2016 draw

[Mick Norris]

If the Open and Minor Counties were combined overnight you would have fifteen teams

I don't think that's true if, by 'combining', you actually mean forcing minor counties to play in the open. A number of counties simply wouldn't play.

Can I endorse everything Sean has said in this and his previous post. The Minor Counties is a closely contested competition whose parameters are very clear

Neatly demonstrated by Lincs beating Cambs 8.5 - 7.5 today

Essex beat Devon 9 - 5 (sic) in the U180

[Michael Farthing]

Tomorrow U180/U140 double header Lancs v Surrey

Be very afraid!

[Nick Grey]

Not afraid of a chess match.
Terrified of M25/M1 & heavy thunderstorms/showers.
Best wishes.

[MartinCarpenter]

That doesn't sound fun Hope it all goes well!

As for combining the MC/Open, there a lot of reasonable seeming ways to do it. Assume 9 MC teams, 5 or 6 Open teams.

1) Seed the top 2 (if 5), 1 (if 6) 'Open' teams through to the Open 1/4 finals. Everyone else plays a prelim round of 6/7 matches, Open vs MC where possible.

Rnd 1 winners into the Open, losers into the MC.

2) Seed the top 4 open qualifiers. Then have two simultaneous qualifying rounds:
a) 'Open' - those top 4 teams vs 4 other teams. Highest qualifiers? Those who want to?

The winners in these matches through to Open semi, losers a place in the MC quarter finals.

b) Everyone else in the MC plays qualifiers to drop down as required to get balancing numbers.

(2) is an effort to build in a real carrot, while also letting the marginal MC/Open overlap teams have a 'free' shot at a surprise win. Like Somerset vs Yorkshire in 2012

This does requite one more round I suppose, which might be an issue. Might be helped if the semi/final's got rolled into a weekend? I think there's definitely a potential case for considering that anyway. People are very used to weekend chess nowadays, and it'd make the travel to chess ratio in the knock out stages very much kinder! The 3rd/4th place play offs might be gently annoying.

[Mick Norris]

U160 Essex beat Yorks 8.5 - 7.5 thanks to a default; Middlesex beat Surrey 10 - 6

[Mick Norris]

Finals:

Open Yorks v Middlesex
Minor Lincs v Norfolk/Suffolk
U180 Essex v Surrey/Lancs
U160 Essex v Middlesex
U140 Worcs v Surrey/Lancs
U120 Notts v Warks
U100 Essex v Kent/Lancs

Impressive 3 teams through to the final from Essex
At least 1 winner guaranteed from the MCCU and the SCCU

[John Philpott]

Mick Norris wrote

U160 Essex beat Yorks 8.5 - 7.5 thanks to a default; Middlesex beat Surrey 10 - 6

A little harsh: it is not 100% certain that I would have failed to win on bottom board for Essex in the absence of a Yorkshire default .

[Mick Norris]

Mick Norris wrote

U160 Essex beat Yorks 8.5 - 7.5 thanks to a default; Middlesex beat Surrey 10 - 6

A little harsh: it is not 100% certain that I would have failed to win on bottom board for Essex in the absence of a Yorkshire default .

Sorry, John, of course you would Good luck in the final

I thought you were going to tell me that it was 7.5 - 7.5 on the games played, but you had won on board count (I haven't checked)

[John Philpott]

Mick Norris wrote

I thought you were going to tell me that it was 7.5 - 7.5 on the games played, but you had won on board count (I haven't checked)

Had bottom board been a double default, Essex would have gone through on board count. An Essex win by default on board 16 had a significant effect on the board count situation, which fluctuated throughout the afternoon.

My report on the match has been published at http://www.essexchess.org.uk/index.php/ ... m-u1601516. Click on the "Yorks - SF" tab.

[Jonathan Rogers]

...

Impressive 3 teams through to the final from Essex
...

It is, and yet there seem to be two or three Essex teams left at the finals almost every year! It is a remarkable record over a very long time.

[John Philpott]

The ECF website is reporting Norfolk 9½ - 6½ Suffolk in the Minor Counties.

[MartinCarpenter]

Fine effort from Essex U160's - discount that farce from 2014/15 and I don't think Yorkshire had lost a county match since the 12/13 season.

Hope it isn't an omen for the final

[Mick Norris]

...

Impressive 3 teams through to the final from Essex
...

It is, and yet there seem to be two or three Essex teams left at the finals almost every year! It is a remarkable record over a very long time.

The well organised counties like Essex and Notts are consistent

[Jonathan Rogers]

I've been spoilt - those are the only two counties I have played for!

[John Philpott]

Two further results now on the ECF website

U180 Surrey 7½ - 8½ Lancashire
U140 Lancashire 7½ - 8½ Surrey

That just leaves Kent v Lancashire in the U100 unreported.