European Team Championship (good grief)

[Geoff Chandler]

I've been off this forum for a few years  but I can see it's time I came back. 

Scotland Played 9 lost 9.

The two youngest players were born the year England won the world cup in 1966.
Two others turned 65 this year and the fifth was born when Alekhine was still alive!

We have an an abundance of young talent how did this happen?
(I cannot even add the tried and trusted remark after such a calamity -
'...at least they will learn from their mistakes.' 
That lot stopped learning from their mistakes in the last century. )

I know poverty will be pleaded as an excuse but we can work around that.

Forget going cap in hand asking some business to sponsor a whole team instead we 
get each league: Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire,, Edinburgh, Glasgow and North East Scotland
to sponsor one player each. Surely each league can raise amongst themselves enough to 
send one of their own league's strongest (and preferably young!) players.

Played 9 Lost 9. We even lost to that chess powerhouse the Faroe Islands (3½ -½)
whose team probably consisted of two fishermen, a folk singer and a monk.

(why has 'Wilhelm Steinitz' appeared under my name?)

[Geoff Chandler]

I have received an email regarding my previous post. A nice email but
I will refrain from naming them. Here is my reply with a few bits added.

Hi,

Yes a bit of a rant, possibly a wee bit unkind but as I'm 72 I can get away with these things.

I really feel sorry for  these guys. Fair do's for stepping up
and paying their own way but we should not have to rely on players
and parents dipping into their own pockets.

I followed a few of the games and recognise the symptoms of age,
tiredness and self doubt. (four of the team won't believe me but
I'm older than them so I know these things.)

I watched live Graham v Hannes Stefansson (Scotland v Iceland a 3½  - ½ loss)
I cheered like a football fan when Graham played 33.Rh4 and when his opponent
played Rc2 and Rxb2 I was in raptures looking at the winning sacs after 36.Qg5 

Graham's game

(how come I cannot print a diagram or show a game on here - we use to be able to.)

I remember a time when Graham would have played 36.Qg5 after one minutes 
thought and stomped this GM but  Graham bailed out  with 36.Rxh5 because 
the perpetual was there and that is not dig, it's what today I would have done.
(also the by then the team 2-0 down and Jonathan was fighting for a draw at the best.)

And David, a really good player in his day had an awful 18 move loss.
(I won't give the link, it looks like one of my recent games.)
Normally I view a loss as a loss with no sympathy. losing is part of the game.
but this is not the David Levy of old.

This must not happen again, these lads have carried Scottish Chess for long enough
we need to figure out a way to raise funds so players and parents do not have
to pay their own way. We should pay for everything, include  a financial bonus 
to the players and in future field stronger and younger  teams. 

(no offence guys but you lot learned your trade when there were adjournments,
today's top level play to a finish games are best left to the young ones...hmmm...
no matter how I word this it will probably cause offence...I'm back!)

Yes, it's good to be back! I'm thinking of paying my sub again but last time
I did that things went tits up. Despite countless emails and password resets
from the powers that be I could get onto the forum so I just gave up.

I am loathe to join again as I only subbed to play on the forum and because I have 
lost all faith in the system paying a sub may see me out in the wilderness again.

I'll pay but ask not to be an official member as it appears the system cannot cope.
And there should an O.A.P. sub, or at least an over 70's fee say £20.00. The students 
get a reduction (£18.00) and 'apparently' none of them are interested in playing for their country.


Geoff

[amuir]

Geoff 

Three of the team make the top five oldest Scottish players of all time at the time they played for Scotland
David Levy 78.66, Roddy McKay 66.61, William Fairhurst 65.16, Andrew Muir 65.07, Graham Morrison 65.00 

My overriding sensation at the moment is the temperature. Last week I had a pleasant 10-minute walk along the beach to the games about 15C. Now I am hiding under the duvet at 3C.

[amuir]

Geoff 

A couple of further points :

1 There was not a single let-up in my pairings in Montenegro, I was even placed next to GM Michael Adams on the plane home. 
2. Statistically, my ratings have gone down in the last two years, now getting below 2200 level due to slower reaction times. Instead of spending my money on myself trying to improve , I might be better spending it on the younger players to help them.