New National Blitz event

Details of upcoming UK events, please provide working links if possible.
Nick Burrows
Posts: 1705
Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:15 pm

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Nick Burrows » Sat Sep 08, 2018 5:13 pm

In Cardiff, Marcus Harvey played someone 11.5 points behind!

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire
Contact:

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Alex Holowczak » Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:31 pm

Ian Thompson wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 3:40 pm
Do we have a record breaking pairing in Newcastle? In round 15 the player of Black on board 1 is being upfloated to a play someone who has 7 points more than he does.
More than she does.
Nick Burrows wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 5:13 pm
In Cardiff, Marcus Harvey played someone 11.5 points behind!
Yes, there were rather a lot of rounds, and there were always going to be some fairly gigantic floats in later rounds. Nothing that more entries to the qualifiers in 2019 wouldn't solve. :)

The events in general seem to have gone pretty well from the feedback I've had so far. I've just got to find a way to disqualify David Haydon from his 2nd place in London on the grounds that he isn't a bona fide entrant. :P

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sat Sep 08, 2018 9:36 pm

Alex Holowczak wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:31 pm
The events in general seem to have gone pretty well from the feedback I've had so far.
A few sightings, here and there, of players not heard of for years.

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire
Contact:

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Alex Holowczak » Sat Sep 08, 2018 10:35 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 9:36 pm
Alex Holowczak wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:31 pm
The events in general seem to have gone pretty well from the feedback I've had so far.
A few sightings, here and there, of players not heard of for years.
Indeed; and 33 female players in total, about 1 in 10 of the total field. An excellent ratio compared with most weekend tournaments or rapidplays.

Keith Arkell
Posts: 928
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:10 am

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Keith Arkell » Sun Sep 09, 2018 1:58 am

I actually had permission to leave Paignton ( on 6/6) with a zero point bye, to nip off to one of the easy qualifiers ( eg Bristol or Cardiff, nearby) but decided against doing so as it just seemed wrong.

It looks like the event was quite successful, but I think it was a mistake to automatically eliminate those of us who were unavailable on the specific date of 8 Sept. How about another qualifier? A single event, say in Birmingham, open to those who didn't play yesterday?

Richard Bates
Posts: 3338
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:27 pm

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Richard Bates » Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:09 am

Keith Arkell wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 1:58 am
I actually had permission to leave Paignton ( on 6/6) with a zero point bye, to nip off to one of the easy qualifiers ( eg Bristol or Cardiff, nearby) but decided against doing so as it just seemed wrong.

It looks like the event was quite successful, but I think it was a mistake to automatically eliminate those of us who were unavailable on the specific date of 8 Sept. How about another qualifier? A single event, say in Birmingham, open to those who didn't play yesterday?
The final is a sixteen player all play all, with published prize fund aligning with that. There isn’t the facility to just start creating extra places. Alex did of course do his best to try and find dates on the calendar which were as empty as possible. The only viable option might have been to mix events over yesterday and today, but that’s a question for another year. Some people couldn’t play on September 8th, but then some people probably can’t play on December 2nd. Just the way it goes, unfortunately, I think.

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:26 am

Richard Bates wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:09 am
The final is a sixteen player all play all, with published prize fund aligning with that. There isn’t the facility to just start creating extra places.
Alternative structures would be to have 7 simultaneous qualifiers with an additional one at a later date or to make the final eighteen or twenty players. Or perhaps have a couple of qualifiers just offer one place. Decision points for Alex's successor, assuming the event becomes a regular fixture.

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire
Contact:

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Alex Holowczak » Sun Sep 09, 2018 10:41 am

Richard Bates wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:09 am
Just the way it goes, unfortunately, I think.
I think that's what I concluded. It was always going to clash with something, no matter when it was.

The organisational difficulty of holding it on different dates, and whether or not people should be able to play in more than one of them (and if not, policing that) would have been beyond the volunteers expected to police it - particularly given that this is the busiest time for the ECF Office with membership renewals. In addition, I didn't want administrative complexities like that to spoil an event that was intended to be fun. That's also why I changed the title of the tournament, to get away from any kerfuffle about how you define "British".

The clash was unfortunate, but you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Paul Cooksey
Posts: 1519
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2016 4:15 pm

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Paul Cooksey » Sun Sep 09, 2018 11:46 am

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:26 am
Decision points for Alex's successor, assuming the event becomes a regular fixture.
Is it an ECF event?

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Sep 09, 2018 11:55 am

Paul Cooksey wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 11:46 am
Is it an ECF event?
According to
https://www.englishchess.org.uk/uk-open ... mpionship/
If fewer than 24 players enter a qualifying tournament, the ECF reserves the right to choose an alternative format for the tournament, and some of the above rules may be overridden as a result.
Other than being on the ECF's website, that appeared to be the only reference to the ECF.

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire
Contact:

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Alex Holowczak » Sun Sep 09, 2018 11:55 am

Paul Cooksey wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 11:46 am
Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:26 am
Decision points for Alex's successor, assuming the event becomes a regular fixture.
Is it an ECF event?
Yes.

User avatar
Adam Raoof
Posts: 2720
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:16 pm
Location: NW4 4UY
Contact:

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Adam Raoof » Sun Sep 09, 2018 12:42 pm

there are some recordings of the games on board one of the London Qualifier on www.twitch.tv/adamraoof

I will add captions and upload them to www.youtube.com/adamraoof this week, but there is quite a lot of chess to watch!
Adam Raoof IA, IO
Chess England Events - https://chessengland.com/
The Chess Circuit - https://chesscircuit.substack.com/
Don’t stop playing chess!

Alan Walton
Posts: 1394
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:33 pm
Location: Oldham

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Alan Walton » Sun Sep 09, 2018 2:53 pm

Keith Arkell wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 1:58 am
I actually had permission to leave Paignton ( on 6/6) with a zero point bye, to nip off to one of the easy qualifiers ( eg Bristol or Cardiff, nearby) but decided against doing so as it just seemed wrong.

It looks like the event was quite successful, but I think it was a mistake to automatically eliminate those of us who were unavailable on the specific date of 8 Sept. How about another qualifier? A single event, say in Birmingham, open to those who didn't play yesterday?
So Keith what you are really saying that anybody organizing a tournament should check your personal calendar before starting any endeavour

Alex found the only acceptable date (I presume) for the format he had come up with; it was unfortunate it clashed with Paignton, but looking at that entry list I suspect very little of those players (18 in the Premier) would have entered (actually Michael Fernandez played in Birmingham)

So as any consumer you choose another product, if I was also at Paignton, then unavailable for the second event your are requesting, can I request another qualifier on a different date, I suspect the answer would be no to me; so is your request just because you are a GM?

Keith Arkell
Posts: 928
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:10 am

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Keith Arkell » Mon Sep 10, 2018 3:55 am

Alan Walton wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 2:53 pm

So Keith what you are really saying that anybody organizing a tournament should check your personal calendar before starting any endeavour
Eh? I'm not sure what that sarcastic little dig is all about! I'm sure I'm far from the only player who would have liked to play but was unable to on the 8th of September!
Alan Walton wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 2:53 pm
it was unfortunate it clashed with Paignton, but looking at that entry list I suspect very little of those players (18 in the Premier) would have entered (actually Michael Fernandez played in Birmingham)
Yes, Michael Fernendez withdrew from Paignton, while in = 2nd place with one round to go, in order to play the Birmingham qualifier; I had the option to leave and do likewise, collecting a zero point bye, and arbiter Jack Rudd may well have also played in the blitz had he had the option. I didn't ask any other players at Paignton.
Alan Walton wrote:
Sun Sep 09, 2018 2:53 pm
if I was also at Paignton, then unavailable for the second event your are requesting, can I request another qualifier on a different date, I suspect the answer would be no to me; so is your request just because you are a GM?


This is plain weird! It is clear I was hoping for a second qualifying date for everybody, not just for GMs.

Paignton has taken place in the first week of September for 60+ consecutive years. It could therefore be hoped that the event qualified as fairly significant in dates to avoid clashing an important new event with.
However, of course I understand that the clash may simply have been unavoidable. I'm now thinking more in terms of future years when I say some disappointment would be avoided, along with less than ideal decisions to switch mid- tournament, à la Michael Fernandez, if we all had a choice of two different qualifying dates - eg 4 qualifiers on one day, and 4 on another.

Incidentally, if you read between the lines, I'm paying the event a compliment by expressing my disappointment that I wasn't able to enter.

Eric Gardiner
Posts: 115
Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:42 am
Location: Hull

Re: New National Blitz event

Post by Eric Gardiner » Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:59 am

Keith is correct; I was also playing in the Premier at Paignton and might have played in one of the blitz events if it hadn't clashed. I think Keith deserves credit for playing the last round when he'd already won the tournament. (If he had withdrawn I would very likely have got a bye rather than a last round game!)

More generally, a choice of dates would seem reasonable but with the restriction that you can only enter one qualifying event.

Post Reply