Hastings13-14

[David Robertson]

Hugely impressive wins with Black in Rd 8 by the GM warhorses, Hebden & Gormally - 91 moves, the former; and 78 moves, the latter (unfinished as I write, but White is toast). Both games worth scrutiny as exercises in how to eke out a win.

[oh! it now says Gormally lost in 75. Perplexed!]

[LawrenceCooper]

Hugely impressive wins with Black in Rd 8 by the GM warhorses, Hebden & Gormally - 91 moves, the former; and 78 moves, the latter (unfinished as I write, but White is toast). Both games worth scrutiny as exercises in how to eke out a win.

I'm assuming that the 1-0 on the Radovanovic-Gormally board is an error

[Jonathan Rogers]

Finish this sentence

"That it should be the retired Peter Sowray who has chances to make a norm tomorrow rather than any of the much scrutinised promising juniors in the field is in its own way highly reflective of English chess because ..."

[AustinElliott]

The Gormally game is still showing on the website as losing, as are the results and the rd 9 pairings.

Anyone know the full story...?

[John Saunders]

Danny Gormally lost on time according to an email from the congress I received earlier.

[AustinElliott]

Danny Gormally lost on time according to an email from the congress I received earlier.

Time seemed to be the only likely explanation, but with the increment losses on time seem to be rare(r) these days?

Anyway, tragic for him as he had a won position and it would have put him in the joint lead...

[David Robertson]

How odd.

The moves I saw 'played' from the alleged final position were:

76. Rxd2 Nxd2; 77. Nd4+ Kf2!; 78. Nxf5 Ne4 and White is a pawn up but zugged to death

[David Robertson]

Finish this sentence

"That it should be the retired Peter Sowray who has chances to make a norm tomorrow rather than any of the much scrutinised promising juniors in the field is in its own way highly reflective of English chess because ..."

Our entire informed community needs to complete the sentence, having first discussed the matter in measured and objective terms. Hhmm...

Anyway, I couldn't watch everything. But I did give some time to:

* Brewer-McPhillips (Rd 6) where I was startled to learn that Callum Brewer is a 12yo. He looked to have Joe McPhillips (15yo) positionally well stitched-up at one point. But Black made the most of the nothing he had, and won cleverly in the end.

* McPhillips-Radovanovic (Rd 5) where McPhillips was simply outplayed in a good game, even though Radovanovic missed his knock-out (...Qb7!, not ...Bc5)

[Roger de Coverly]

"That it should be the retired Peter Sowray who has chances to make a norm tomorrow rather than any of the much scrutinised promising juniors in the field is in its own way highly reflective of English chess because ..."

I thought he already had enough Norms and just needed to boost his rating to 2400

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... -2013.html

[AustinElliott]

Peter Sowray isn't really retired, is he??! He's only two and a bit years older than me...! I remember him dishing out a couple of comprehensive chess thrashings to me when I was a 16/17 yr old junior playing for Cowley in the Oxford League in the late 70s, and he was an undergraduate playing for the Oxford Uni team(s).

I suppose some people DO retire at 55... at least the lucky ones. In contrast, having foolishly had children in my mid 40s I shall doubtless be working until I get sacked, or drop dead. Hence the need to join the chess club to have somewhere quiet to retreat to one night a week.

[Stewart Reuben]

Peter indeed has enough norms for the IM title and is seeking to get his rating to 2400.
Whether he is retired depends on your definition of the word. If you think the only way in life it to have a full-time salaried poition, then you are correct. If, on the other hand, you realise that there are other ways of making a living than having a boss, you are incorrect.
I retired as a schoolteacher in 1979 when I was 40. I am now retired because I am no longer able to win at poker.
Peter Sowray has managed his life as he wants. Luck has nothing to do with it. I am dismayed if Austin really thinks he was foolish to have children. I hope he is joking.

As the century progresses, fewer and fewer people will have conventional jobs. There are about 8 such English players on the top 12 boards in the 9th round of the Hastings Masters.

[Peter Sowray]

Kindly desist.

[John Moore]

Live Boards 9-20 don't appear to be working - at least not on my PC.

[LawrenceCooper]

Live Boards 9-20 don't appear to be working - at least not on my PC.

Nothing here either

[LawrenceCooper]

Now working