3Np3/2N1P3/3P3P/P4PP1/2B2RK1 w - - 0 21

To me, that is not going through the motions.

The sole Black win was v Jack (bless him) who should have played the Evans Gambit. Mickey last faced it in 2014.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1744593
(meticulous as ever, I do my research before I post.)

Mickey won playing the 5...Be7 and 6...Na5 line. White retreated with 7.Be2
You do not retreat when playing the Evans. 7.Bxf7+ wins sometimes and sometimes is better than no times.

The date the game was played on, (July 27th) also figures.
On the 27th July 1689 the Jack 'O' Bites won The Battle of Killiecrankie.
I feel confident that if Jack had been aware of this he would have been inspired and sac-attacked.

So no more grumbling. We have a British Champion who will in 3 years time be eligible to play in 50+ tournament.
Then he can relax and go through the motions.

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:39 pm

We have a British Champion who will in 3 years time be eligible to play in 50+ tournament.
Then he can relax and go through the motions.

Much sooner than that I think - he'll be 50 in November 2021, so eligible for FIDE 50+ tournaments on 1 January 2021, in only 17 months time.

Well, at least it prompted you, Geoff (and Ian), to set the records straight. I admit to not hearing and seeing the best bits as somehow I only heard and saw the not so good bits and got the negative vibes.

I'm seeing it in a new light now, thanks.

Catch up later cogitator!

Hi Ian and Johnny Mac.

Also an 85 year being joint British Rapid Chess Champion....

...makes you think that all this tosh about computers helping juniors is just that...Tosh!

Our two best best players Adams and Short came up with the book and board method,
there is nobody on the horizon looking like they will do anything close to what these two have done in the careers.

Lazy coaches sticking the kids down infront of a screen to watch the magic of an evaluation number creating bland
drones who think in graffix instead of 3d patterns and taught to think of more of their rating than the love of the game.

We used to get our Batsford...remember them?



...and study it looking for lemons, holes, improvements, trick shots, banana shots and overhead kicks.
You would spend days, wonderful days, wringing a tactical position dry of it's pitfalls.

Nowadays for study they flick a switch and the computer, after you nudge it in the right direction, displays an eval number.
That is not studying the game. It's like going to the gym and watching a fork lift truck do your weight training for you.

I reckon Adams (and when he is over 50 we will have drop the 'Mickey' bit that is a name you give a dog.)

I reckon when Mr Adams is over 60 he will still be British Champion.

(that is how you grumble John, from the heart...)

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:04 pm

...and study it looking for lemons, holes, improvements, trick shots, banana shots and overhead kicks.

Some people decided to let someone else do the hard work by buying this book. I remember playing correspondence chess tournaments and trying to steer the games into lines in this book.

John - thanks for answering question for me.

ALL - What is the answer to Jack's question on top 20 as not clear in this thread.

My sympathy with those that were ill, slept in or left early as appears to happen frequently at the British.

Many need to get back to their day job.