World Junior 2015

[Mick Norris]

Mick,
I cannot access the game on the site given. Can you let me know the players so that I might be able to find it elsewhere?

Matthew

I see John & Roger have beaten me to it

I linked to the site because I thought Dennis' brief notes were interesting (to someone at my level, probably not at yours)

I have noted Jorden Van Foreest for a while, interested to see when he gets the GM title, and part of the wonder as to how the Dutch keep producing strong players (although I guess the answer is the junior structure of teaching chess, if I read Richard James correctly)

[LawrenceCooper]

Wins for both Amy and Ezra today in round 10 leaving them on 4 and 3.5 respectively.

[Brian Towers]

Has Ezra had some kind of health problem? His plunge to 1/6 included losses to players graded almost 200 points lower. His best win has been against an 1832 and will be recorded on the FIDE rating site with an asterisk to indicate a more than 400 point rating difference. Don't try and tell me this is all down to his opponents wearing sponsored t-shirts!

[LawrenceCooper]

A win for Ezra and a loss for Amy leaving the scores after 11 rounds as Ezra on 4.5 and Amy 4.

[John McKenna]

Has Ezra had some kind of health problem? His plunge to 1/6 included losses to players graded almost 200 points lower. His best win has been against an 1832 and will be recorded on the FIDE rating site with an asterisk to indicate a more than 400 point rating difference. Don't try and tell me this is all down to his opponents wearing sponsored t-shirts!

It could be more of a case of what the pairings served up and what backup is available to the opponents.

During those first six rounds - one Azeri GM 2500+, two 2400+ IMs one Turkish, one Swedish. The "losses to players graded almost 200 points lower" were against two 2100+ players, one French and one Belgian in rounds 4 & 5 (those two countries each have 3 male competitors in the Open). In the last five rounds Ezra Kirk has scored +3,=1,-1 (the loss was to a Ukranian 2300+).

I believe it is better to be represented than not and that Ezra and Amy should be thanked for their efforts in what is a very prestigious event with some quite formidable opposition.

[LawrenceCooper]

A last round win for Ezra and a draw for Amy means that Ezra finishes on 5.5 and Amy on 4.5.

[Tim Harding]

Looks like Duda will draw and tie with Antipov.
What is the tiebreak rule?

[Mick Norris]

9.4 Tie-breaks: If two or more players are tied, the following tie-breaks will be used:
a. Result of direct encounters between the tied players (applies only if all tied players
have played each other);
b. Buchholz Cut 1;
c. Buchholz;
d. The greater number of games played with black;
e. The greater number of wins.

9.5 The silver and bronze medalists of both categories (open/boys U20 and girls U20)
receive the IM and WIM titles respectively.

[Tim Harding]

So Antipov has got it on tiebreak 3. A very lucky lad as Rambaldi was crushing him until move 32 today.

[Mick Norris]

chess.com report

which contains an interesting point relevant to recent discussions about tiebreaks

Antipov and Duda finished tied with 10.0/13 and had to go to three tiebreaks to decide the gold medal. According to the regulations, the first tiebreak was head-to-head. Since the two players drew in round 8, the arbiter moved on to Buchholz (Cut 1). This meant each player was awarded exactly the final score of his opponents that he beat and half the final score of those he drew, while "cutting" the bottom score. Amazingly, both players ended up precisely on 96 points, despite Antipov losing a game and Duda going unbeaten!
The tertiary method was needed, whereby the excised score was added back, and this allow Antipov to win by a mere point (103.0-102.0). After a fortnight of play with only one rest day, Duda's round four opponent, a 6.0 point-scorer, cost him the title. Antipov's lowest-scoring opponent garnered 7.0 points. Still, that's perhaps better than going to the fourth tiebreak -- most turns with Black!

It doesn't seem a sensible way to decide a world title (and if they had both been untitled, unlikely I know, would it have given 1 the GM title and the other the IM title?)

[MartinCarpenter]

Its thoroughly stupid really. Really not even entirely obvious why they even feel the need to tie break a swiss event. Just share the title. Oh well