England teams for 2011 European Team Championship

[benedgell]

England Women's team 2-1 down with Yurenok- Ohme still in progress.

[Jonathan Rogers]

yes, quite a few mini-surprises at the top mean that competition is still very open. Germany and France doing well so far, in both cases on account of reliable point scoring on board four.

Our ladies are 1-2 down to Germany (board four has turned out well for Germany there too). It always seems to be Maria who is last to finish!

[Mark Howitt]

I'd imagine it may be harder to raise fees from the taxpayers if this trend of results continues...

Hopefully England will have some easier games now!

[Jonathan Rogers]

I'd imagine it may be harder to raise fees from the taxpayers if this trend of results continues...

What are you talking about?!

[Jonathan Rogers]

Germany have beaten England 3-1 in the ladies. All our ladies matches have folowed the same pattern, 3-1 results with two wins and two draws but we have only been on the right side once.

Tough old competition - 6 individual wins from 32 games so far and we will of course miss any wins that occur over the next two days or so on the live games.

[Mark Howitt]

I'm talking about the compulsory membership fee that players would have to pay for the massive honour of getting games graded by the ECF. Thankfully, I live in Yorkshire so wouldn't have to pay it if I did play OTB chess atm.

Israel are a decent team, and I'm sure England will beat weaker ones, but we're lacking the ability to compete with and beat top teams currently.

[Michael Yeo]

Alex has probably worked this out already, but it looks as though both England Men and Women might be playing Lithuania next.

[Michael Yeo]

Well, I was half right. England Women are playing Croatia instead, which will be quite tough.

[Mick Norris]

Pairings here
http://www.chess-results.com/tnr57856.a ... ES&flag=30

and here
http://www.chess-results.com/tnr57855.a ... ES&flag=30

[Jonathan Rogers]

I'm talking about the compulsory membership fee that players would have to pay for the massive honour of getting games graded by the ECF.

But

1) the teams are sponsored at the moment, not funded by ECF members

2) in any event, do ECF members really take the stance that "we'll pay for a team that does well, but not one that will not?" Countries that do that will never develop strong teams.

Israel are a decent team, and I'm sure England will beat weaker ones, but we're lacking the ability to compete with and beat top teams currently.

It has to be said that our win v Bulgaria two years ago was the last win against (say) a top ten side for quite some time - and that was largely influenced by a mobile phone default! But our close encounters with Azerbaijan in 2008 and Armenia yesterday (drawn matches, with us looking more like winning) make it pretty clear that we can at least compete with the best teams.

[Roger de Coverly]

2) in any event, do ECF members really take the stance that "we'll pay for a team that does well, but not one that will not?"

Individual members of the ECF are never directly asked their opinions on anything, other than the ECF player of the year and questionnaires completed by players at the British.

Council, representing organisational membership of the ECF did however express this opinion in April as reported by the SCCU website. http://www.sccu.ndo.co.uk/bcf.htm

Someone said we could remove the deficit at a stroke by cutting out our International activity for one year. That is, by sending no team to the European Championship. Council did not adopt this suggestion. By 17 votes to 3 it left the budget provision as it was but ruled that no fees should be paid to players out of the budget unless sponsorship could be found enabling us to send the strongest team possible.

As the teams in Greece are at or near full strength, I imagine the "no fee" provision was not invoked. Presumably also the sponsors wish to remain anonymous.

[Alex Holowczak]

Alex has probably worked this out already, but it looks as though both England Men and Women might be playing Lithuania next.

For what it's worth...

I was having a meal with Dave Thomas and Neville Belinfante in Birmingham (don't ask...) at the time you wrote this, and was using my phone to look at the result of England-Israel and work out the pairings. I said to them that we'd lost to Israel, and that we'd be playing Lithuania next. So yes, I had worked it out already.

[Sean Hewitt]

I was having a meal with Dave Thomas and Neville Belinfante in Birmingham

Three arbiters walk into a bar...

[Mick Norris]

13.1 GM Adams Michael 2734 - GM Sulskis Sarunas 2577
13.2 GM Howell David W L 2633 - IM Zagorskis Darius 2497
13.3 GM Jones Gawain C B 2635 - IM Labeckas Kestutis 2410
13.4 GM Pert Nicholas 2563 - Klabis Rokas 2100

[Mick Norris]

12.1 IM Houska Jovanka 2415 - WGM Golubenko Valentina 2293
12.2 IM Ciuksyte Dagne 2327 - WIM Franciskovic Borka 2280
12.3 WFM Bhatia Kanwal K 2087 - WGM Medic Mirjana 2236
12.4 WFM Hegarty Sarah N 2060 - WIM Jelica Mara 2234