2013 British Chess Championships (Torquay)

[MartinCarpenter]

Not that many I think? You can actually see the 'problem' very graphically with the tail being this long from the fields a bunch of the juniors have faced. Take Oskar/Jean Luc/Martin Brown. FIDE lagging rather in a couple of cases, and all realistically working at ~2200(+?) and a collective score of just over 50 per cent.

Ideally you'd want them to be coming to the British and facing round after round of 22/2300+ players with very few free points etc. They'd learn lots from that. As it is they're nowhere near it and are yo yoing quite dramatically. Martin Brown is 0/3 vs GMs and 3/3 vs ~2050, Jean Luc is 0.5/3 vs titled and 2.5/3 vs ~2020. Oskar is doing somewhat better in that he's lower rated so his 'weak' players have at least been ~2150 rather than 2050 but his basic pattern is absolutely identical.

They can learn a bit from playing the titled players of course, but beating on 2050 players and the like isn't interesting. They'd get fields quite like this in a normal open.

[Simon Ansell]

Yeah, Ravi Haria is the only sub-2200 player on > +1 and he's significantly underrated anyway.

[PeterFarr]

Isn't it 9 sub 2200 players on +1 with Ravi Haria on +2? Also Dominic Mackle is 2216 rated on +3.

Does that really prove anything either way? There have been a few giant-killings, but the general order is more or less as expected, with a few outliers?

[John Redmond]

Martin Brown is 0/3 vs GMs and 3/3 vs ~2050

Actually, I think Martin drew with John Emms yesterday and he is on 3.5/6.

[MartinCarpenter]

My apologies Its very nice to see him playing well actually as he had something of nightmare at the start of the York league season then stopped playing for the rest of the season. His live Yorkshire grade is consequently incredibly silly.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Possibly of interest, those still undefeated after the first week: David Howell, Mark Hebden, Stephen Gordon, Jonathan Hawkins, Bogdan Lalic, Gawain Jones, Dietmar Kolbus, Alexander Longson, Gordon Scott, and Tyson Mordue (with six draws!).

[Steven Gardner]

and Tyson Mordue (with six draws!).

I wonder if Mr Mordue has set his stall out to go for all draws, only one of his games so far has gone beyond move 24

[Jonathan Bryant]

and Tyson Mordue (with six draws!).

I wonder if Mr Mordue has set his stall out to go for all draws, only one of his games so far has gone beyond move 24

Maybe he's got a bet on that he can finish the tournament in fewer moves than Bogdan?


Talking of wagers, I'd punt BL, Gawain Jones and possibly Howell will finish the tournament unbeaten.

[Simon Ansell]

Steven Gordon in some trouble here against Simon W? The Black attack looks really dangerous to me...

[Chris Rice]

and Tyson Mordue (with six draws!).

I wonder if Mr Mordue has set his stall out to go for all draws, only one of his games so far has gone beyond move 24

Maybe he's got a bet on that he can finish the tournament in fewer moves than Bogdan?


Talking of wagers, I'd punt BL, Gawain Jones and possibly Howell will finish the tournament unbeaten.

Bogdan's obviously up for it, draw in 22 today.

[John Cox]

Steven Gordon in some trouble here against Simon W? The Black attack looks really dangerous to me...

What is Steven even going to play against 21 ...Rxf3?

[Simon Ansell]

Steven Gordon in some trouble here against Simon W? The Black attack looks really dangerous to me...

What is Steven even going to play against 21 ...Rxf3?

I don't see a move, maybe he can play on a piece down somehow but I can't believe he'll have enough.

[John Cox]

Looks like being a piece down wasn't so much the problem!

Pete W seems in some danger of experiencing a similar problem as well as having 23 moves to play in five minutes.

[Simon Ansell]

Have to admit I hadn't seen 25. Qd5 in the game continuation, maybe that's what Steven was relying on. Nice game by Simon, wonder how early he saw the finish.

[Mick Norris]

Looks like being a piece down wasn't so much the problem!

Pete W seems in some danger of experiencing a similar problem as well as having 23 moves to play in five minutes.

Why does he do it? Keith ran fairly short of time, but I assume was always likely to win