27-08-2018, 08:28 PM
(This post was last modified: 27-08-2018, 08:32 PM by hamish olson.)
I had a lovely time this weekend. I think the format is a really welcome change. Whether every event should be like this is another matter as I do have some sympathy for Steven's points - variety is the spice of life and perhaps the less central locations should be opens to boost the numbers.
It is worth looking at it from players over 2100s perspective though. Usually for the likes of me opens end up being 4 games against 1700 - 1900 and then if and only if we have managed to win all of those (by no means a sure thing!) then a last round decider against someone our own level (or a beatdown from Andrew Greet!). I hardly ever get to play against 2100+ or even 2000+ in Scottish congresses in the normal run of things (except Edinburgh).
For example the last tournament I played in Scotland was Perth and there was only one clash between two players rated over 2000 in the whole tournament (Declan Shafi against David Findlay).
2000 is definitely a better cut off than 2100 or 2200 - Scottish chess is just too small for it to be otherwise.
Hopefully these events can lure out some more of our top 10 players in future - I have spent the summer in the Czech Republic and Serbia in order to get that kind of opposition because it doesn't exist in Scotland and is necessary for me to improve. Not something that will be easy to do with limited annual leave when I finally stop being a student.
I also should point out another bonus of this format - when I was a 2000 it was absolutely impossible to win any money whilst players 100 - 150 points lower would be raking it in every other challengers. Or it certainly seemed like that to me at the time!
This format gives the guys who are too good to play in challengers but who struggle to win opens a chance.
It is worth looking at it from players over 2100s perspective though. Usually for the likes of me opens end up being 4 games against 1700 - 1900 and then if and only if we have managed to win all of those (by no means a sure thing!) then a last round decider against someone our own level (or a beatdown from Andrew Greet!). I hardly ever get to play against 2100+ or even 2000+ in Scottish congresses in the normal run of things (except Edinburgh).
For example the last tournament I played in Scotland was Perth and there was only one clash between two players rated over 2000 in the whole tournament (Declan Shafi against David Findlay).
2000 is definitely a better cut off than 2100 or 2200 - Scottish chess is just too small for it to be otherwise.
Hopefully these events can lure out some more of our top 10 players in future - I have spent the summer in the Czech Republic and Serbia in order to get that kind of opposition because it doesn't exist in Scotland and is necessary for me to improve. Not something that will be easy to do with limited annual leave when I finally stop being a student.
I also should point out another bonus of this format - when I was a 2000 it was absolutely impossible to win any money whilst players 100 - 150 points lower would be raking it in every other challengers. Or it certainly seemed like that to me at the time!
This format gives the guys who are too good to play in challengers but who struggle to win opens a chance.