08-09-2016, 08:01 PM
George Neave Wrote:davidstewart Wrote:At the Chess Edinburgh Council Meeting it was agreed to organise the Lothian’s Championship for the players of Chess Edinburgh Member Clubs.
This Championship will be a five round Swiss Event in which we will use the time controls of 34 moves in 70 minutes followed by 15 minutes quick play finish.
Entries will be accepted until the end of October with each round to finish before the end of November, December, January, February and March. There is a £5 entry fee with the Champion winning the Smerdon Cup using Member Clubs venues.
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This sounds like the former Nancy Elder shrunk down. DIdn't that model die a death over the past few years? This is hardly an inspiring choice. At the very least getting all entrants under one roof on a weekend would be a better. Edinburgh CC maybe? Maybe using the format of the old FIDE events there from 10 years ago? That filled the room at least. I can't imagine this new format is going to survive long.
Am sure this is the thing Calum McGilvery from Edinburgh CC (and also on the Lothian League Council) has been looking to organise for a couple of years. When I got wind of it in the past I thought it was a good idea and that it had legs and potential as there is nothing like it for those of us in the East. A gap in the market if you like. There is an East Kilbride swiss spread out over various weeknights that seems to do reasonably well.
The Elder and abandoned MacIssac were not drawing players from the East for many years and is no secret those competitions have their issues around formatting. Sometimes it needs something new and different to plug the gaps. Might work, might not, but is something I will be keen to support and play in and give it a chance.