British Championship Congress 2019

Debate directly related to English Chess Federation matters.
Alex Holowczak
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:12 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 3:39 pm
Mr Palliser should probably have his entry fee returned. He could not be blamed if he chose to withdraw.
I am certain the ECF will have no problem at all refunding the exorbitant entry fee that he, as an IM, had to pay in order to take part in the Championship.

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Michael Farthing
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Michael Farthing » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:22 pm

I've just been trawling through Tim Spanton's blog site in search of (what I believed was) a promised map of Ireland. I was getting really really puzzled.
Can I suggest to Tim that his link goes into his signature so that those of us with little brain don't get confused.

Image

[Though in fairness I did enjoy the blog..]

Edit: Sorry about this, I was a whole page behind without realising and this refers to something long gone. Trouble is I can't delete 'cos John Moore posted so quickly after me!
Last edited by Michael Farthing on Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.

John Moore
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by John Moore » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:26 pm

Presumably, Alex thinks that this is a clever way of pointing out that IMs get free entry - provided, of course, that they entered early enough.

John Moore
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by John Moore » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:42 pm

Howell-Smith. Black has now produced the remarkable idea of 19 ..Qh8 and 20 ..Kg8. May not be all that good but it's certainly a novel way of activating the Queen.

Michael - I am sure that no apology is necessary. Your bear is well worth preserving.

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JustinHorton
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:42 pm

Top board interesting as Ravi has played one of those systems against Mickey's 1 e4 e5 - in this instance the Scotch Four Knights - in which Black can equalise happily enough, but can't really get much play without straying onto iffy territory. That's nevertheless the way he's gone, and after White's sixteenth the computer gives him a chunky enough edge.
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Alistair Campbell
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Alistair Campbell » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:45 pm

Michael Farthing wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:22 pm
I've just been trawling through Tim Spanton's blog site in search of (what I believed was) a promised map of Ireland. I was getting really really puzzled.
Can I suggest to Tim that his link goes into his signature so that those of us with little brain don't get confused.

Image

[Though in fairness I did enjoy the blog..]

Edit: Sorry about this, I was a whole page behind without realising and this refers to something long gone. Trouble is I can't delete 'cos John Moore posted so quickly after me!
I was similarly confused. And additionally confused by you posting what is not the most accurate map of Ireland I've ever seen. But it does illustrate the point - whilst much of the bear's head is Northern Ireland, and hence part of the UK, the ears are in County Donegal which is part of "the South" (albeit still in Ulster). Hopefully that's cleared everything up.

Alistair Campbell
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Alistair Campbell » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:51 pm

John Upham wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:47 pm
Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:00 am
"If Andrew Smith doesn't do a Bobby Fischer, I will eat my hat"

In a nice sense I hope! I'm not that optimistic of 100 %, but he is a dangerous opponent, full of good ideas.
For your amusement I attach



The position after 22...Qxh1 is optically spectacular !
Nice! That position may belong here (And vice versa)

John Moore
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by John Moore » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:55 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:42 pm
Top board interesting as Ravi has played one of those systems against Mickey's 1 e4 e5 - in this instance the Scotch Four Knights - in which Black can equalise happily enough, but can't really get much play without straying onto iffy territory. That's nevertheless the way he's gone, and after White's sixteenth the computer gives him a chunky enough edge.
I am sure that Rogers J pointed out eons ago that one of Mickey's issues was not having an alternative defence to 1 e4.

Nick Burrows
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Nick Burrows » Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:56 pm

Andy Stoker wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:30 pm
"Death ray Palliser"
How many consecutive defaults would the arbiters accept before calling the police?

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JustinHorton
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:05 pm

Well Louis Mazzini got right through to the prizegiving, as I recall
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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John Moore
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by John Moore » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:14 pm

Haria-Adams agreed drawn.

NickFaulks
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by NickFaulks » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:26 pm

Do the live games on the official site show clock times?
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PeterFarr
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by PeterFarr » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:34 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:05 pm
Well Louis Mazzini got right through to the prizegiving, as I recall
... but then made a fatal error.

Jonathan Rogers
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:00 pm

John Moore wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:55 pm
JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:42 pm
Top board interesting as Ravi has played one of those systems against Mickey's 1 e4 e5 - in this instance the Scotch Four Knights - in which Black can equalise happily enough, but can't really get much play without straying onto iffy territory. That's nevertheless the way he's gone, and after White's sixteenth the computer gives him a chunky enough edge.
I am sure that Rogers J pointed out eons ago that one of Mickey's issues was not having an alternative defence to 1 e4.
Probably, one can hardly miss it. Not sure I have seen him play anything else, not even his 1980s/early 1990s Caro-Kann, this century!

It may or may not be a good idea at the elite level. Wins as well as losses after all, and it wasn't all that long ago that he beat Caruana with the Berlin. And wins v both Howell and Jones in recent British Chs; understandably they try to play "proper" main lines against him too.

But against the sub 2600s, there is a very obvious risk that White players, very happy to draw, will play some lines which give Black little scope for safely playing for a win. Perhaps the best try has been 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exf4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Bd2, as played successfully for safe draw by Nick Pert a few years ago, and was also played by Jack in the first round this year - and here, after Adams tried to mix things, Jack had a great chance according to SF, before going on to lose. So today's game follows a pattern; and if Adams were to say what he likes least about playing the British, it would probably precisely be playing Black against lower rated players who have worked out what to do against him.

Richard Bates
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Re: British Championship Congress 2019

Post by Richard Bates » Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:30 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:00 pm
John Moore wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:55 pm
JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:42 pm
Top board interesting as Ravi has played one of those systems against Mickey's 1 e4 e5 - in this instance the Scotch Four Knights - in which Black can equalise happily enough, but can't really get much play without straying onto iffy territory. That's nevertheless the way he's gone, and after White's sixteenth the computer gives him a chunky enough edge.
I am sure that Rogers J pointed out eons ago that one of Mickey's issues was not having an alternative defence to 1 e4.
Probably, one can hardly miss it. Not sure I have seen him play anything else, not even his 1980s/early 1990s Caro-Kann, this century!

It may or may not be a good idea at the elite level. Wins as well as losses after all, and it wasn't all that long ago that he beat Caruana with the Berlin. And wins v both Howell and Jones in recent British Chs; understandably they try to play "proper" main lines against him too.

But against the sub 2600s, there is a very obvious risk that White players, very happy to draw, will play some lines which give Black little scope for safely playing for a win. Perhaps the best try has been 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exf4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Bd2, as played successfully for safe draw by Nick Pert a few years ago, and was also played by Jack in the first round this year - and here, after Adams tried to mix things, Jack had a great chance according to SF, before going on to lose. So today's game follows a pattern; and if Adams were to say what he likes least about playing the British, it would probably precisely be playing Black against lower rated players who have worked out what to do against him.
Hasn’t exactly handicapped him unduly in the past, though.

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