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+--- Thread: Declining entries (/thread-1683.html)
RE: Declining entries - andyburnett - 02-09-2017
(01-09-2017, 11:43 AM)amuir Wrote: I too am against FIDE rating of weekend congresses -too hard for me to maintain a 2300 rating. I might consider playing in Glasgow weekender - cost of travel + accommodation is nearly £100 otherwise. I would also consider playing in an interesting FIDE rated tournament abroad if I thought it was value for money.This reply is not just for Andy Muir but others who have posted similar arguments. It's an argument which is almost exclusively put forward by our stronger players, but those below international honours level want international ratings from their chess (common all over the world afaik) so we have an impasse of sorts.
Why is it important to keep your '2300 rating'? If it's for 'international honours' then you should be playing somewhere (Scotland/UK/overseas) on a regular basis.
If you can't (for time/money reasons) then you shouldn't be serious about international honours or find some other way to fund things. Unfortunate, but a fact of life in Scotland today as regards chess. I am not the only one who has benefitted from external funding to help progress my chess aspirations (limited though they are!)
If it's just rating for ratings sake, then that's not a decent argument either imo.
If Scottish events ARE the only option open to you, and they are FIDE-rated, then focus some of your chess study/approach on how to win at quicker controls/2 games a day etc. I have a database of all the Scottish players, with notes on those I am most likely to meet whenever I play. If you don't have this (which saves time and energy and is likely to help you gain elo in such events, again you are not serious - and shouldn't then act as though you are serious - about your chess.
I haven't checked, but I would guess my own 'weekenders' show a significant plus in FIDE rating over the years. Has anyone who is forwarding the 'FIDE-rating of weekenders as a problem' argument actually checked their elo won/lost ratio? I'd be interested in some statistics
Cheers,
Andy Burnett
RE: Declining entries - AndrewGreen - 02-09-2017
I agree with Andy.
If you're good enough, you will win the event and gain rating. By avoiding these tournaments, stronger players are missing out on good opportunities to practice and are damaging Scottish Chess.
I would like international selection to require having played in a certain amount of Scottish Congresses. I think this is part of junior selection, why not for adult selection?
RE: Declining entries - amuir - 02-09-2017
It's not just about maintaining ratings it's also about playing strong and challenging opposition. I am not big on databases, I prefer to play. I don't see any Scottish weekend events I fancy in the near future and I don't know any cheap foreign ones with the strong euro. Guess I'll just mainly play Glasgow League and await developments.
RE: Declining entries - John Watkins - 02-09-2017
(02-09-2017, 06:11 PM)AndrewGreen Wrote: I agree with Andy.
If you're good enough, you will win the event and gain rating. By avoiding these tournaments, stronger players are missing out on good opportunities to practice and are damaging Scottish Chess.
I would like international selection to require having played in a certain amount of Scottish Congresses. I think this is part of junior selection, why not for adult selection?
I would second that but would add in any congresses from "abroad" where someone has bothered to put their grading on the line. It would appear finances are in a dark place just now and the more chess profile in Scotland is lifted the better it is for the bigger picture.
RE: Declining entries - Adam Bremner - 02-09-2017
(02-09-2017, 09:07 PM)amuir Wrote: It's not just about maintaining ratings it's also about playing strong and challenging opposition. I am not big on databases, I prefer to play. I don't see any Scottish weekend events I fancy in the near future and I don't know any cheap foreign ones with the strong euro. Guess I'll just mainly play Glasgow League and await developments.
There is a fair point there. I don't play congresses these days mainly because there is a lack of top players to play, especially in FIDE games. I would really like to push for FM soon (maybe that's being deluded), so I'm starting to plan events abroad. It's the only way I can see of getting regular games against titled players.
Maybe the idea of selection through FIDE congresses would be a good thing. If it forced more strong entries in congresses it would surely trickle down. I'd play more for sure.
RE: Declining entries - PeterReidSmith - 03-09-2017
Oh god, not again.
Selection criteria: filtering on activity yes ; but on weekend (Scottish) congresses, no.
David did a good job of removing the various biases that had crept in, let's please not go there again.
RE: Declining entries - David Deary - 05-09-2017
(31-08-2017, 04:17 PM)Patrick McGovern Wrote: congresses will survive due to hard work, sponsorship and the expertise the volunteers undoubtedly have. internally there have been many association run tournaments that have been postponed/cancelled. chess within Ayrshire is in serious decline. if it had not been for a very generous donation by an office bearer some years ago the association would be close to bankruptcy. Income is at an all time low, sponsorship for association run tournaments is non existent. I fear for Ayrshire chess.
Pat, on the financial side this is simply not the case. As Treasurer at the time, I can confirm that said donation was not from an office bearer. Also, the latest accounts show a surplus for last season of in excess of £200 (Well done John Calder!). Any deficits run up by the Association in my time were for good reason - ie to get coaches and equipment into schools, support for our internationals caps etc.
On the chess front, its a matter of interpretation - the Ayrshire league currently has the highest number of teams its ever had in recent years. The numbers in the Ayrshire Championship are holding steady when viewed over the last decade (this was discussed by the Man Comm this year) and we had in excess of 100 different kids play in the junior tournies, league and championships arranged by Stephen, John & Iain. The challenge is to get these kids into clubs in Ayrshire and playing in the league, championship etc.
With that said, chess in Ayrshire undoubtedly has challenges but its not all doom and gloom!
(02-09-2017, 06:11 PM)AndrewGreen Wrote: I agree with Andy.
If you're good enough, you will win the event and gain rating. By avoiding these tournaments, stronger players are missing out on good opportunities to practice and are damaging Scottish Chess.
I would like international selection to require having played in a certain amount of Scottish Congresses. I think this is part of junior selection, why not for adult selection?
100% agree with this!
There should be a minimum requirement to play in Scottish Congresses to represent the national team.
RE: Declining entries - AndrewGreen - 05-09-2017
Could Allegro and blitz events be the way forward for Chess Scotland?
I love the congresses and think the standard set in recent years has been incredibly high; better venues, live boards and instant results - we really have been spoilt. I do not think the quality of the congresses can be questioned. It may just be the fact that people aren't willing to give up their whole weekend.
Chess is speeding up in general. Thoughts?
RE: Declining entries - Matthew Turner - 06-09-2017
(05-09-2017, 11:18 PM)AndrewGreen Wrote: Could Allegro and blitz events be the way forward for Chess Scotland?
I love the congresses and think the standard set in recent years has been incredibly high; better venues, live boards and instant results - we really have been spoilt. I do not think the quality of the congresses can be questioned. It may just be the fact that people aren't willing to give up their whole weekend.
Chess is speeding up in general. Thoughts?
I think in general you are right about chess speeding up and I wish there was more innovation in tournament format. In the Summer I played a tournament in Sweden which had 4 rapid play games and then 4 long play games to enable a properly strong international event to be played over a long weekend. That aside, I don't believe this is the primary problem facing Scottish Chess, in the first instance we just need more events. If there is a tournament every three months then of course it will clash with music lessons, trips to the football, that time you've allocated to feeding the cat. If there is a tournament every two weeks then it will become the sort of thing that you do at weekend, the music lesson will have to move, you'll take up hockey where they play on a Tuesday evening or you'll get an alligator that can feed itself.
I don't see a magic bullet of an answer, but we certainly need to very thankful to those people who keep plugging on and organising tournaments.
RE: Declining entries - amuir - 06-09-2017
The 5 minute tournament in Edinburgh with Adams, Sadler etc was attractive. A strong weekender with GMs, two games a day with £500 1st prize, not FIDE rated (e.g. what we used to have ) also appeals. For abroad, going with another colleague, playing in strong Senior Team or European Team would be good too. If I had played Inverness, scored 4..5/5 , maintained my rating and covered expenses, it still would not have been challenging enough. Tournaments work from the top down - get the GMs, the IMs follow, then the 2200s etc etc and everyone joins in.