25-07-2015, 07:18 AM
Peter makes some very salient points. I think he is correct that this isn't really a question of money or enthusiasm. All the Scottish players want to win for the team and are very committed at the tournament. For example in the first round none of the players finished in under two hours, I cannot recall that ever happening before.
I would like to see a determined effort to win in 2017 and there is no reason why Scotland couldn't win all the sections, I think the Glorney itself would be difficult and might require a bit of assistance from the other nations. Why 2017? I was impressed by the Stokes team and I suspect they are quite likely to be the Robinson team in 2017, so we can Identify the players we need to target.
2017 also makes sense because we have been set another challenge, how do we organise an event which comes close to the Irish? We'll have a bit of time for that, since it will not come round to Scotland until 2018. Could we get Nicola Sturgeon to open the Glorney, I don't know, but I can tell you that we will have a lot better chance if she is welcoming the winning team(s) to Holyrood.
What should we do with the teams that we have identified for 2017? Let's give them some advice on what they should be playing in - if we can identify a few tournaments, perhaps some of the players could share rooms and cut down costs for parents. What level of opening preparation should they have? Perhaps ten moves in all their main lines? What about endgame knowledge? What about tactics? Can we suggest a reading list and web resources. The Irish arrange pre-Glorney matches for their team to mimic the conditions, time controls etc. This is more of a problem for Scotland with the clash with the Scottish championships, but perhaps this could be fitted in at a different time.
There is a huge amount of talent in Scottish junior chess (players, parents and coaches) and it will not take a lot to make a big difference.
I would like to see a determined effort to win in 2017 and there is no reason why Scotland couldn't win all the sections, I think the Glorney itself would be difficult and might require a bit of assistance from the other nations. Why 2017? I was impressed by the Stokes team and I suspect they are quite likely to be the Robinson team in 2017, so we can Identify the players we need to target.
2017 also makes sense because we have been set another challenge, how do we organise an event which comes close to the Irish? We'll have a bit of time for that, since it will not come round to Scotland until 2018. Could we get Nicola Sturgeon to open the Glorney, I don't know, but I can tell you that we will have a lot better chance if she is welcoming the winning team(s) to Holyrood.
What should we do with the teams that we have identified for 2017? Let's give them some advice on what they should be playing in - if we can identify a few tournaments, perhaps some of the players could share rooms and cut down costs for parents. What level of opening preparation should they have? Perhaps ten moves in all their main lines? What about endgame knowledge? What about tactics? Can we suggest a reading list and web resources. The Irish arrange pre-Glorney matches for their team to mimic the conditions, time controls etc. This is more of a problem for Scotland with the clash with the Scottish championships, but perhaps this could be fitted in at a different time.
There is a huge amount of talent in Scottish junior chess (players, parents and coaches) and it will not take a lot to make a big difference.