Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

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Andrew Camp
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Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Andrew Camp » Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:32 pm

Anyone going? Imogen has been selected for Cheshire and NW Under 14s even though she's only 9. Will be a good experience for her.
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Alex Holowczak
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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:42 pm

Warwickshire are fielding two teams, one in the Under 18 and one in the Under 14. The Under 14 team is struggling because out strong players are Under 11, and it's the open day of one of the grammar schools in the area... so that's half the team gone. :(

Our Under 18 team has a chance though; our board 8 has a grade of 144. Berkshire, Surrey, Kent etc. will be strong, but we have a chance; Warwickshire were 3rd in the one in Surrey in June, and were missing two players playing on Saturday.

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Neill Cooper » Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:00 pm

Alex Holowczak wrote:Berkshire, Surrey, Kent etc. will be strong, but we have a chance.
I don't think there will be any Surrey teams there

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:14 pm

Neill Cooper wrote:
Alex Holowczak wrote:Berkshire, Surrey, Kent etc. will be strong, but we have a chance.
I don't think there will be any Surrey teams there
Wow, OK. That's surprising, but I imagine most will end up playing for Kent...

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Neill Cooper » Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:53 pm

Alex Holowczak wrote:Wow, OK. That's surprising, but I imagine most will end up playing for Kent...
No it is not surprising - Surrey have only played played at NYCA in the past 4 years.
And No - Kent have a very successful U18 team some of whom are eligible for Surrey but at the ECF U18 Jamboree they played for Kent anyway. There may be one or two others at NYCA.

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:58 pm

Neill Cooper wrote:
Alex Holowczak wrote:Wow, OK. That's surprising, but I imagine most will end up playing for Kent...
No it is not surprising - Surrey have only played played at NYCA in the past 4 years.
And No - Kent have a very successful U18 team some of whom are eligible for Surrey but at the ECF U18 Jamboree they played for Kent anyway. There may be one or two others at NYCA.
Fair enough. I guess that's more of a chance for the rest of us!

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Michael Jones » Tue Sep 21, 2010 10:11 pm

Any sign of a team from Lincolnshire?

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Robert Dale » Sat Sep 25, 2010 6:41 pm

Michael Jones wrote:Any sign of a team from Lincolnshire?
Hope today's tournament went well.

No Lincolnshire U18 team, I'm afraid. I organise occasional U18 tournaments, and have in the past got a team together for ECF U18 championships, but last year even that proved impossible, because there were not enough players willing to travel that distance. Will try harder in the future!

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Alex Holowczak » Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:43 pm

I can't remember who won, but Warwickshire came third in the Under 18s. My board 2 and 3 were in the same car - which broke down en route to Telford. :cry:

Scoring 6/8 in round 1 to lead (we defaulted 2 and 3 thinking they were coming), we then transferred two Under 14s to the Under 18 team to try to save the day. Shame really, I think we would have won otherwise. :cry:

We were also hindered by a 10.2 claim going against us. Our player turned a drawish position at the time of the claim into a position where pieces had been exchanged, and had an attack that had rooks on the sixth and seventh ranks, and was about to win a pawn. If that's not progress... :shock:

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Andrew Camp » Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:43 pm

Congratulation Cheshire and North Wales Under 18s. Fabulous result.

And my little girl, Imogen aged 9 played for the under 14s and scored 3.5 out of 4. :D
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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Nick Thomas » Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:02 am

Alex Holowczak wrote:I can't remember who won, but Warwickshire came third in the Under 18s. My board 2 and 3 were in the same car - which broke down en route to Telford. :cry:

Scoring 6/8 in round 1 to lead (we defaulted 2 and 3 thinking they were coming), we then transferred two Under 14s to the Under 18 team to try to save the day. Shame really, I think we would have won otherwise. :cry:

We were also hindered by a 10.2 claim going against us. Our player turned a drawish position at the time of the claim into a position where pieces had been exchanged, and had an attack that had rooks on the sixth and seventh ranks, and was about to win a pawn. If that's not progress... :shock:
Well done for organising the team Alex. This latest 10.2 (seeming) fiasco doesn't surprise me. I remember 2 of these in my tenure as Junior organiser/manager which cost us titles. One was dubious at best and the other a rage against logical thought. It doesn't seem to make any difference how many times this silly rule is debated, it just seems too hard for some people to grasp.

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Michael Jones » Sun Sep 26, 2010 2:00 pm

Robert Dale wrote:
Michael Jones wrote:Any sign of a team from Lincolnshire?
Hope today's tournament went well.

No Lincolnshire U18 team, I'm afraid. I organise occasional U18 tournaments, and have in the past got a team together for ECF U18 championships, but last year even that proved impossible, because there were not enough players willing to travel that distance. Will try harder in the future!
Thanks, nice to know Lincs schools chess hasn't entirely died out! The south Lincs secondary schools' league stopped running about 5 years ago when Ralph Hewes retired after goodness knows how many years of running it, and no-one else could be found to take it on; I don't think the annual team tournament has taken place for a while either. Joe Millington, my old teacher at Spalding GS, reports that he still has plenty of kids playing at lunchtimes, but can't remember the last time they played a competitive match. It's sad really.

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Neill Cooper » Sun Sep 26, 2010 3:47 pm

Michael Jones wrote:Joe Millington, my old teacher at Spalding GS, reports that he still has plenty of kids playing at lunchtimes, but can't remember the last time they played a competitive match. It's sad really.
Encourage him to enter the National Schools tournament. A lot of school do just to get some games, not because they are strong. http://www.sccu.ndo.co.uk/schoolschamps.htm lists all of last year's entries - I think the closest were Grantham, Louth, Kings Lynn. This year's entry form can be found at http://www.sccu.ndo.co.uk/entries2010-11.doc

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Wilf Arnold » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:46 am

by Nick Thomas » Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:02 am
Alex Holowczak wrote:I can't remember who won, but Warwickshire came third in the Under 18s. My board 2 and 3 were in the same car - which broke down en route to Telford. :cry:

Scoring 6/8 in round 1 to lead (we defaulted 2 and 3 thinking they were coming), we then transferred two Under 14s to the Under 18 team to try to save the day. Shame really, I think we would have won otherwise. :cry:

We were also hindered by a 10.2 claim going against us. Our player turned a drawish position at the time of the claim into a position where pieces had been exchanged, and had an attack that had rooks on the sixth and seventh ranks, and was about to win a pawn. If that's not progress... :shock:
Well done for organising the team Alex. This latest 10.2 (seeming) fiasco doesn't surprise me. I remember 2 of these in my tenure as Junior organiser/manager which cost us titles. One was dubious at best and the other a rage against logical thought. It doesn't seem to make any difference how many times this silly rule is debated, it just seems too hard for some people to grasp.
Maybe the arbiter could've used his discretion and scored it 0.5 - 1? :twisted:

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Re: Junior County Finals, Telford, 25th Sep

Post by Michael Jones » Mon Sep 27, 2010 2:55 pm

Neill Cooper wrote:
Michael Jones wrote:Joe Millington, my old teacher at Spalding GS, reports that he still has plenty of kids playing at lunchtimes, but can't remember the last time they played a competitive match. It's sad really.
Encourage him to enter the National Schools tournament. A lot of school do just to get some games, not because they are strong. http://www.sccu.ndo.co.uk/schoolschamps.htm lists all of last year's entries - I think the closest were Grantham, Louth, Kings Lynn. This year's entry form can be found at http://www.sccu.ndo.co.uk/entries2010-11.doc
Is that what used to be the Times competition? We entered that when I was at the school (early 2000s) so if so I'm not sure why they've stopped since.

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