Richardson/Spens - what next?

[Jonathan Livingstone]

Alan T noted If it is one game a day, how does the April Edinburgh FIDE manage to have 2 games a day every season?

Like Alan T, I prefer playing with out prep too, I am surely biased, as like many parents I have no time for prep and am doing well just to engineer some chess playing time for myself. This is an interesting example, advance awareness of upcoming opponents surely gives players in certain circumstances advantages over other players.

Re Adam's comments of potential shiftyness with tactical board ordering, and how it can advantage teams fairly close in grades (not quite his words), I experienced it with one of my teams first hand this season in a particular competition and it caused some controversy, bad feeling, and was really just not ideal and completely avoidable. Even if/where the intent to gain a tactical advantage is not there by playing outwith grading order it is still likely to create problems and raised eyebrows at best. Have a rule that teams have to play in strict grading order, or within 10 points shift max, and that sorts that one out.

[Alan Tate]

Edinburgh is a weekend individual tournament Jonathan. There is a decent prize fund to compensate for the gruelling schedule. Isn't the SNCL a double round day. How many top players turn out for that?

Re finding time to prepare: Perhaps we should have two leagues. One for single unemployed players and one for those with jobs and families.

[Jonathan Livingstone]

Re finding time to prepare: Perhaps we should have two leagues. One for single unemployed players and one for those with jobs and families.

Point well made. Which league do the full-time students get to play in?

[Adam Bremner]

Re finding time to prepare: Perhaps we should have two leagues. One for single unemployed players and one for those with jobs and families.

Point well made. Which league do the full-time students get to play in?

Unemployed. All we do is 2hrs Uni work a week. The rest of the time it's either getting drunk, trying to sober up, or solid prep for Richardson matches.

[Keith Rose]

I have this evening emailed clubs and team captains the following:

Further to my invitation to contribute to discussion regarding the future direction of the Richardson and Spens cups:

I received direct replies from 4 clubs, two team captains and one club member:

One club offered no opinions as it does not, and will not, play in either competition;
One club prefers knockout format, 8 boards;
One team captain and the club member (from different clubs) prefer knockout format and would have semi-final and final played on the same day;
One team captain prefers two groups, 6-board teams;
One club prefer to combine Richardson and Spens with fewer boards.

In addition some discussion took place on the CS forum with regard to the Richardson and a series of polls were conducted. The results in brief (I have attached a doc with the full responses) at 30 June were:

Format – No change, i.e. knockout (73%)
KO Format – As 2014 (85%)
Players per team – 8 (87%)
Venue – option of the home (first-drawn) team except for final (67%)
Bona fide – Remove 30 mile restriction (65%)
Board order – as at present (50 point variability) (39% though no pertinent alternatives were offered, other options were in connection with pools and advance team publication)
Team lists to be published in advance – (57%)
Team lists to be published 24 hours in advance

From the responses above I now have some indication of the general feeling. Format, players per team, venue and board order will therefore remain unchanged. I will look again at the bona fide rules to see if they can be further relaxed (for the Spens if not the Richardson) and the procedure for advance publication of team list.

Although there is more discussion to be had on some aspects, one change I will make for next season (in respect of Richardson) is to reduce the size to 8 teams. There were 8 entries last season and it has been some time since we got anywhere near 16.

One consequence of this will be a need to consider promotion from the Spens. Currently both finalists are entitled to promotion but a 25% turnover in the Richardson would be too much in my opinion, in which case only the winners of the Spens should be promoted (or the losing team if the winners decline). I am happy to open this up to debate. A method to determine relegation from the Richardson will also be needed.

Spens

There has been one call to scrap the Spens. If anyone else feels the same then now is the time to say, otherwise it will continue. How to make it work better? One thing will be to remove the 30-mile restriction as per the Richardson but perhaps more can be done with this.

Over the next couple of months I will also think about format (stay with knockout or regional groups? If K.O., single matches as now or home and away?);

Venues – neutral/central venues have been mentioned but generally speaking costs would be prohibitive unless multiple matches take place at the same time (which could be in combination with Richardson matches). Local knowledge of affordable venues would be usefully shared as would 'home' venues that could accommodate more than one match and on a cost-sharing basis.

I invite current and potential Spens teams to share their thoughts and ideas.

[Keith Rose]

It's time to draw a line and move on. Today I sent the following in an email to the Richardson and Spens captains:

With the CS AGM due in a couple of weeks I will now prepare a new set of rules. I have given due deference to all the opinions offered and I thank everyone who contributed. I summarise below the main points but before that I will take this opportunity to advise that I will not be standing again for Home Director at the forthcoming AGM. I'm letting you know this now so you have some time to consider a replacement.

Principal points:

Richardson:

No significant changes other than:
- 30 mile restriction for bona fide qualification is removed;
- Team lists to be emailed to the Tournament Controller 24 hours prior to the start of a match

Spens:

I am making no changes other than amending the qualification rule for the Rosebowl.

There has been little discussion regarding the Spens and three detailed emails I received were all contradictory:
1. Scrap the Spens;
2. Allow hybrid teams, change K.O format to regional groups of teams;
3. Strictly club members, continue K.O., don't use regional groups.

I am also de-coupling the Richardson and Spens by removing mention of relegation from the Richardson and promotion from the Spens. This will mean that any team/club with the resources and desire to enter the Richardson can do so without having to qualify via the Spens final. This is because:

a. There is capacity for up to 16 teams in the Richardson but with only 8-10 entries in recent seasons there is little likelihood of having to restrict numbers;
b. The difference in team sizes could mean that qualifiers from the Spens might not have the means to accept promotion.
c. This could allow the two events to run with completely different and independent formats.
There may be some minor amendments to wording or layout.

I will pass to the incoming HD(O) my revisions but note that he/she will not be obliged to accept this. As I have had to point out on a few occasions “The Director of Home Chess shall have the power to alter or modify the foregoing rules in such manner as he/she may think necessary”.

If you have any thoughts about the above please contact the incoming HD.

Keith

[George Neave]

It's time to draw a line and move on. Today I sent the following in an email to the Richardson and Spens captains:

With the CS AGM due in a couple of weeks I will now prepare a new set of rules. I have given due deference to all the opinions offered and I thank everyone who contributed. I summarise below the main points but before that I will take this opportunity to advise that I will not be standing again for Home Director at the forthcoming AGM. I'm letting you know this now so you have some time to consider a replacement.
...

Keith

Very disappointed to hear you will not be continuing in the Home Director position Keith. How come? Is there anything can be done to change your mind?

[Keith Rose]

Thanks for the sentiments George, much appreciated.

Basically I am at a time of life when I want to do things I haven't had time for before. I gave up TAFCA duties a couple of years ago to do this, then I fell into the CS position. I took early retirement at the start of the year and I thought this would help but that hasn't worked out, not least because Richardson and Spens issues (much of which has not been made public). If I don't start doing these other things soon I might never do them.

[hamish olson]

Did the whole "team lists get emailed to the tournament controller 24 hours in advance" thing get implemented or not? It's not mentioned in the rules at all this year so I'd presume not but I'd like to know for sure as Bon Accord have their match with Wandering Dragons on Sunday