English Chess Forum

Best wishes for the August update all.

I have noticed that now the July 2020 grades have been published
the Blackpool Chess Conference 2020 games appear not to have been graded

Are they likely to be included when the August 2020 list is published?

Looks like the Blackpool games haven’t been submitted for grading.

I presume there is no reason why they *shouldn't* be?

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:24 pm

Of course, data for the January 2021 list could be still more scanty even if there has been the start of a return to OTB chess by then.

I assume that both monthly gradings and conversion to Elo numbers have been shelved until there is at least a vague return to normality?

Let me add... peoples ability probably has changed, most by not a lot.. some by quite a bit. So the july grades are accurate to peoples ability in March.

"So the july grades are accurate to peoples ability in March. "

Grades measure performance, not ability.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:16 pm

"So the july grades are accurate to peoples ability in March. "

Grades measure performance, not ability.

Performance measures ability

But the two things are not the same, nonetheless.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:08 pm

But the two things are not the same, nonetheless.

I don't think this makes an iota of difference - as I've not played any OTB chess since March my performance and/or ability has remained firmly static since then.

Neil Graham wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:35 am

I don't think this makes an iota of difference - as I've not played any OTB chess since March my performance and/or ability has remained firmly static since then.

How long will that last if you continue not to play? Forever?

Unless they've very much changed how chess nuts works, what everyone will be given when we finally restart over the board chess is their previous grade but with a big question mark (low overall weighting) attached to it.

Once people play a few games the grades will start jumping about rather a lot and then mostly normalise back over time.

The Yorkshire grades always did that every September/October when a new season started off.

MartinCarpenter wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 29, 2020 1:18 pm

Once people play a few games the grades will start jumping about rather a lot and then mostly normalise back over time.

The original proposal was to use a modified Elo approach. According to the manager of grading, the use of the chessnuts system was because it was considered robust enough to be adapted rather than utilise its calculation method directly.

NickFaulks wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:33 am

Neil Graham wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:35 am

I don't think this makes an iota of difference - as I've not played any OTB chess since March my performance and/or ability has remained firmly static since then.

How long will that last if you continue not to play? Forever?

There are no congresses, no 4NCL, the local league is suspended indefinitely, the chess club isn't meeting. I don't anticipate any OTB chess till 2021 at the earliest and if there's a second wave of COVID-19 over the winter I can't envisage any OTB chess.

Some clubs are hoping to meet as early as next month, sweeping doomy generalisations are not helpful here.

Other countries (ones seriously affected by the virus) appear to be able to at least start OTB chess - why can't we?

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 29, 2020 1:43 pm

Other countries (ones seriously affected by the virus) appear to be able to at least start OTB chess - why can't we?

Don't get me started on that!