31-03-2017, 07:11 PM
On March 27th I emailed the following to our president. It has been acknowledged:
Quote:I have just 1 suggestion which I think has been stated by a number of strong players on the CS bulletin board.
Basically, chess has changed over the past 20 years. The advent of online databases and analysis engines means that, whether we like it or not, opponent preparation has become a far more significant factor in the game especially at higher levels. If we accept that, then the current system does not make for an even playing field. At present larger clubs who have more options for team line up at their disposal are harder for prepare for. It means if you play for such a club then you will often be able to prepare for one or maybe two likely opponents while players at smaller clubs have a far greater challenge because the number of possible opponents is greater.
My proposal to remove this disparity is for team line ups to be published 24 hours before a match. Various methods are possible, e.g. captains exchange team sheets via email or post on noticeboard or in a Facebook group etc. The method is not important. I also do not care personally about board orders, others can offer views on that but for me the only thing that really matters is that both teams have a small period of time before the match where both sides have the same amount of information available about their opponents.
What about late call offs? It's a default. I doubt there are many call offs at 24 hours notice. Or, if captains agree, then fine to swap on that board but no other changes.
As you know, Alan Tate, Adam Bremner, Steve Mannion and Andy Burnett have all raised this same point, I add my name to this list and propose the above as a straight forward solution.