Richardson & Spens results

[Phil Thomas]

I know from speaking to one of the players yesterday he was "not best pleased..."

One of the major problems - after speaking to Hamilton's two main facilitators for this one was the difficulty of finding players for Easter Saturday and asking for availability on Good Friday - or even on the morning of the match. Families make long terms plans for Easter

Lets hope that similar problems do not happen for the Glorney selections this year.
Is there any news?
Just like Easter people make plans for their summer holidays

[hamish olson]

Ah, but there's a heck of a lot more Weegies than Teuchters. Stirling, if you have to...

This is kind of my point... if we go for a central venue it'll be miles away from us every game whereas the way it works just now its fair on everybody.

[Hugh Brechin]

I believe that everything should be held at Alva Street - the home of chess in Scotland - and refuse to listen to any alternative point of view.

I sympathise with Hamilton's problem in a way. I think in a funny sense big clubs can actually be worse at fielding full teams, because the team members might know each other a bit less well, and it's not always as clear who's responsible for making sure everything comes together on time. I know we've failed to get 10 players to the SNCL on a couple of occasions in the last few years, which you wouldn't necessarily expect.

That said, this:

Families make long terms plans for Easter

does sound like rather less of a problem than this:

asking for availability on Good Friday - or even on the morning of the match

[Jacqui Thomas]

I believe that everything should be held at Alva Street - the home of chess in Scotland - and refuse to listen to any alternative point of view.
]

Unfortunately, it isn't suitable as not all inclusive as not accessible for disabled

That said, this:

Families make long terms plans for Easter

does sound like rather less of a problem than this:

asking for availability on Good Friday - or even on the morning of the match

Because a player became unavailable & a substitute was sought but couldn't be found

[Hugh Brechin]

Ah, fair enough, that does happen.

.. I may not have been entirely serious in suggesting that everything be held at Alva Street. It's a cracking venue, but it's got obvious access issues and fairly serious space limitations.

[Andy Howie]

I agree, it is a really good venue

[andyburnett]

I usually feel very comfortable playing at Edinburgh Chess Club, but the space limitations are very pronounced.

Playing the Winter Festival Premier I had loads of space, likewise evening league matches, and it becomes the best venue in Scotland with its history and charm.

Semi-final of the Richardson, however, we were crammed into the far end (the consolation match between Edinburgh and Edinburgh West got the 'good seats'!) and it wasn't suitable at all.
'The 'board at the door' must also be the least comfortable place in chess; Elaine Bamber must have been cursing my nicotine-addiction.

I still like my idea(!) of a 'finals weekend' - semi-finals on Saturday, finals and play-offs on Sunday. Or perhaps over 2 Saturdays (or Sundays) if people don't think they can commit to one full weekend. Central-ish venue (Stirling/Perth/Glenrothes even?!)

[Adam Bremner]

I still like my idea(!) of a 'finals weekend' - semi-finals on Saturday, finals and play-offs on Sunday. Or perhaps over 2 Saturdays (or Sundays) if people don't think they can commit to one full weekend. Central-ish venue (Stirling/Perth/Glenrothes even?!)

I think you want the Richardson to always be able to produce the strongest teams possible, and I think a finals weekend would make that much more difficult. Getting people for one day is hard enough, but two consecutive...

Also if we get involved in a semi final, I fear that what people would consider a central venue is still a heck of a long way to go for some teams (Grangemouth at the weekend was about 2.5hrs each way for BA). When you factor in that the first genuine home game we have played since I remember was this year against Castlehill (because anything other than the Dundee clubs and the halfway rule comes into play, and we end up playing in Dundee), you hopefully can understand that the relative amount of travel we have to do is huge. I think a similar argument can be made for Oban, or possibly if Inverness managed to get a team together. I get that making matches all in one place may give it a sense of occasion, but please can we leave that for the final only.

For the record, Perth would be fine, but that will never happen :p

[Keith Rose]

Some photos from the finals are now on the CS facbook page:

https://www.facebook.com/chess.scotland?fref=ts

Thanks to Donald Wilson for these.