British Championship Congress 2017

[Christopher Kreuzer]

comparisons with last year are a bit difficult though - everyone is better off through having to send less time in Llandudno (financially, I mean, although ....)

Anyway, where are the threads predicting the winner? Is anyone willing to call anyone out of the top three? Or, if you like, pick five players, excluding the top three, who will make at least 6.5/9. Actually, that sounds much better.

Copy my predictions to a new thread if started, please.

Will there be a round-by-round prediction contest as well?

I predict Hawkins as winner (possibly jointly with one of the top three seeds).

Five players, excluding the top three, who will make at least 6.5/9: Hawkins, Nick Pert, Adair, Hebden, Wells.

[JustinHorton]

Was Hunt-Shaw drawn?

[Peter Shaw]

Yes

[Nick Ivell]

Win for Howell at the death. Just shows how tricky these 'drawn' positions are. Commentators signed off assuming a draw. But the stronger player keeps on asking questions. When time becomes a factor, the weaker player cracks. How often have we seen this? Something similar could have happened to Howell, had he been defending that drawn ending against Carlsen. You can only really relax when you have a technical draw, such as bishop and wrong rook's pawn against king. Then the clock is not a factor, because you don't have to think, even against the best player in the world...

[Paul Cooksey]

I agree with Nick. The mating net finish not a complete surprise either; the kind of thing that gets missed in such games.

Too soon for me to play the predictions game, not much evidence of form to go on yet. Although I did see Keith Arkell won a warm up tournament, so I am expecting him to out perform his rating. I'm also expecting Alan Merry to show continued improvement, although, again, hardly a brave prediction.

[Martin Benjamin]

I sympathise with Graham Moore, as we are about the same age. It is not just about playing precise chess on the increment; professionalism plus the superior stamina of relative youth has a big advantage over an older amateur in such circumstances, although I see that Graham does play a lot of chess. I support the use of increments, but occasionally in a very long game, they don't always produce the "right" result. In the old days of the championship, when this game would have been adjourned, I am sure Graham would have returned the next morning and held the draw with ease in a second session (playing at the rate of 20 moves per hour).

[JustinHorton]

Just asking - do we normally do the BCF in this particular sub-forum?

[Alan Walton]

In the old days of the championship, when this game would have been adjourned, I am sure Graham would have returned the next morning and held the draw with ease in a second session (playing at the rate of 20 moves per hour).

And bringing this into the modern world, using his 7-piece endgame table-base, telling him how to hold it easily (or it could have shown white was winning whatever, btw I cannot be bothered checking myself today)

[Graham Borrowdale]

Looking at the round 2 pairings, it is hard to see any of the top 5 of 6 failing to win. Howell has a tricky pairing against the very experienced Pritchett. A bit further down, Hebden faces a tough banana skin against James Jackson. A bit early to predict, but I can't see past Howell, Jones, and McShane as eventual winners, possibly with a tie at the top. Lower down, expecting Alan Merry to do well.
The online commentary generally looked good, but a bit of research on the less well known players would have been good - it was obvious they had never heard of, for example, "AP Smith" ( very well known in the UK), or G Moore, who only became Graham Moore after several hours of heroics against David Howell.

[Jonathan Rogers]

As though leaping to the defence of the 2300 fraternity, I think that at least one of them will make a draw on the top five boards. None of them look especially easy even for these strong GMs, though doubtless they (the GMs, that is) will make a good plus score overall.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Agreed on the lack of local knowledge on part of the online commentary too, and this brings me to a point I made before - how did Michael Rahal, who as far as I know only played once in England (Lloyds Nank Masters 1994), become ENG on the FIDE list? Stewart Reuben once said on this forum that he would mail him to find out, but I don't believe that a satisfactory answer was ever reported back.

[Brian Towers]

how did Michael Rahal, who as far as I know only played once in England (Lloyds Nank Masters 1994), become ENG on the FIDE list? Stewart Reuben once said on this forum that he would mail him to find out, but I don't believe that a satisfactory answer was ever reported back.

An excellent question.
His first three appearances on FIDE lists (July 1992, January 1993, July 1993) have him as ESP (Spain). From January 1994 on he appears as ENG.

[Richard Bates]

Looking at the round 2 pairings, it is hard to see any of the top 5 of 6 failing to win. Howell has a tricky pairing against the very experienced Pritchett. A bit further down, Hebden faces a tough banana skin against James Jackson. A bit early to predict, but I can't see past Howell, Jones, and McShane as eventual winners, possibly with a tie at the top. Lower down, expecting Alan Merry to do well.
The online commentary generally looked good, but a bit of research on the less well known players would have been good - it was obvious they had never heard of, for example, "AP Smith" ( very well known in the UK), or G Moore, who only became Graham Moore after several hours of heroics against David Howell.

Not that it works against the general point, but I think it is generally safer to stick to "G" Moore, as far as Gerald, Geoffrey and Graham are concerned...

[David Robertson]

I think it is generally safer to stick to "G" Moore, as far as Gerald, Geoffrey and Graham are concerned...

Not to mention Gillian - though she'd be Moore easily distinguished

[Matt Mackenzie]

Just asking - do we normally do the BCF in this particular sub-forum?

Yes, this did occur to me as well.......