British Chess Championships 2010

[LozCooper]

And what about Mark Hebden? Don’t tell me he's given up trying to win this thing. That would be a great pity – indeed it may be written in the statutes somewhere that it doesn’t count as a British Championship unless Mark is present!

Can we take it that David Howell won’t be putting himself on the line to defend his title? Pity that. Howell slugging it out with Adams at some point would have been some sight!

The Scots appear to have abandonded the British, shame that. But there are lots of Englishmen and women on the missing list. Doesn’t look as if Harriet Hunt will be going for a fifth ladies’ (women’s) title. I would like to see Stewart Conquest doing battle again. How about Gawain Jones, Nick Pert and Danny Gormally? And what about people like Stewart Haslinger and Glenn Flear who have helped make past championships so exciting.

And finally where is Graeme Buckley? The man is a legend in the London League. Playing for champions Wood Green, he’s unbeaten in his last 32 games going back to March 2007 when he was toppled by Mark Lyell. London to Canterbury can’t be that far? Didn’t Geoffrey Chaucer walk it – and didn’t he write a chess metaphor in one of his poems? Maybe!

I think I mentioned earlier that David is playing in the Youth/Experience tournament but would probably have played in the World Junior otherwise. Like David, Mark was one of many GMs not to be offered conditions and for that reason only has accepted a coaching job at the World Junior. The lack of conditions for GMs will also explain the absence of the many other GMs you list including the Scots.

[Andy Price]

I can't comment on the financial/political issues, but I feel something is badly wrong when a loyal, stalwart supporter of the championships (Mark Hebden) is forced to go somewhere else. I'm sure he would prefer to be there as usual.

[Ben Purton]

Hebden is cool guy

[matt_ward]

Yes Ben, I totally agree with you it's a great shame not to see these previous Grandmasters taking part because of no conditions whereas Adam's is getting conditions.

Like some of the people that have never won the British.

Are you playing in it ben?

Matt.

[Adam Raoof]

Yes Ben, I totally agree with you it's a great shame not to see these previous Grandmasters taking part because of no conditions whereas Adam's is getting conditions. Matt.

This is factually incorrect.

[Carl Hibbard]

This is factually incorrect.

It isn't no, but it's not been handled well...

Who is sponsoring Adams isn't known but they would have been much better off providing money to cover GM conditions and given us all a better competition to watch

[Matthew Turner]

Loz,
Mark Hebden is going to the World Junior. Do you know which players are going?

[Matthew Turner]

I've looked on the World Junior website and the England player are Yang-Fan Zhou and Anya Corke. I wonder how these were selected?

[Adam Raoof]

This is factually incorrect.

It isn't no, but it's not been handled well...

Who is sponsoring Adams isn't known but they would have been much better off providing money to cover GM conditions and given us all a better competition to watch

This is also factually incorrect. I don't know (and I doubt if you do either) whether anyone is sponsoring Mickey at the British. If they are, it's their business what they do with their money, and not ours.

[Carl Hibbard]

This is also factually incorrect. I don't know (and I doubt if you do either) whether anyone is sponsoring Mickey at the British. If they are, it's their business what they do with their money, and not ours.

I don't no - but then normally I am also allowed to express my opinion

[Stewart Reuben]

Matthew Turner >I've looked on the World Junior website and the England player are Yang-Fan Zhou and Anya Corke. I wonder how these were selected?<

It's just a wild guess on my part. Perhaps they were judged to be the best ECF players available for the event.

Carl Hibbard >Who is sponsoring Adams isn't known but they would have been much better off providing money to cover GM conditions and given us all a better competition to watch<

But Michael Adams is not being sponsored. That is usually defined as a company providing support in return for publicity. Carl chides a possible philanthropist for not spending his money in the way Carl would like. Hardly the best way to encourage money into chess. But there are other scenarios:
Michael may be self-funding and does not want this to be known.
Somebody may be backing Michael, providing support in return for a percentage of the prize money income. This is common practice in poker.
He may have been provided with a guarantee against loss.
No doubt there are other possibilities. It is unseemly to speculate about somebody's private affairs.

Stewart Reuben

[Carl Hibbard]

Carl chides a possible philanthropist for not spending his money in the way Carl would like. Hardly the best way to encourage money into chess.

Naturally I welcome a player of the stature of Adams however I would have personally prefered the money to have been DONATED in a different way - nothing more

[Alan Walton]

I think the monies would have been allocated a different way if it came directly from the tournament funds, but as any alleged deal is a total personal deal between Mickey and a.n.other it is irrelvant, the chances are that this money wouldn't have been donated to the tournament in any other circumstances

[Jonathan Rogers]

I had argued that Adams might be self-financing simply because he needs to play games to regain elo points (he is still not back in the world elite). But really this is not a strong argument - even Adams cannot guarantee making 10/11, and the subsequent development that a mystery donor is sponsoring (sorry, philanthropically* supporting) him for the Olympiad naturally raises further doubts.

I imagine that he will make 9-9.5 and have a point margin at the end. Howell "only" won by half a point last year but he played the best of strong field and more to the point, his nearest pursuers also had exceptional tournaments.

Hopefully entries will increase still. I know of some players (not big name GMs) who told me some time ago they will enter. Their names are yet to appear but since they do not live too far from Canterbury, it is possible that they are treating this like any other weekend event and simply haven't got around to entering yet.

I would also like to know how the World Junior selections were chosen, though I have a distant memory that the rules require us to nominate our highest rated players. That may be the answer here. Even if we had any choice, Anya Corke would be the obvious candidate among the girls and there is no obvious alternative candidate for the boys: when you look below David Howell, not only is there a 350 point crash to the next candidate, but the main contenders are all so painfully inactive (relatively speaking).


* apologies if that is not a word

[LozCooper]

I would also like to know how the World Junior selections were chosen, though I have a distant memory that the rules require us to nominate our highest rated players. That may be the answer here. Even if we had any choice, Anya Corke would be the obvious candidate among the girls and there is no obvious alternative candidate for the boys: when you look below David Howell, not only is there a 350 point crash to the next candidate, but the main contenders are all so painfully inactive (relatively speaking).

I was asked to provide some input into the selection for the boys/open and I subsequently made the arrangements including securing funding from the John Robinson Trust. From my perspective, once David Howell became unavailable Yang Fan became the obvious choice. His rating of 2348 puts him 80+ points ahead of the next highest rated (Callum Kilpatrick & James Hanley). He is active and has experience of World Youth events and I think it will be great experience for him to play. His first choice for coach was Mark Hebden and Mark was therefore approached and kindly agreed to accept the offer to coach Yang Fan and Anya.

Prior to this year, my only involvement with the World Junior was in 2008 when, almost by default, I was asked to be the coach. My understanding is that unlike the World & European Youth events the policy is to select the player considered to be the strongest, David Howell has played in the past and I am fairly certain there was no other criteria used.