28-08-2017, 06:57 PM
(28-08-2017, 05:33 PM)David Deary Wrote: Two things:
1) Voting for non members no longer being able to post is paying off dividends now with Gary unable to post. This is an unexpected bonus!
2) Gary is always pushing the boundaries and trying new formats which I think is to be encouraged. However, I'm with George - I think the format will discourage those over 2000 from entering. The proof will be in the pudding as they say.
As an aside, as an ayrshireman there is nothing wrong with Largs Mr Neave! Its a lovely place and I would encourage you to visit.
To be clear, I have nothing against Ayrshire, I know it's a lovely place
I just genuinely think this format will not work. It's just not practical for me to know if I would be able to play another event months ahead on Largs. Also it would require 2 nights of hotels in order to compete as well as a Friday afternoon off work. I would not rule out playing in Ayrshire in future but it requires considerably more planning on my side than it does to jump in the car over to Kirkcaldy.
Since George Pyrich moved to Spain, I have missed the annual Glenrothes Congress. This new event has the potential to fill that gap. The venue looks good and I am sure a lot of effort will have gone in to organising it. So its just a shame that it is setup in a way that will discourage 2000+ players from taking part. I am pretty sure there are quite a few like me who like a weekend of chess when it's not too far away and there is at least some prospect of winning something. Free entry in another event months later that I may not be able to play in is not really a prize for me. So it means if I was playing really, all I am doing is subsidising prizes for the grade restricted sections that I cannot play in myself. Why would I do that? I suspect I am note alone here but maybe I am wrong - we will see. It would be helpful if a few others could comment, though.