Tromso Olympiad

[Alan Jelfs]

Why can I not edit my posts? Please let me correct that horrendous typo.

Wear was that? I didn't notice it.

[David Deary]

Wear was that? I didn't notice it.

=))

[Alan Tate]

A few brief comments

1. Every chess player knows that tournament performance is normally determined in the first few rounds; Tournament score is determined in the last few rounds - that is just how the Swiss system work. The Scottish Women performed very well and the Men performed well. Both teams' final score were a bit disappointing. From some comments I get the impression that Scotland performed dismally and this is simply way wide of the mark.

2. The right team was selected. Simply selecting Clement Sreeves, or Adam Bremner, or Callum MacQueen doesn't constitute a youth development policy. Supporting these players requires some thinking and some cash, not some ad hoc suggestion every four years.

3. Many thanks to John Shaw and Alan Tait for contributing their informed commentary to this thread.

4. A lot of Chess Scotland's limited resources are used on the Olympiad. I think that is appropriate, it is after all the senior level of our game. However, we should welcome debate on spending priorities. It is all to easy to fall back on emotive arguments, but would it really be better to fund two juniors going to the World Youth Championship, or ten players who have worked hard to get where they are going to the Olympiad.

1. With all due respect Mathieu, you weren't there so I don't believe you are in a position to comment on the performance and a superficial use of statistics doesn't cover up what I believe to be a far deeper-routed problem.

2. I agree. Whilst these players have potential, none have shown enough ambition so far.

3. Thank you, I have always wanted to be more Scottish

4. No one is talking of blowing 2 grand on a couple of players in the strongest junior tournament. However, a £100/£200 here or there could be an incentive to help cash-strapped and busy students play more.

5. :-bd

[Alan Tate]

Edit function please!

[Matthew Turner]

Alan,
I think there are two quite distinct issues here -

1 The performance at the Olympiad. I have looked through the team results (not the individual results) and I think my comments are perfectly valid. If you have a different take on the team's performance then by all means put those forward.

2 Some deeper rooted issues, as you labelled them; in a nutshell why haven't several generations of Scottish chess players overtaken their predecessors? I agree this is a much more fundamental issue, but it isn't in my opinion about the performance in Tromso or whether coaching before the event might have helped. It is about providing the right environment for young chess players to progress in a more effective way than they are doing at the moment. This isn't a problem peculiar to Scotland, but it is tricky one to overcome.

Mathieu

[Jonathan Livingstone]

Having watched the Live Games every round in expectation of an exciting Queen sac from Mr Tait coming along at any moment... thats what dissapointed me.

I see the notice board has had a little bit of an upgrade, hence the jazzy 'online' sticker and the dissapearance of the useful 'edit' feature (it seems to only be available for a very short time after posting). While fixing the 'edit' feature, please can we also get rid of these awful smiley faces (that should have been a motion at today's AGM). Were not 12 year olds on MSN chat. I really hate them with passion. I and many of us are not quite Charles Dickens with our writing skills but I still think we could cope.

[Alex Gillies]

Having watched the Live Games every round in expectation of an exciting Queen sac from Mr Tait coming along at any moment... thats what dissapointed me.

I see the notice board has had a little bit of an upgrade, hence the jazzy 'online' sticker and the dissapearance of the useful 'edit' feature (it seems to only be available for a very short time after posting). While fixing the 'edit' feature, please can we also get rid of these awful smiley faces (that should have been a motion at today's AGM). Were not 12 year olds on MSN chat. I really hate them with passion. I and many of us are not quite Charles Dickens with our writing skills but I still think we could cope.

Re board edit Andy can we not have hidden and open on click for re quotes -2 lines would do and you can click for more- as it is re re re re quote are just too long

[Andrew McHarg]

...please can we also get rid of these awful smiley faces (that should have been a motion at today's AGM). Were not 12 year olds on MSN chat. I really hate them with passion.

|)

All Andy H's fault... =))

[Adam Bremner]

2. The right team was selected. Simply selecting Clement Sreeves, or Adam Bremner, or Callum MacQueen doesn't constitute a youth development policy. Supporting these players requires some thinking and some cash, not some ad hoc suggestion every four years.

Correct. As my name is there I can only speak for myself when I say I am not very good at the chess yet, and should be nowhere near consideration. Making titled players takes more than sending people with potential who are not as high rated as others to an event.

Graeme's suggestion to get training games in would be a great start. I really believe it would help people to play at a higher level. In order to prepare for the Euro Club Cup I have been playing some Eastern European IMs in training matches online. If something like this was set up in Scotland it would be great.

2. I agree. Whilst these players have potential, none have shown enough ambition so far.

So that's where I have been going wrong! OK, I want to be a GM in 2y, climb Everest, and solve world hunger. Can I go to the Euros now?

[Alan Tate]

Matthew, You are right when you say it was not a dismal performance, but to perform below par for 7 consecutive Olympiads tells me that something isn't right. I think it is worth speculating as to what is happening here.

Jonathan, I would happily trade the smileys in exchange for voting up/down and some other features. Things could be pretty dull and tedious otherwise.

Adam, Your sarcasm indicates to me that you have misread my intentions.

:ympeace: