01-08-2013, 11:44 PM
I've only just noticed this thread (or, more accurately, the extended diversion this thread has taken since the conclusion of the junior competitions). What follows is a series of thoughts on various aspects of it.
Andy, I will admit to having on occasion worried that the reporting of junior performances is a bit too saccharine. There's a difficult balance to strike though, because the last thing we want to do is dent the confidence of juniors who'll already be struggling with feelings of having underperformed - I lost the first three games I played for Scotland in all competitions, and I still remember how awful that felt; I certainly wouldn't have wanted anybody doing anything that could be perceived as rubbing it in. On the other hand, it's important to acknowledge it when things don't go right, as that's the only way we're going to learn lessons and prevent things from going wrong again.
Having been on holiday I don't know anything about any moderation of critical posts in this or related threads, but on a general note, I'm sorry if moderation sometimes leads to confusion. There have been a number of changes to the way the board is run over the last couple of months, and I imagine there will be more after the AGM, where I'm sure there will be some discussion. That's as it should be. None of us approach the board looking to remove posts unless there are complaints, or what we see as grounds for serious concern. In the recent past, there have been far more complaints about posts on the board than there have been previously. We've been trying to adapt to this, and I certainly don't think we've always got it right. We are trying, though. It's nobody's intention to stifle debate.
Walter is exactly right when he points out that the members of the squad we sent acquitted themselves admirably. A lot of people who might have been there weren't, for various reasons. Picking over those reasons after the fact isn't very helpful, and it seems to have primarily been a series of coincidental clashes which have deprived us of a lot of internationalists. It would be an overreaction to view this year's tournament as indicative of any kind of new crisis, given this. We'll almost certainly be able to field a lot of these guys, or at least of the ones still eligible, next year. The teams we sent did their best and deserve nothing but praise for that. There are a lot of young, improving players who will perform more successfully at these and other events in the future. To pick out one example - and in the unlikely event that she reads the noticeboard I hope she will forgive me for this - I played a couple of games against Caitlin Reid in the Scottish Blitz this summer, and was very impressed by her understanding. I wasn't at all surprised to read about her strong results on the last day of the tournament. I also agree with Donald's point that in the last few years, our Glorney and Faber/Gilbert results have been far from dreadful.
I'll echo Adam in pointing out that nobody was bullied into going to Andorra, and the organisers would have raised an eyebrow or two if any member of our uniformly over-18 party had tried entering the Glorney. (Though we might have bullied Mr Bremner a bit when he walloped our only football into the Arinsal River from a goal kick during a post-round game of 5-a-side for no immediately apparent reason.) I also agree with his assessment of why Torquay is so Scot-light this year, at least from a personal point of view. I played in the British from 2005 until 2009, but ultimately I'd rather spend my summer holiday in the Pyrenees than on the English Riviera.
Geoff, Stirling is pretty cold in fairness. I like the psy-ops in general though. Let's take the fight to the opposition. Enjoyed the characteristic efforts to make the controversial step of discussing chess moves on this forum. I've maintained for years that just drumming the mantra 'loose pieces drop off' into the heads of our young players would be a good start, though honesty compels me to admit that in my sole foray into Glorney competition I dropped a piece against a Welshman in the opening. By putting it on a6, where it fell to a Qa4 trick (it was marginally more complicated than the example in this thread, but only very slightly. I think there was a bishop exchange first or something. I did manage to draw the game, but still...)
Anyway. There are some not very coherent and disconnected responses to some of what has been said above.
Andy, I will admit to having on occasion worried that the reporting of junior performances is a bit too saccharine. There's a difficult balance to strike though, because the last thing we want to do is dent the confidence of juniors who'll already be struggling with feelings of having underperformed - I lost the first three games I played for Scotland in all competitions, and I still remember how awful that felt; I certainly wouldn't have wanted anybody doing anything that could be perceived as rubbing it in. On the other hand, it's important to acknowledge it when things don't go right, as that's the only way we're going to learn lessons and prevent things from going wrong again.
Having been on holiday I don't know anything about any moderation of critical posts in this or related threads, but on a general note, I'm sorry if moderation sometimes leads to confusion. There have been a number of changes to the way the board is run over the last couple of months, and I imagine there will be more after the AGM, where I'm sure there will be some discussion. That's as it should be. None of us approach the board looking to remove posts unless there are complaints, or what we see as grounds for serious concern. In the recent past, there have been far more complaints about posts on the board than there have been previously. We've been trying to adapt to this, and I certainly don't think we've always got it right. We are trying, though. It's nobody's intention to stifle debate.
Walter is exactly right when he points out that the members of the squad we sent acquitted themselves admirably. A lot of people who might have been there weren't, for various reasons. Picking over those reasons after the fact isn't very helpful, and it seems to have primarily been a series of coincidental clashes which have deprived us of a lot of internationalists. It would be an overreaction to view this year's tournament as indicative of any kind of new crisis, given this. We'll almost certainly be able to field a lot of these guys, or at least of the ones still eligible, next year. The teams we sent did their best and deserve nothing but praise for that. There are a lot of young, improving players who will perform more successfully at these and other events in the future. To pick out one example - and in the unlikely event that she reads the noticeboard I hope she will forgive me for this - I played a couple of games against Caitlin Reid in the Scottish Blitz this summer, and was very impressed by her understanding. I wasn't at all surprised to read about her strong results on the last day of the tournament. I also agree with Donald's point that in the last few years, our Glorney and Faber/Gilbert results have been far from dreadful.
I'll echo Adam in pointing out that nobody was bullied into going to Andorra, and the organisers would have raised an eyebrow or two if any member of our uniformly over-18 party had tried entering the Glorney. (Though we might have bullied Mr Bremner a bit when he walloped our only football into the Arinsal River from a goal kick during a post-round game of 5-a-side for no immediately apparent reason.) I also agree with his assessment of why Torquay is so Scot-light this year, at least from a personal point of view. I played in the British from 2005 until 2009, but ultimately I'd rather spend my summer holiday in the Pyrenees than on the English Riviera.
Geoff, Stirling is pretty cold in fairness. I like the psy-ops in general though. Let's take the fight to the opposition. Enjoyed the characteristic efforts to make the controversial step of discussing chess moves on this forum. I've maintained for years that just drumming the mantra 'loose pieces drop off' into the heads of our young players would be a good start, though honesty compels me to admit that in my sole foray into Glorney competition I dropped a piece against a Welshman in the opening. By putting it on a6, where it fell to a Qa4 trick (it was marginally more complicated than the example in this thread, but only very slightly. I think there was a bishop exchange first or something. I did manage to draw the game, but still...)
Anyway. There are some not very coherent and disconnected responses to some of what has been said above.