Hastings

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Keith Arkell
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Re: Hastings

Post by Keith Arkell » Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:33 pm

Ian Thompson wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:59 am
Nick Ivell wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:00 am
No disrespect to anyone involved - for example, I always enjoy following Gormally's games - but whatever happened to Hastings?

I only went once. On that occasion, Petrosian was playing.
I think the last invitation only round-robin event was in 2003-4 and you'd have to go back to 1988-89 to find the last event with world-class foreign players taking part. I wouldn't be surprised if these dates correspond to years when signifiant commercial sponsorship was lost.
The only time I ever played in the round-robin, in 2002/3, we had a pretty decent set of players ( at least measured by whom they are today!): Karjakin, Heine-Nielsen, McShane, Harikrishna, Sashikiran, Barsov, Kosteniuk (the Women's World Champ) and bringing up the rear, Tseshkovsky.

Paul Buswell
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Re: Hastings

Post by Paul Buswell » Sat Dec 29, 2018 7:08 am

NickFaulks wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:38 pm
Anyone contemplating the shortish walk from St Leonards Warrior Square station to the venue, with suitcase, should be warned that it is situated at the highest point of the South Downs.
I'm puzzled: what prompted this post? Has it a tongue in cheek element which has completely passed me by? Hastings isn't on the South Downs, which are generally reckoned to end at Eastbourne, the best part of 20 miles away; and the highest point of the South Downs is way over at the Hampshire end (Butser Hill, 890')

I do agree it's an uphill slog to the venue from either of Hastings or Warrior Square stations: I recommend Hastings, which has a proper taxi rank (£5? Haven't done it for a long time) or buses every 20 minutes or so (but only hourly on Sundays, and no local buses at all New Year's Day).

Still puzzled

PB

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Michael Farthing
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Re: Hastings

Post by Michael Farthing » Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:49 am

I suspect that at the time Nick experienced this it felt like the highest point of the South Downs and he was simply reporting the Spirit of the Thing. A Lion search as yourself would naturally not think of such a metaphor for what to you must be merely a bump. A Northern Giant such as myself consider the South Downs themselves to be little more than an anthill.

Chris Rice
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Re: Hastings

Post by Chris Rice » Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:26 am

Posted up on the wall at the venue. No need for a dress code in those days. Image

Image

NickFaulks
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Re: Hastings

Post by NickFaulks » Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:59 am

I've just seen the Round 1 report.

http://www.hastingschess.com/round-1/

"At the end of today’s play in the Masters 14 players were on 1 point – IM J. Sarkar, GM Jonathan Hawkins, GM Oleg Korneev, IM Richard Bates, FM Vignir Stefansson, GM Sarunas Sulskis, GM Danny Gormally, FM Adam Taylor, IM Martin Petrov, FM Borna Derakhshani, FM Jonah Willow, IM Gudmundur Kjartansson, GM Alexander Cherniaev and Stuart White."

Excuse me? I did expect my one and probably only mention.
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LawrenceCooper
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Re: Hastings

Post by LawrenceCooper » Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:07 am

NickFaulks wrote:
Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:59 am
I've just seen the Round 1 report.

http://www.hastingschess.com/round-1/

"At the end of today’s play in the Masters 14 players were on 1 point – IM J. Sarkar, GM Jonathan Hawkins, GM Oleg Korneev, IM Richard Bates, FM Vignir Stefansson, GM Sarunas Sulskis, GM Danny Gormally, FM Adam Taylor, IM Martin Petrov, FM Borna Derakhshani, FM Jonah Willow, IM Gudmundur Kjartansson, GM Alexander Cherniaev and Stuart White."

Excuse me? I did expect my one and probably only mention.
It looks like they only mentioned the players on 1/1 playing each other and not those caught up in the accelerated pairings:

44 MILLER Dominic ENG 2061 1,0
45 NETTLETON Charlie B ENG 2059 1,0
46 COMELLAS BLANCHART Jordi ESP 2055 1,0
51 WFM NORINKEVICIUTE Rasa LTU 2028 1,0
52 MIDHUN P U IND 2010 1,0
56 HEINSOHN Michael GER 1961 1,0
57 BYRN Carsten DEN 1959 1,0
58 SPANTON Tim R ENG 1954 Sussex Cca 1,0
59 AIM LARSEN Andreas NOR 1933 Norway 1,0
60 AIM FRYER David W ENG 1932 1,0
62 FOWLER David SCO 1929 1,0
64 CM FAULKS Nick BER 1917 1,0
65 FM SONG Jinwoo KOR 1907 1,0
79 KEARSLEY Raymond J ENG 1579 1,0

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: Hastings

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:15 am

Keith Arkell wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:33 pm
Ian Thompson wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:59 am
Nick Ivell wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:00 am
No disrespect to anyone involved - for example, I always enjoy following Gormally's games - but whatever happened to Hastings?

I only went once. On that occasion, Petrosian was playing.
I think the last invitation only round-robin event was in 2003-4 and you'd have to go back to 1988-89 to find the last event with world-class foreign players taking part. I wouldn't be surprised if these dates correspond to years when signifiant commercial sponsorship was lost.
The only time I ever played in the round-robin, in 2002/3, we had a pretty decent set of players ( at least measured by whom they are today!): Karjakin, Heine-Nielsen, McShane, Harikrishna, Sashikiran, Barsov, Kosteniuk (the Women's World Champ) and bringing up the rear, Tseshkovsky.
That was a good line up, but no one in immediate danger of troubling the world elite. Equivalent to Wijk section B, perhaps.

However, in 91/92, there were some "Wijk A" players, soon to be Linares players - Bareev, Shirov, Adams (though the latter was outperformed by Agdestein), Speelman (though he had a tough event too). Well, all the English struggled (Hodgson, Chandler also played). They must have been grateful that Suetin had qualifed from the Challengers. I actually remember a smattering of applause when Hodgson completed a sort of swindle against Suetin! Maybe Paul H was there, reliving the 1960s?

Keith Arkell
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Re: Hastings

Post by Keith Arkell » Sun Dec 30, 2018 2:02 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:15 am
Keith Arkell wrote:
Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:33 pm

The only time I ever played in the round-robin, in 2002/3, we had a pretty decent set of players ( at least measured by whom they are today!): Karjakin, Heine-Nielsen, McShane, Harikrishna, Sashikiran, Barsov, Kosteniuk (the Women's World Champ) and bringing up the rear, Tseshkovsky.
That was a good line up, but no one in immediate danger of troubling the world elite. Equivalent to Wijk section B, perhaps.

They were well chosen for their promise, though. Eventually one of them troubled Carlsen in the 2016 World Championship final; and McShane and Harikrisna are themselves not far off the World elite. Harikrisna is numbver 28 and rated 2725. In fact he was 2770 a couple of years ago. And it can't be very often that a GM rated 2578 finished last!

John Moore
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Re: Hastings

Post by John Moore » Mon Dec 31, 2018 4:52 pm

Tim Spanton was in a hurry today in his game against Tom Brown. Managed to play 39 moves in about 28 minutes if the clocks on ChessBomb are right. Must have been an urgent appointment, Tim.

Bit of a shame that he didn't take a little longer on move 36 because … f3 would have led to R with h and f pawns against R with Black's King reasonably well placed. I don't profess to know whether Black can draw this but he certainly isn't immediately lost.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Hastings

Post by Roger de Coverly » Mon Dec 31, 2018 5:02 pm

According to the chessbomb stockfish, this position could be reached in Brown - Spanton



There's an app for Android phones which looks up 7 piece ending tablebases. Its verdict - draw.

You would expect to suffer for a long time to prove it though. There would be no chance of a fifty move claim until the pawns stopped moving.

John Moore
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Re: Hastings

Post by John Moore » Mon Dec 31, 2018 5:12 pm

Thanks Roger. Certainly preferable to the choice in the game which led to resignation in about two moves!

Alan Walton
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Location: Oldham

Re: Hastings

Post by Alan Walton » Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:08 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Mon Dec 31, 2018 5:02 pm
According to the chessbomb stockfish, this position could be reached in Brown - Spanton



There's an app for Android phones which looks up 7 piece ending tablebases. Its verdict - draw.

You would expect to suffer for a long time to prove it though. There would be no chance of a fifty move claim until the pawns stopped moving.
I defend this with a couple of minutes left in a rapidplay a few years back; one of the easier ones to defend

NickFaulks
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Re: Hastings

Post by NickFaulks » Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:42 pm

Alan Walton wrote:
Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:08 pm
one of the easier ones to defend
I believe it is fair to say that is not mainstream thinking.
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J T Melsom
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Re: Hastings

Post by J T Melsom » Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:02 pm

'mainstream thinking'? Have you worked out where the South Downs are yet? :roll:

Alan Walton only spoke from personal experience, I doubt that the endgame in question is common enough to draw conclusions for a wider body of players. One of the great failings (and I share it) is to extrapolate personal chess experience to a wider audience. It is one of the reason why some enthusiastic strong players are not always the best coaches. It is right to ensure children are not taught bad habits, but where chess becomes a mater of style, they should restrain themselves.

Nick Grey
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Re: Hastings

Post by Nick Grey » Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:27 pm

Still it takes some real dedication for those still playing and organising on New Years Eve.
It's a long walk from Hastings to Eastbourne but Nick F seems to have a geographical weakness.
We ought to forgive him.
Happy New Year soon all!

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