England teams for 2011 European Team Championship

[Mick Norris]

David Sedgwick has posted the Swiss Pairing Rules on page 4 of this thread if you want to download them and check

Meanwhile, here is Shirov's first round game:
http://www.thechessmind.net/storage/che ... ch2011.htm

It is his last appearance for Spain before he switches back to playing for Latvia

[Sean Hewitt]

Anyone know why Ireland are not there? Did they not qualify or just not send a team?

The Ireland team at the Europeans would have had to bear their own costs. They advertised for volunteers but there were not 4 people rated over 2000 (the ICU's stipulation) who expressed an interest, so no team was sent.

[Mick Norris]

8 England Rtg - 4 Armenia Rtg 0 : 0
8.1 GM Adams Michael 2734 - GM Aronian Levon 2802
8.2 GM Short Nigel D 2698 - GM Movsesian Sergei 2710
8.3 GM Jones Gawain C B 2635 - GM Akopian Vladimir 2681
8.4 GM Pert Nicholas 2563 - GM Sargissian Gabriel 2671

[Mick Norris]

23 Italy Rtg - 22 England Rtg 0 : 0
14.1 IM Zimina Olga 2338 - IM Houska Jovanka 2415
14.2 WIM Brunello Marina 2221 - IM Ciuksyte Dagne 2327
14.3 Messina Roberta 1964 - WFM Yurenok Maria S 2106
14.4 Panella Fiammetta 2014 - WFM Bhatia Kanwal K 2087

[Alex Holowczak]

David Sedgwick has posted the Swiss Pairing Rules on page 4 of this thread if you want to download them and check

I hadn't seen that. I wish I'd found them 12 hours ago...

[Mark Howitt]

Annoyed at losing to Greece and now we get Armenia... I predict another loss, but would be very happy with a draw.

[Matthew Turner]

I am not sure that Mark's logic makes sense because Armenia are probably much more upset about losing a game with a lot of historic significance. Still, I think it will be a struggle for England today, a lot might depend on how Short responds to yesterday's disaster. If he feels that a quick draw against a higher rated player is a good result then I think that might bode badly for the the team as a whole. If he slugs it out then you never know.

[Mark Howitt]

I think Armenia are professional enough not to get too upset... if they are 'angry' they might well take it out on England- although not in a knockout way! I think Adams and Pert will have problems- if England manage an even score in those two games then they have reasonable chances of drawing the match.

[Paul Cooksey]

Armenia a tremendously tough tie. Here is a really depressing assessment to drag the rest of you down with me

1. Aronian-Adams. Adams is solid with black. But Aronian is a 2800 superstar and usually performs well for Armenian.
2. Short- Movsesian. Movsesian is a renowned theoretician in the Sicilian. Dr Short's record with white against him is +0 =3 -2. Not who he'd choose to see after yesterday's battering.
3. Akopian-Jones. Jones has a very ambitious black repertoire, and Akopian is also uncompromising. The least likely game to be drawn, so you have to favour the higher rated player with white
4. Pert-Sargissian. Pert is heavily outrated, and Aronian's second Sargissian has put up some astonishing performances when off the leash at team events. (10/11 at Turin, a >3000 rating performance). Even with white, a very difficult game for Pert.

I'm glad to see a match against a top side at the weekend. But we are huge underdogs. I wouldn't be embarrassed by 1-3 and the hope of bouncing back against a couple of the lower seeded teams.

[LozCooper]

Armenia a tremendously tough tie. Here is a really depressing assessment to drag the rest of you down with me

1. Aronian-Adams. Adams is solid with black. But Aronian is a 2800 superstar and usually performs well for Armenian.
2. Short- Movsesian. Movsesian is a renowned theoretician in the Sicilian. Dr Short's record with white against him is +0 =3 -2. Not who he'd choose to see after yesterday's battering.
3. Akopian-Jones. Jones has a very ambitious black repertoire, and Akopian is also uncompromising. The least likely game to be drawn, so you have to favour the higher rated player with white
4. Pert-Sargissian. Pert is heavily outrated, and Aronian's second Sargissian has put up some astonishing performances when off the leash at team events. (10/11 at Turin, a >3000 rating performance). Even with white, a very difficult game for Pert.

I'm glad to see a match against a top side at the weekend. But we are huge underdogs. I wouldn't be embarrassed by 1-3 and the hope of bouncing back against a couple of the lower seeded teams.

The colours are opposite to those you quote, we even had to be given a double white to enable us to be paired with Armenia

[Paul Cooksey]

[Mick Norris]

Paul

Perhaps you would like to comment now the games are underway

[Paul Cooksey]

Perhaps you would like to comment now the games are underway

I'm surprised to see a DERLD from Adams, I don't recall seeing him or anyone else play it recently. But not lines I play with either colour, so open to correction. Mickey must be a bit better, but I imagine Aronian feels fairly comfortable.

Movsesian seems to have taken my advice and played the Sicilian against Short, notwithstanding having the white pieces. That said, Black looks at least ok to me there. My opinion doubtless biased by a couple of my own recent incompetent and unsuccessful attempts to play h4-h5 with white in similar positions.

I'd guess white has a normal slight edge on boards 3 and 4, but suspect the players are all well prepared in these lines, so more to see later.

[Jonathan Rogers]

A different ageing FM writes -

It's ok so far, principally because Movsesian seems to have been experimenting - why he thought that it was profitable to play h5, I have no idea. There is now no obvious plan of attack and his pieces look unco-ordinated. I agree with the computers who prefer Black.

Clearly Armenia need to make a plus score on the bottom two boards - they would have been intending that even without taking into account Movsesian's mess and without noting our underperformance on these boards thus far. But White has just the usual "White plus" on both boards thus far, I think.

(Since writing I see that Paul has replied and that we have similar views. I haven't see Adams play DERLD before either, but note his successes with an early Bxc6 in some anti-Sicilian lines, including v Kramnik some ten or so years ago)

[Paul Cooksey]

Akopian has played a very interesting exchange sac against Jones. I can't imagine that was an entirely objective decision, equal parts playing flat out for the win, wanting to have the initiative, and not wanting Jones to have the initiative I guess.