15-07-2013, 11:34 AM
First of all congratulations to Roddy, it was great to see him play like he used to towards the end.
Have to say I really liked Helensburgh as a chess venue, not too busy and amazing views. Looking out across the sea made it feel more like Italy than Scotland at times! Thanks to everyone who organised it.
There were some definite improvements this year:
The boards were all good quality, nice to have good wooden boards and pieces. Time control was also an improvement. Having the big tv screens for the top 4 boards was a nice touch too, although the actual lighting on those boards was poor. Having the tennis on was a nice addition
Saved many a short draw I feel. There was also an excellent atmosphere towards the end - competitive and with tension.
Have to say though I basically agree entirely with Matthew's ideas for ways to improve, and to some extent Andy's:
The first rule of tiebreaks is: there is no fair tiebreak. TPR still favours the lower rated player. Results between the players does not work because one had Black and one had White. The only way is to have a playoff - not sure of the time limit but maybe 2 game rapid would be fine, say 15+10. Gibraltar do it and it works fine. I seriously doubt that any player in contention for the title enjoys winning or losing it due to some random thing they had no control over.
The pairings were very strange, and it was just about a case of whoever beats up the most bunnies is Scottish Champion. Personally, I would like to see a round robin alongside the open but failing that, perhaps something could be changed so that players play more around their level instead of the yo-yo that many of us faced.
Maybe the round times happened during lunch for a reason, such as the venue was only available at these times, but it would be great to see the standard times of 3pm introduced for next year.
I hope this is not overly critical, massively appreciate the time and effort that goes in to organising and running an event like this!
Have to say I really liked Helensburgh as a chess venue, not too busy and amazing views. Looking out across the sea made it feel more like Italy than Scotland at times! Thanks to everyone who organised it.
There were some definite improvements this year:
The boards were all good quality, nice to have good wooden boards and pieces. Time control was also an improvement. Having the big tv screens for the top 4 boards was a nice touch too, although the actual lighting on those boards was poor. Having the tennis on was a nice addition
Saved many a short draw I feel. There was also an excellent atmosphere towards the end - competitive and with tension.Have to say though I basically agree entirely with Matthew's ideas for ways to improve, and to some extent Andy's:
The first rule of tiebreaks is: there is no fair tiebreak. TPR still favours the lower rated player. Results between the players does not work because one had Black and one had White. The only way is to have a playoff - not sure of the time limit but maybe 2 game rapid would be fine, say 15+10. Gibraltar do it and it works fine. I seriously doubt that any player in contention for the title enjoys winning or losing it due to some random thing they had no control over.
The pairings were very strange, and it was just about a case of whoever beats up the most bunnies is Scottish Champion. Personally, I would like to see a round robin alongside the open but failing that, perhaps something could be changed so that players play more around their level instead of the yo-yo that many of us faced.
Maybe the round times happened during lunch for a reason, such as the venue was only available at these times, but it would be great to see the standard times of 3pm introduced for next year.
I hope this is not overly critical, massively appreciate the time and effort that goes in to organising and running an event like this!