11-09-2017, 01:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-09-2017, 01:26 PM by Andrew Greet.)
One of the worst scenarios that may arise under this rule would be if Jonathan Rowson decides, say a month before the selection deadline, that he'd like to play in the 2018 Olympiad (or some other future event). Even if he's rusty, he's still Scotland's strongest player and would be a huge asset to the national team, but under these rules he would be excluded. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!
There should be at least a bit of wiggle room, to use Matthew's term. The rule as it stands is, to put it mildly, not in the best interests of Scottish chess.
(Post edited as a few other issues came to mind - see below)
There could be other knock-on effects. For example, as Colin McNab said to me earlier, he makes every effort to play in the Scottish Championship most years, which requires taking at least a week off work. However, with the Scottish taking place in the summer, it's unlikely to fall into the six-month window for the games to count. That could lead to him and potentially other players saving their annual leave and playing in some other international event which takes place at a suitable time to qualify. Not a good outcome for the national championship.
Also, thinking about the women's team, Elaine Bamber had a baby earlier this year and is unlikely to be playing any tournaments for a while; but for all I know, she might feel ready to play some chess by this time next year. Presumably in that scenario she will also be ineligible for the Olympiad, with her place on the team going to a vastly weaker player.
There should be at least a bit of wiggle room, to use Matthew's term. The rule as it stands is, to put it mildly, not in the best interests of Scottish chess.
(Post edited as a few other issues came to mind - see below)
There could be other knock-on effects. For example, as Colin McNab said to me earlier, he makes every effort to play in the Scottish Championship most years, which requires taking at least a week off work. However, with the Scottish taking place in the summer, it's unlikely to fall into the six-month window for the games to count. That could lead to him and potentially other players saving their annual leave and playing in some other international event which takes place at a suitable time to qualify. Not a good outcome for the national championship.
Also, thinking about the women's team, Elaine Bamber had a baby earlier this year and is unlikely to be playing any tournaments for a while; but for all I know, she might feel ready to play some chess by this time next year. Presumably in that scenario she will also be ineligible for the Olympiad, with her place on the team going to a vastly weaker player.