So who's going to the British Chess Championships?

[Jonathan Rogers]

yes, yes sine qua non! It means "without which ... not", which you then apply to the context, in this case "without activity, you will not be selected". (And that, as I read your rules, is NOT the current position).

I agree that we should do what we can to encourage more of our top 15 or so women to play; I did not mean to suggest otherwise. The tournament idea sounds excellent. What I meant was rather that many of these players are distracted by other worthy causes, and I think they are more often the problem than funding. But of course if we can find funding for just a couple of good players (for whom lack of funding is the main obstacle) that is still worthwhile.

[LozCooper]

Just to clarify, they aren't my rules, they are the selection criteria to be used by the selectors.

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/index.ph ... &Itemid=28

Lawrence

[Roger de Coverly]

I received today the Programme for this event (presumably as an entrant rather than as a direct member).

It would be tiresome to do an "Edward Winter" and list all the errors - suffice it to say that days of the week in 2009 seem to have become the same as they were in 2008.

[John Upham]

I'm looking for a lift for a seventeen year old male junior on Sunday, July 26th.

He lives in the GU12 post code area. I've sorted a lift for the return journey.

Expenses for fuel etc. will, of course, be offered!

Please PM me if you can help.

J.

[Keith Arkell]

So,stronger or weaker than last year at the top?

We have lost GMs

Pert N
Lalic B
Haslinger
Davies
Flear

But gained GMs

Howell D
Wells
Summerscale

I would argue stronger because the top players who have come back have got better:

Conquest + 36 ELO
Jones + 5
Gordon + 29
Williams + 31
Arkell + 15


Which was the most representative British Ch,from the 80s onwards?

(I say ''most representative'',rather than ''strongest'',because that's less controversial).

1) In terms of the number of active(as defined by FIDE) players from the UK top 10 in the field,and
2) In terms of the number of active(as defined by FIDE) players from the UK top 20 in the field?

[Stewart Reuben]

My gut feeling suggests 1997 sponsored by Smith & Wiiilamson, or 2007 were the most representative using Keith Arkell's criteria.
But, of course why not consider the participation of the non-British Isles players from 1981-2003?
Also English chess is weaker now than in the 1980s.
Stewart Reuben

[Keith Arkell]

Stewart,

I'm not sure there are any simple ways of posing the question if we include none-British Isles players.

I don't believe literally that ''English chess is weaker now than in the 1980s'',even though it is true that the world ranking of our best players is significantly lower.
What I believe is that the standards at and near the top have risen dramatically,and we have failed to match that.This is slightly different.

I think I agree with you about 1997.

[Michele Clack]

I have just been watching the open golf on tv with players competeing from all over the world. I am surprised that the British Chess Championships is a closed event. Can anyone explain why? It would be much more exciting and presumably attract a lot more publicity and sponsorship if it was open.

[Roger de Coverly]

Can anyone explain why?

It's the national championships. In chess, most countries have them.

[Alex Holowczak]

I have just been watching the open golf on tv with players competeing from all over the world. I am surprised that the British Chess Championships is a closed event. Can anyone explain why? It would be much more exciting and presumably attract a lot more publicity and sponsorship if it was open.

Go Tom Watson! </offtopic>

I suppose it's because it's called a "Championship", rather than an "Open". British Championship implies a tournament for British players, whereas The Open Championship implies a tournament open to anyone. So changing the players who might get in may mean changing the name.

The thing the British Championship does have is the Major Open, but I can see the advantage of making the Championship section Open. The Championship was closed even more in 2003 of course, when Commonwealth players were banned to stop the Indians sending a touring party.

Also, The Open Championship developed as it has because it was the first of its kind. It grew simply because it had no rivals. Eventually, it retained its position as being the premier tournament in the world because of its prize money, and also because it's the only time competitive golf is played on a links (despite Americans claiming to have them... they don't, they're not the same as our links). The way they play is so far removed from how they usually would. Never would the players encounter wind or pot bunkers elsewhere.

Conversely, the British Championship was not the first global chess tournament, nor was it the most prestigious event in world chess. It's still the same chess you can see anywhere else in the world. The British Championship developed as a closed championship to British players, so that's the form it took. In those days, "British" meant anyone within the empire, nowadays we view British in a more closed sense. Does the tournament want to deviate though? I suppose that's up to the ECF.

I suppose it depends too, on what the aim of the tournament is. If it's aim is to be a gathering of British players and help to support them and develop them into future GMs, then the current British Championship format fits the bill. If you want a world-leading Open Swiss event, then the structure needs to change. The only way that's going to happen is with money, which at the moment I can't see forthcoming.

[Stewart Reuben]

The British could be open if that was what was wanted. Michael Clack is wrong to think that would lead to a more prestigious event. Alex Holowczak is quite right to say that needs money. In my opinion the current structure is more conducive to getting a sponsor than yet another big Swiss. To compete with Gibraltar would require about £150,000, after all the prize money there in 2010 will be £112,500.

But there is another factor. It is not open. People have to qualify. That helps to popularise Swisses all over the country. You would have to be very certain indeed that sweeping aside many of these smaller events would be to the advantage of British chess before undertaking such a radical step.
Stewart Reuben

[Keith Arkell]

Go Tom Watson!!!!!!!

AS an ex professional gambler though I would say that the winner is Ross Fisher.His wife is expecting.This kind of thing can have a big effect on normal expectation.We saw it in chess when Flear won a big event,way way above his expectation, when his marriage was imminent in 1986.

In my opinion the only player who can interfere with Ross winning is the Goose.....

[Simon Spivack]

The British could be open if that was what was wanted. Michael Clack is wrong to think that would lead to a more prestigious event.

My first teacher at infant school was a Miss Clack. I believe you will find that Michele is a girl.

[Alex Holowczak]

But there is another factor. It is not open. People have to qualify. That helps to popularise Swisses all over the country.

In my opinion, there should be a lot more qualifiers, and the "Grade x at age y for gender z" criteria should be removed.

Go Tom Watson!!!!!!!

AS an ex professional gambler though I would say that the winner is Ross Fisher.His wife is expecting.This kind of thing can have a big effect on normal expectation.We saw it in chess when Flear won a big event,way way above his expectation, when his marriage was imminent in 1986.

In my opinion the only player who can interfere with Ross winning is the Goose.....

Fisher says he'll leave the Championship if he gets the call from his wife. It'll be interesting to see what he does if he gets it if he needs a 4 on the last to win the Championship. It'll be one of Fisher, Goosen or Westwood, they have the experience, and although I'd love Watson to win, I just can't see it.

[Jonathan Bryant]

My first teacher at infant school was a Miss Clack. I believe you will find that Michele is a girl.

Or French.

My first teacher at infacnt school was a Mrs Brangham btw.

Why can I remember that but not what happened yesterday?

In much the same way I can remember the simul game I played against GM Arkel prior to the British in 1989 (a Bd2 French Winawer which I'm sure Keith remembers too) but I'm jiggered if I can keep my current London league games in my head for longer than 24 hours.