British Championship Congress 2021

[Jon Tait]

Check out this pawn structure in Gordon-Hebden: r4rk1/p5pp/b1p3n1/P1P1p3/2p1P3/2N2pP1/2P2P1P/1R2KN1R --b

Bizarre. Clearly h4-h5-h6 would be in the spirit of things

btw the blog link in your signature needs updating

[IM Jack Rudd]

Let's see if I can get the round 3 pairings right.

1. Gormally (2) v Hebden (2)
2. Arkell (1½) v Harvey (1½)
3. Bradbury (1½) v McPhillips (1½)
4. Ledger (1½) v Finn (1½)
5. Sucikova (1) v Pert (1)
6. Head (1) v Eggleston (1)
7. Starley (1) v Olson (1)
8. Webb (1) v Gordon (1)
9. Brooks (½) v Latypova (½)
10. Khoury (½) v Willison (0)
11. Stubbs (0) v Mehrafarin (0)

[LawrenceCooper]

Let's see if I can get the round 3 pairings right.

1. Gormally (2) v Hebden (2)
2. Arkell (1½) v Harvey (1½)
3. Bradbury (1½) v McPhillips (1½)
4. Ledger (1½) v Finn (1½)
5. Sucikova (1) v Pert (1)
6. Head (1) v Eggleston (1)
7. Starley (1) v Olson (1)
8. Webb (1) v Gordon (1)
9. Brooks (½) v Latypova (½)
10. Khoury (½) v Willison (0)
11. Stubbs (0) v Mehrafarin (0)

11/11. Maybe it would be more of a challenge to predict the results too

[Mick Norris]

Yes, perhaps Jack can give us the round 4 pairings before round 3 is played

[Jonathan Rogers]

I have an idea that Danny has a good score v Mark Hebden. I was originally going to develop this into a comment about this event being the big chance for one of them, but on reflection none of the competitors has won the British before (though Keith has been English champion, and both he and Stephen Gordon have made it to a play-off).

[Chris Goodall]

Tim Wall, who has been on at the ECF for 18 months to start organising OTB tournaments again, has a new theory that the ECF has organised this OTB tournament on purpose.

You know, to make themselves look good.

Ahead of an election that Malcolm apparently hadn't decided he was standing in until September 9th, a good week after the tournament was announced.

[Thomas Rendle]

I have an idea that Danny has a good score v Mark Hebden. I was originally going to develop this into a comment about this event being the big chance for one of them, but on reflection none of the competitors has won the British before (though Keith has been English champion, and both he and Stephen Gordon have made it to a play-off).

Although of course it's a different Gordon in this event (could be mistaken for the strength of his play early on, but I think Stephen would've finished Mark off from the position Frederick got)!

[Roger de Coverly]

September 9th, a good week after the tournament was announced.

The likely existence of the tournaments has been known for months. When the ECF announced the online championships, it was stated that these would be qualifiers for OTB tournaments to be held somewhere, sometime in October. Nailing the exact dates and venues is more recent.

[Jonathan Rogers]

I have an idea that Danny has a good score v Mark Hebden. I was originally going to develop this into a comment about this event being the big chance for one of them, but on reflection none of the competitors has won the British before (though Keith has been English champion, and both he and Stephen Gordon have made it to a play-off).

Although of course it's a different Gordon in this event (could be mistaken for the strength of his play early on, but I think Stephen would've finished Mark off from the position Frederick got)!

D'oh!

[John Upham]

Tim Wall, who has been on at the ECF for 18 months to start organising OTB tournaments again, has a new theory that the ECF has organised this OTB tournament on purpose.

You know, to make themselves look good.

Where did TPW write this Chris?

[John Upham]

I have an idea that Danny has a good score v Mark Hebden. I was originally going to develop this into a comment about this event being the big chance for one of them, but on reflection none of the competitors has won the British before (though Keith has been English champion, and both he and Stephen Gordon have made it to a play-off).

According to Megabase 2020 (just about to splash out for the 2021 update) the record is

With MLH as White

8/15 i.e. +1 in MLHs favour.

and with DWG as White

10/14 i.e. +6 in DWGs favour.

Giving a grand total of 29 games played and +5 to DWG.

No doubt many more games have been played between them.

[Chris Goodall]

Tim Wall, who has been on at the ECF for 18 months to start organising OTB tournaments again, has a new theory that the ECF has organised this OTB tournament on purpose.

You know, to make themselves look good.

Where did TPW write this Chris?

The Twitter. It's been the only peep out of Malcolm's campaign for a few days.
https://twitter.com/timpeterwall/status ... 91918?s=19

Also the events are timed just before the 2021 @ecfchess AGM - a cynical person might see this as box-ticking in an attempt to win re-election for incumbent CEO Mike Truran.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Although none of this year's competitors have won the tournament before, all four GMs have been equal second or better (and I think Gormally is the only one not to have been outright second).

[John Upham]

Tim Wall, who has been on at the ECF for 18 months to start organising OTB tournaments again, has a new theory that the ECF has organised this OTB tournament on purpose.

You know, to make themselves look good.

Where did TPW write this Chris?

The Twitter. It's been the only peep out of Malcolm's campaign for a few days.
https://twitter.com/timpeterwall/status ... 91918?s=19

Also the events are timed just before the 2021 @ecfchess AGM - a cynical person might see this as box-ticking in an attempt to win re-election for incumbent CEO Mike Truran.

Frankly, the ECF did well to organise anything at all even if it was in October rather than July/ August.

I really cannot see the events timing as enhancing MCTs campaign.

You might, I suppose, say that if an OTB event did not take place then it might reflect badly on MCT. However, I doubt it.

The event is organised by British Championship committee rather than the ECF in any case. Having said that I've forgotten who is on the BC committee.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Oooh, the Speckled Egg. Don't see that very often. (Brooks-Latypova.)