Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2017

[IM Jack Rudd]

Alex Holowczak has done all the draws on his own copy of Swiss Manager, and came up with all the same pairings for Hou that the tournament did here, which I think is good evidence that the pairings were not fiddled.

[Roger de Coverly]

actually in some rounds the next player available above and below was another female

If you think about it, Gibraltar invites a lot of female players. To the extent that they might be concentrated in particular rating ranges, which they are, because male players of similar ratings wouldn't get the conditions, then players rated in the right place above this level might be likely to get a number of pairings against them.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

When was the last time a GM acted like this to the extent that they actually forfeited or threw a game in a tournament or match like this? I can only think of Bobby Fischer, but there must be other examples out there.

[Peter Shaw]

I thought Hubner was known for this kind of thing, he played that nonsensical game against Miles but that was a prearranged draw.

[Mike Gunn]

Stewart R tells a story about defaulting a player who played f3 then Kf2 (or the equivalent moves as black) in the last round of the British. This wasn't a protest though, the player was just taking the P.

[Roger de Coverly]

When was the last time a GM acted like this to the extent that they actually forfeited or threw a game in a tournament or match like this?

We can all think of a Russian GM whose pairings in British tournaments are in his view invariably wrong. He's right occasionally, when pairing card methods are used. I don't know that his play is ever affected.

If there's an objection to a pairing, it usually takes the form of a bloodless draw.

[Roger de Coverly]

I thought Hubner was known for this kind of thing

This game perhaps

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1543378

At this distance, I cannot recall what the issue was about. Not so many years later he had one of his several spats with Golombek about round times at the Alexander Memorial tournament.

[Tim Harding]

The organisers (or appeal committee) already over-ruled a protest over tournament leader Anton getting six whites including in the crucial last round,

Yes, that was odd: anybody know the ins and outs of this? (I imagine I know less about pairing rules than most people on here.) Do we know who complained?

According to chess24, Sunil Weeramantry (Hikaru's stepfather) entered a protest but the appeal committee (chair: Stewart Reuben) said the pairing was correct. Something about the balance of Whites and Blacks in the whole chasing group was mentioned.

I couldn't see what was wrong with it myself but I do think the Fridman pairing should have been avoided in the last round since a big prize was at stake and I also think the pairing of GM Bellon and his daughter in round 3 should have been quietly altered in some way. It was hardly significant to anyone else as they were on 0/2 at the time.

Especially in a competition that claims to prohibit pre-arranged results and draws under 30 moves.

Or maybe they were just happy to get on the scoreboard.
Rather than contrive an early perpetual they swapped nearly everything off and drew in 32, good for them. I have no idea how long they spent on it.

Does the software not allow two pairings to be swapped?

As for Hou Yifan, I don't think she can expect to be invited to Gibraltar ever again. Has her grateful opponent been asked what he thinks?

[Tim Harding]

Playoff has started: Nakamura v Yu Yangyi first rapid game

LATER: Drawn quite quickly. Yu was White so unhappy to get nothing from the opening.

Difference between 2nd prize and 3rd is £4000 say commentators.

Brief break now
Hikaru White now in second game.

Winner plays Anton a bit later.

[Angus French]

As for Hou Yifan, I don't think she can expect to be invited to Gibraltar ever again.

Did you see her queen-sacrifice game - in round 7, against Ider Borya?

[Roger de Coverly]

Does the software not allow two pairings to be swapped?

The software allows it, but FIDE, rightly in my view, seriously disapprove, particularly where Norms are at stake.

There are dark tales of pairings from British arbiters, back in the days when pairings were notionally random, that "randomly" seemed to favour local players at the expense of visiting masters.

There's a certain amount of flexibility allowed by FIDE pairing rules, but it has to be announced up front. In the absence of such announcements, arbiters shouldn't be allowed to make it up as they go along. You could ban pairings between members of the same family, in the last round in particular, but what constitutes a family in those circumstances?

[Tim Harding]

As for Hou Yifan, I don't think she can expect to be invited to Gibraltar ever again.

Did you see her queen-sacrifice game - in round 7, against Ider Borya?

Of course but throwing a game is a very serious matter, isn't it?

[Chris Rice]

mAs for Hou Yifan, I don't think she can expect to be invited to Gibraltar ever again. Has her grateful opponent been asked what he thinks?

1) Lalith Babu was interviewed after the game, he said she turned up 25 minutes late which makes you wonder whether her original intention was to default the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoLNN0 ... e=youtu.be

2) It also accourred to me that if this had been Nigel Short who had objected to playing seven women he would have been crucified by the media! However, Brian Callaghan has already said Hou Yifan will be invited back next year.

[Mick Norris]

As for Hou Yifan, I don't think she can expect to be invited to Gibraltar ever again

if you watch the interview that Chris Rice linked to upthread, you'll see at the end that Brian Callaghan was interviewed, and you are wrong

[Roger de Coverly]

1) Lalith Babu was interviewed after the game, he said she turned up 25 minutes late which makes you wonder whether her original intention was to default the game.

In the interview, he said that he took 1. g4 seriously, so had no prior knowledge of her intent to default.

Preparing for Basman around 18 months ago, i realised that you can safely fall into the trap which runs 1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 c6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Qb3 . In our game, Basman avoided this with his "normal" 2. h3