English Chess Forum

Thanks for the updates, Tim.

Torre, Rozentalis and especially Nikolic are very strong indeed, and if I can score anything like as well against those guys as I did against last years top seeds I'll be absolutely delighted!

Keith Arkell wrote:Thanks for the updates, Tim.

Torre, Rozentalis and especially Nikolic are very strong indeed, and if I can score anything like as well against those guys as I did against last years top seeds I'll be absolutely delighted!

Several last-minute entries have come in and been posted. There are now 191 players entered for the 65+ tournament including eight GMs, fifteen IMs and 25 FMs. Craig Pritchett is 15th seed now, as a result of IM Karasev entering but most of the entries in recent weeks seem to have been lower rated.

There are now 103 entries in the 50+; Keith is still fourth seed. There are eleven GMs, and twenty IMs. Twenty-seven female entries.

Haha wish I was over 65 because on 'live ratings', after the Isle of Man, I've become stronger than the lot of them, but meanwhile the junior section has become extremely tough. Same number of GMs as last year( 11) but that name ' Predrag Nikolic' presents my most serious hurdle to date, in these old gits things.

Keith Arkell wrote:Haha wish I was over 65 because on 'live ratings', after the Isle of Man, I've become stronger than the lot of them, but meanwhile the junior section has become extremely tough. Same number of GMs as last year( 11) but that name ' Predrag Nikolic' presents my most serious hurdle to date, in these old gits things.

Better get preparing some specific stuff for him!

Seriously you don't want to get older any faster than you have to...

BTW, the organisers told me the chief arbiter will reorder the lists for pairings purposes when the November FIDE list comes out.
If so you could move up the list?
(Though I think last year they just took the ratings people had when they entered.)

In my section you have to admire Vasiukov still soldiering on at 82. Last year he won the 75+ prize with 6.5/11 and he played both the team tournaments this year.

Here is my final post on this subject until the event begins next week at Acqui Terme, Italy (first round Tuesday afternoon, 10 Nov). These are 11-round tournaments with a day off after round 6.

The organisers have reordered the entry listings according to the November FIDE ratings, and (in the 65+ at least) there have been a few late withdrawals and a couple of late Italian entries.

In the 50+ (103 entries at present) Keith Arkell at 2499 is still fourth seed and this time carries British hopes almost single-handedly on his broad shoulders, though Roddy McKay may have something to say about that (and David Cummings of Canada). Sturua is not defending his title but as noted already Predrag Nikolic (2603) is a strong favourite, being 50 points ahead of Rozentalis and nearly 100 points ahead of third seed Alexander Ivanov.

In the 65+ there are 190 entries headed by defending champion Anatoly Vaiser (France) at 2503.
A former 60+ champion Vladimir Okhotnik is back now that he is 65+ qualified while another, Jens Kristiansen, is again toughing it out in the 50+.
There were a couple of recent high-rated withdrawals in the 65+ so there are now only 7 GMs (but numerous IMs and FMs) and the top British player by far is IM Craig Pritchett who is now up to 13th seed.

The top rated English entry is Anthony Ashby at #55 on the list and I am at #73. There are a few other ENG- and IRL- and SCO-registered players in the two tournaments, no Welsh so far as I can see. The women's entries are nearly all east European.

Finally, on next year's team events, the Greeks have announced that the EU Senior Teams (second half of April) will be at Porto Carras, on the Chalkidiki peninsula, which was the venue for the Youth & Cadet event just finishing.

Details of the World Senior Teams (late June/early July 2016 near Dresden) are not yet available online either, so far as I can see, but the venue will be the Radisson BLU hotel and convention centre at Radebeul. Two Irish players who were in the Saxon Seniors last month reported that organisation was excellent and presumably a lot of the same people will be involved. A brochure with details of accommodation costs, entry fees etc. was distributed and I now have a copy of that (in English). As in 2015, round 1 will be in the afternoon and the others start at 9.30am.
Stewart, you may wish to chase the Germans for a copy of that brochure if you don't have it already.

Live games: http://www.scacchisticatorinese.it/comm ... s_2015_p2/ Keith on bd 4, Brian Hewson on 3, Meyrick Shaw on 10.

Thanks for that Loz, good luck to all our players

Round 1 pairings
65+

50+

Looks like Brian Hewson should have tried 18 ... h4 against Ivanov. I didn't understand his idea with g5 but may be this follow up is possible.

Keith looks to be winning now? His rook has swung round from e8 to d1 with devastating effect (move 33).

EDIT: Oh, hang on, 34.Rd2 is possible?

34.Nd2 was played, but Keith is still better.

Hewson now gone mad and played 20.. h4. I haven't checked this with an engine but if it works, I am a person from the Netherlands.

20..h4 won't work. White should win now.

I was about to say that Meyrick Shaw had gone mad as well - but it looks like his sac forces perpetual against someone rated 400 Elo above him so well done to him.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:Keith looks to be winning now? His rook has swung round from e8 to d1 with devastating effect (move 33).

EDIT: Oh, hang on, 34.Rd2 is possible?

I think so, though as Barry says Nd2 was played - I thought Keith could then play Nxd5 and Nc4, but his Nb1 seems to have given him a winning position

John Moore wrote:I was about to say that Meyrick Shaw had gone mad as well - but it looks like his sac forces perpetual against someone rated 400 Elo above him so well done to him.

Yes, Kristiansen has done well in 1 of the other events Keith played in, so very good result for Meyrick