World Championship Schedule

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Paolo Casaschi
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World Championship Schedule

Post by Paolo Casaschi » Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:50 am

Just looked at the world championship schedule and I noticed that there are 6 rest days, of which 3 fall on a weekend.
I wonder why they decided to have so many rest days over the weekend and why they placed the final game and tie-break on week days.
It looks as if chess attracts a bigger audience during weekdays rather than weekends, with people watching games from their workplace?

Does anyone running chess tournament broadcasts have some data to share?
Is the weekday audience larger than weekend audience?

Roger de Coverly
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Nov 07, 2018 12:51 pm

Paolo Casaschi wrote:
Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:50 am
Is the weekday audience larger than weekend audience?

Ten years ago, the organisers of the 2008 EU Championship in Liverpool reckoned the audience was larger during the week. That was mostly, if not entirely, just plain vanilla relays of the moves.

LawrenceCooper
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by LawrenceCooper » Wed Nov 07, 2018 1:35 pm

Paolo Casaschi wrote:
Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:50 am
Just looked at the world championship schedule and I noticed that there are 6 rest days, of which 3 fall on a weekend.
I wonder why they decided to have so many rest days over the weekend and why they placed the final game and tie-break on week days.
It looks as if chess attracts a bigger audience during weekdays rather than weekends, with people watching games from their workplace?

Does anyone running chess tournament broadcasts have some data to share?
Is the weekday audience larger than weekend audience?
I think the reason is to keep to two games followed by a rest day and it's not possible to work that in with playing on consecutive weekends. I am slightly surprised that they are starting on Friday rather than Saturday though. Presumably neither will be appearing as a wild card at Staverton on Sunday though :wink:

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Wed Nov 07, 2018 1:50 pm

Yes, it is the Friday start which is the oddity which impacts on everything else.

But perhaps online audiences are better on week days?! Many chess players are likely to have jobs which allow them internet access while work, and it may be easier to follow the games at work than with your family hanging around you at the weekend!

Geoff Chandler
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Geoff Chandler » Wed Nov 07, 2018 4:06 pm

Finance?

Maybe it was planned that way because paying security staff weekend rates was crippling.

Anybody any idea how much it cost to hire the venue for the Championship.

Kevin O'Rourke
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Kevin O'Rourke » Wed Nov 07, 2018 4:52 pm

bring back 1993 type of coverage please :-)

Nick Grey
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Nick Grey » Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:50 pm

Is it possible to turn up on the day 9th & buy a ticket at the door?

I have no idea when my Friday meeting will finish (1-2 pm) & the venue is about the same time travelling from my meeting to home.

David Sedgwick
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by David Sedgwick » Wed Nov 07, 2018 6:41 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Wed Nov 07, 2018 1:50 pm
Yes, it is the Friday start which is the oddity which impacts on everything else.
I have no idea whether or not it was a consideration, but I am very pleased that Sunday 11th November 2018 will be a rest day.

Paul Cooksey
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Paul Cooksey » Wed Nov 07, 2018 7:48 pm

Kevin O'Rourke wrote:
Wed Nov 07, 2018 4:52 pm
bring back 1993 type of coverage please :-)
grrr! we live in a golden age when Grischuk and Girr do live commentary and people are longing for the days when Carol Vorderman interrupted Spess whenever he started to analyse!

Alex Holowczak
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Re: World Championship Schedule

Post by Alex Holowczak » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:11 pm

Paolo Casaschi wrote:
Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:50 am
Just looked at the world championship schedule and I noticed that there are 6 rest days, of which 3 fall on a weekend.
I wonder why they decided to have so many rest days over the weekend and why they placed the final game and tie-break on week days.
It looks as if chess attracts a bigger audience during weekdays rather than weekends, with people watching games from their workplace?

Does anyone running chess tournament broadcasts have some data to share?
Is the weekday audience larger than weekend audience?
The reason is that they have two games, then a rest day, then two games, and so on.

Under the 11-round British Championship format, viewing figures were high at the start and tailed off gradually. It's hard to know what the impact on the 9-round format is, because viewing figures are high at the start (the weekend), and the end (because the Championship is still not decided). There wasn't much historic data because the presentation was so poor, and so people may have just given up on it ever working, resulting in an impact on the viewing figures. Then we had the sponsorship which increased the strength of the field. All-in-all, there were too many variables to judge the impact of having four rounds at weekends compared to one.

Niall Doran
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Re: World Championship Schedule

Post by Niall Doran » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:13 pm

Anyone recommend a good site to follow the match? I got an ad in my inbox for online access to the match on the link below for 20 dollars (!), but they hardly have exclusive rights, do they?

https://worldchess.com/paygate

Graham Borrowdale
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Re: world championship schedule

Post by Graham Borrowdale » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:14 pm

Nick Grey wrote:
Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:50 pm
Is it possible to turn up on the day 9th & buy a ticket at the door?

I have no idea when my Friday meeting will finish (1-2 pm) & the venue is about the same time travelling from my meeting to home.
I looked at the TicketMaster website today and there were no tickets available for rounds 1-8, apart from VIP, so I think the answer must be no.

J T Melsom
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Re: World Championship Schedule

Post by J T Melsom » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:34 pm

I'm sure I will have the live coverage on an open tab, but won't be watching that keenly unless the chess is in openings I can relate to, or the commentary is especially illuminating - I enjoy Svidler so this might happen. Interest in live coverage from my perspective depends on finding an interesting game preferably in a system I play, and sometimes on a relationship with those playing. So at the recent 4NCL Congress I kept a closer eye on the fortunes of team-mates from West is Best and the efforts of a prominent forum member, rather than spend much time in the Open section.

Nick Grey
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Re: World Championship Schedule

Post by Nick Grey » Wed Nov 07, 2018 9:08 pm

Thanks Graham. Not expecting a VIP ticket. Perhaps a ticket tout outside. I think I'll give it a miss.
I'm expecting the DfE to explain why they have such a poor provisional education settlement & be too confused to follow chess live but hopefully pick up some analysis on Saturday in the press.
Hopefully someone will start a live coverage Forum thread & I punt that Shreyas will open 1.g4 to make the 1st game interesting.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: World Championship Schedule

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:45 am

"grrr! we live in a golden age when Grischuk and Girr do live commentary and people are longing for the days when Carol Vorderman interrupted Spess whenever he started to analyse!"

However, we did have the exciting moment when Cathy Forbes offered an opinion and said gentleman said, "Shut up Cathy, I'm trying to think." I assume he apologised later, he's normally a very nice guy.

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