4ncl 2022-23

[Nick Ivell]

Maybe Sadler too; he had some hot streaks.

[LawrenceCooper]

Not sure about the most successive wins in division one but I'm claiming the most visits to Warwick Parkway station today (four). Once I heard that local taxi drivers charged £15 for a 2.9 mile journey on Friday I decided to limit my team's contributions today.

[Ian Thompson]

Are you allowing for gaps between appearances? If so, maybe Adams?

Twice, by the look of it - 9 wins in a row between 29 April 2006 and 28 March 2010 and again between 11 February 2012 and 3 May 2014.

[IM Jack Rudd]

On the flip side, what about most losses in a row? I've lost all six games this season.

[LawrenceCooper]

On the flip side, what about most losses in a row? I've lost all six games this season.

You aren't the only one.

[Joey Stewart]

It's quite hard to get a really long loss steak, as invariably you end up offering a draw to someone lower rated just to break it. Takes a lot of commitment to continually motivate yourself to play for the full point and come away with nothing (and a patient captain if you are doing it over multiple seasons)

[Nick Ivell]

Main thing is to play for the win. At least you're a serious player if you're not bottling it.

[LawrenceCooper]

It's quite hard to get a really long loss steak, as invariably you end up offering a draw to someone lower rated just to break it. Takes a lot of commitment to continually motivate yourself to play for the full point and come away with nothing (and a patient captain if you are doing it over multiple seasons)

The way the pairings have been done this year with the top 6 teams playing the bottom 6 teams in the first 6 rounds means there aren't any lower rated opponents until the 4th weekend. The difference in average rating of the opponent between my first and second teams is about 200-300 points per equivalent board.

[Nick Burrows]

SchachAttack gave up an average of 260 points per board to Barbican yet came very close to winning. It finished 4-4, with me blowing a drawn endgame in time pressure and Koichi winning deep into his game, saved by resourceful defence from his opponent. Still, a fantastic result that we were all delighted with.

[Joey Stewart]

On the subject of big rating gaps what are the general thoughts about the new chess.com team that has appeared recently - are they seen as a new challenge to shake up the league or more as a mercenary squad trying to buy success against the spirit of the 4ncl?

[Richard Bates]

On the flip side, what about most losses in a row? I've lost all six games this season.

You aren't the only one.

It really is a terrible format. Let’s hope they rethink for next year.

But my 0.5/6 would probably have been representative regardless of the opposition…

[LawrenceCooper]

On the subject of big rating gaps what are the general thoughts about the new chess.com team that has appeared recently - are they seen as a new challenge to shake up the league or more as a mercenary squad trying to buy success against the spirit of the 4ncl?

Manx Liberty have been in the league since 2015-16 so we are well used to them by now. There is a certain irony to chess.com & chessable potentially battling it out for the title though.

[Nick Burrows]

On the subject of big rating gaps what are the general thoughts about the new chess.com team that has appeared recently - are they seen as a new challenge to shake up the league or more as a mercenary squad trying to buy success against the spirit of the 4ncl?

Division 1 is a professional/semi-professional/league, so any sponsor providing a means for chess players to earn a living is a good thing and not against the "spirit" at all.

[Jonathan Rogers]

SchachAttack gave up an average of 260 points per board to Barbican yet came very close to winning. It finished 4-4, with me blowing a drawn endgame in time pressure and Koichi winning deep into his game, saved by resourceful defence from his opponent. Still, a fantastic result that we were all delighted with.

The 260 points per board excludes board eight (which SchachAttack won), but even so 3/7 (which could indeed have been more) against opposition 260 points higher was also very good. Well done to you all.

Mind you, I had played through some of your team's games from earlier this season, and I was not quite so surprised. Yours is a very good example of a second division team with players who for one reason or another have seemingly not played much international chess and have low ratings but certainly know what they are doing. It is all part of why the second division can be so unpredictable.

My only complaint is that you did not play like that against Barnet Knights!

[Keith Arkell]

Impressive ...!

It would have to be a div 1 record, if anything. Greet made 11/11 in one season in div 2 (2005/6) and David Coleman made eight in a row in 2008/9, albeit mixing div 2 games with div 1 games.

I take your point about excluding board eight, but by a similar token it might be said that you have not met fully representative div 1 opposition, since the first six rounds of your season have all been against the lesser sides, some of which are hardly stronger than many div 2 sides.

Unlikely, but I wouldn't be wholly surprised if Hebden matched eight wins when playing on a higher board for Beeson Gregory in 2000/1!

Are you allowing for gaps between appearances? If so, maybe Adams?

Anyway my 8 game winning streak, achieved on boards 3 to 5, ended on Sunday when I 'only' drew.

The 8 opponents were:

WGM Toma 2438
GM Davies 2462
IM Cyfka 2380
Robertson 2161
Stoyanov 2256
Blackburn 2169
Li 2099
Webb 2274