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Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2016 8:14 pm
by LawrenceCooper
Jim Wadsworth wrote:Matthew lost, finally....... :(

So the match was lost 2.5 - 1.5. Another close one, real shame.
Frustrating, all the best to the team tomorrow.

Coincidentally my Euro Club Cup team last year were also ninth seeds out of 12 and had the same match results round by round as the England team here so I'll predict a drawn match tomorrow.

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 8:49 am
by Jim Wadsworth
Final round today, England vs Turkey A, and finally on a live board.

Hope the Turkey teams aren't too badly affected (personally or emotionally) by what is going on back home....that - alongside the horrendous events in Nice - puts this chess stuff into appropriate context.

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 9:11 am
by Jim Wadsworth
Jim Wadsworth wrote:Matthew lost, finally....... :(
To put some of this into context, with the aid of their various laptops and engines, the boys have looked at both this game (where the Ukrainian IM was 2430 rated) and that with Matthews round 1 opponent (Israeli 2450). Their conclusions are that in both games Matthew made no material mistakes but his opponents simply made perfect move selections throughout.

We were chatting over breakfast this morning and consensus is that the opposition at this event is the most consistently high standard that any of them have faced - maybe in some cases they have faced (even) stronger opponents at other competitions, but in those other competitions they have generally also had some easier games against weaker players from whom they can harvest points. There have been no soft games here.

As a minimum this week will have served as very good preparation for Adam and Matthew who next weekend head off to Denmark to play at the Politiken (now renamed Xtracon), and for Pavel and Akito who are Bournemouth-bound for the British. Over and above that, they all felt they have learnt something; and the three of them who will be eligible again next year (Adam being the exception as he is now 18) all say they'd want to play in the same competition in 2017.

So whilst we are disappointed to be nearer the bottom of the table than the top, and for three of them to be losing rating points, it has been a very positive experience. There have been some close calls - we probably should have won the match against Turkey B, and if I had had more of a crystal ball at a key moment, we would have drawn against Ukraine yesterday.

And don't forget that with todays game to go, Akito is in with a shout at taking home not just 40+ ratings points but also the board 4 gold medal - go Akito!

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 10:10 am
by Mick Norris
Good luck

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 1:07 pm
by Jim Wadsworth

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:19 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
For those watching online, the live boards seem to have got stuck again...for example, Pavel does in fact have an opponent and quite a few moves have been made on his board...

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:21 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
OK they seem to have woken up again now and are reflecting reality, which is nice...

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:28 pm
by LawrenceCooper
Jim Wadsworth wrote:OK they seem to have woken up again now and are reflecting reality, which is nice...
Feel free to continue your commentary though :D

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:34 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Jim Wadsworth wrote:OK they seem to have woken up again now and are reflecting reality, which is nice...
Feel free to continue your commentary though :D
Gee thanks....

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 3:32 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Jim Wadsworth wrote:OK they seem to have woken up again now and are reflecting reality, which is nice...
Feel free to continue your commentary though :D
Since the live boards seem to have got stuck again, I might have to...

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 4:51 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
Unfortunately the live boards are accurate. Boards 2 and 4 have in the last few minutes / moves transitioned from level to worse; and Matthew on board 1 has yet again put himself under time pressure :(

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:15 pm
by John Moore
Jim - Adam's opponent has blown up completely with more than 20 minutes on the clock.

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:35 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
Well this is fun. Adam and Pavel have just won from positions where in both cases they were losing. Adams opponent had a clear win, and then an opportunity to repeat to a draw, and then let Adam fork R & Q with a pawn. Oops. Pavels opponent simply left a R hanging for nothing. Double oops.

To be fair to the Turkish lads they have more important things to think about at the moment. Adams opponent confirmed that his family is OK, which is something...

In contrast, no doubt due to the self-inflicted time pressure Matthew has transitioned from better to worse in the last few. Akito is hanging on in there in a very blocked up position.

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:41 pm
by Jim Wadsworth
And now Matthews opponent is feeling charitable too! A touch of final-round-itis appears to be setting in....

Re: European Youth Team Chess Championships 2016

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:44 pm
by LawrenceCooper
Jim Wadsworth wrote:Well this is fun. Adam and Pavel have just won from positions where in both cases they were losing. Adams opponent had a clear win, and then an opportunity to repeat to a draw, and then let Adam fork R & Q with a pawn. Oops. Pavels opponent simply left a R hanging for nothing. Double oops.
I'm glad you were on hand to confirm it wasn't two malfunctioning boards :)