SO WHO'S GOING TO SHEFFIELD? I AM!

[Alex McFarlane]

On the stats. I don't believe any official statistics have been kept in the past of the number of bodies as opposied to entries. I'm sure the figures for last year and for this when complete can be compared. (My figures for last year's body count doesn't include very late entries.) The only reason we have the other figures was that I was asked to collate them one year and have done so ever since.

To argue with Alex H, I believe that a player can realistically play 24 games and possibly 25 games - 5 day am and pm both weeks is 20 games and rounds 2-5 of the weekend gives 24 (25 if they manage to also play on the Friday night).
You could also play in both rapidplays, though this would involve withdrawing from the weekend so 23 normal games and 12 rapidplay games. If anyone is up for the challenge I'm sure we could give them free entry to the weekender!!!

[Alex Holowczak]

To argue with Alex H, I believe that a player can realistically play 24 games and possibly 25 games - 5 day am and pm both weeks is 20 games and rounds 2-5 of the weekend gives 24 (25 if they manage to also play on the Friday night).
You could also play in both rapidplays, though this would involve withdrawing from the weekend so 23 normal games and 12 rapidplay games. If anyone is up for the challenge I'm sure we could give them free entry to the weekender!!!

Indeed. I was thinking though that by FIDE-rating the Week 1/2 AM/PM Opens, you might kill off the Major Open once and for all. Thus having two 9-round FIDE-rated events seemed like a reasonable replacement. I guess four 5-round FIDE-rated events would hardly be a terrible compromise!

[Roger de Coverly]

Thus having two 9-round FIDE-rated events seemed like a reasonable replacement.

9 rounds in 5 days isn't a like for like replacement of 11 rounds in 12. The British in general and the Major Open in particular is competing against continental opens running in the same general summer holiday timeslots. These events usually offer one round a day, or at the most only one day with a double round.

Here's the equivalent Dutch event

http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/farge ... mpionship/
http://onk.schaakbond.nl/

[Alex Holowczak]

9 rounds in 5 days isn't a like for like replacement of 11 rounds in 12.

Well, duh?

Why would you want a like for like replacement? If the entries in the original are going down, then clearly you want something slightly different, but retaining some things. I'd argue that the number of rounds is a good thing, but 9 is the closest you can get. 9 rounds in 5 days will probably get more entries than 9 rounds in 9 days, I'd have thought.

[Roger de Coverly]

. 9 rounds in 5 days will probably get more entries than 9 rounds in 9 days, I'd have thought.

Not from players who only want to play one round a day. There are players who use the mornings either to prepare for their afternoon opposition or general chess study or even holiday tourist things. That's true even for players who only play in the one week events.

[Alex Holowczak]

. 9 rounds in 5 days will probably get more entries than 9 rounds in 9 days, I'd have thought.

Not from players who only want to play one round a day. There are players who use the mornings either to prepare for their afternoon opposition or general chess study or even holiday tourist things. That's true even for players who only play in the one week events.

I would suspect they're a minority, and the British should appeal to the majority. If people want 1 round per day, I don't think there's enough demand for it to be played over two weeks.

[Roger de Coverly]

If people want 1 round per day, I don't think there's enough demand for it to be played over two weeks.

You should check out how many people play just one round a day. It's not just the Major Open, but also the British itself and the Seniors. Many of the players in the one week events play either morning or afternoon, but not both.

[Alex McFarlane]

The 9 rounds in 5 day events were dropped due to a lack of entrants. That is not to say that such an event should not be revisited. It does though back up Roger's arguement.

[LozCooper]

A 9 or 11 day British would still leave flexibility for 1 and 2 game a day schedules and the Seniors and Championship could continue as a game a day but it might be worth experimenting in FIDE rated 2 games a day events like the Major Open. There is certainly a market for these events as Sean Hewitt has shown. No doubt, we'll know better in about 6 weeks which events are continuing to flourish and which have lower than hoped for numbers.

[Alex Holowczak]

If people want 1 round per day, I don't think there's enough demand for it to be played over two weeks.

You should check out how many people play just one round a day. It's not just the Major Open, but also the British itself and the Seniors. Many of the players in the one week events play either morning or afternoon, but not both.

I'm quite happy with one round per day in the Championship and the Seniors. Those two events strike me as one-round-per-day worthy.

I reckon far more casual players would be interested in playing two games per day than one game per day. If you dropped the Major Open and had two 9-round events, you'd need 25 in each to get to 50 - which is roughly what you had in the Major Open last year. I reckon that's achievable.

[Adam Raoof]

If people want 1 round per day, I don't think there's enough demand for it to be played over two weeks.

You should check out how many people play just one round a day. It's not just the Major Open, but also the British itself and the Seniors. Many of the players in the one week events play either morning or afternoon, but not both.

I'm quite happy with one round per day in the Championship and the Seniors. Those two events strike me as one-round-per-day worthy.

I reckon far more casual players would be interested in playing two games per day than one game per day. If you dropped the Major Open and had two 9-round events, you'd need 25 in each to get to 50 - which is roughly what you had in the Major Open last year. I reckon that's achievable.

What about a FIDE rated event, week A and another in week B, 7 rounds, 1-2-1-2-1? Then you get the best of both worlds and you can finish them in time to get your prize at the Gala Dinner on the Friday night.

[Alex Holowczak]

What about a FIDE rated event, week A and another in week B, 7 rounds, 1-2-1-2-1? Then you get the best of both worlds and you can finish them in time to get your prize at the Gala Dinner on the Friday night.

That sounds like another workable solution to me.

[Roger de Coverly]

I reckon far more casual players would be interested in playing two games per day than one game per day.

I don't think the Major Open is an event for casual players. In its way it's the British Championship B group containing players who didn't get places in the seasonal lottery of weekend swiss qualifiers. At one time, there was even a minimum grade to play in it.

In any event, there seem to be two conversations going on. Is it the case that a future British Championship Congress might be cut back to two weekends and one week to be nine days in total? Or will the traditional two week format be maintained with possible extensions to play on both the Saturday and Sunday of the final weekend? This gives an event length of 15 or even 16 days (if you used the Saturday before the normal Monday start) as against the current 13 plus prize-giving/play-offs.

[Alex Holowczak]

I don't think the Major Open is an event for casual players. In its way it's the British Championship B group containing players who didn't get places in the seasonal lottery of weekend swiss qualifiers. At one time, there was even a minimum grade to play in it.

Sure, but it doesn't seem like that many non-casual players are interested in playing in it. Otherwise the entry wouldn't have been in decline for the past few years. I think quite a few people playing in it now play in it because it's the only open FIDE-rated event, rather than because it's the only 1 round per day option.

In any event, there seem to be two conversations going on. Is it the case that a future British Championship Congress might be cut back to two weekends and one week to be nine days in total? Or will the traditional two week format be maintained with possible extensions to play on both the Saturday and Sunday of the final weekend? This gives an event length of 15 or even 16 days (if you used the Saturday before the normal Monday start) as against the current 13 plus prize-giving/play-offs.

If a charitable/non-charitable split in the ECF occurs, then the British itself may get put in the non-charitable bit, with the associated junior events in the charitable bit. I guess the Junior Championships could be split from the Championship proper. This is arguably desirable on chess grounds anyway. If that happens, a reduction to 9 rounds may be necessary either for the event to be viable, or for it to get the non-charitable bit under the VAT threshold.

I guess the simple answer is that the future format is open for debate, but the above is something that needs to be considered in relation to the format of the Championship.

[Alex McFarlane]

Roger,
When I mentioned finishing at the weekend I didn't envisage a lengthier event but rather a midweek start, but I'm interested in views on all variations.

Alex H
Let's not worry about the VAT ideas. Within reason, I don't want the suggestions to be limited by financial considerations. The arguements for and against being VAT registered are many and unclear until a format is actually viewed. For example it may be beneficial if VAT can be offset on the arbiters accommodation to be registered but it may not. That is more a case of how to implement change than to actually have changes suggested.