Armstrong 2019/20 season

Retd.LoyolaCpt

sodacat11 wrote: »

Unless Benildus lose six players there is little chance of you ever playing Conor O'Donnell in the league.
The reason I care, since you ask, is because some teams are losing points through walkovers and defaults while others get forever to fulfill their fixtures. Do you think that Gonzaga B would wait weeks to allow Elm Mount or Bray to field a full team against them if either of those teams were tied with Gonzaga A in the title race ? Or maybe you think Liverpool should postpone their game against Man City until Sane and Laporte return from injury?
I notice that you never post anything here unless it's to snipe at me. I know they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but frankly you bore me "Mikail" (you wish)

Gonzaga B and Gonzaga A have had problems with our fixture both this and last year. Last year our fixture clashed with the olympiad and the school championships and then rearrangements were tricky because of Millfield. On the scheduled day of the match, we had 9 players available between both teams. We may have a big club but 30 of our players go to Millfield as players or coaches; and the school championships has anything from 40-80 players.

I honestly haven't been paying as much attention this year but I know our fixture clashed with the school champs again - which takes 3 from the A team and 4-5 from the B team and every regular sub from both teams.

I rearranged 5 games last year to suit my opponents or for they to accommodate me or both: Gonzaga A, Balbriggan, Rathmines, Trinity, Dun Laoghaire. I offered to do the same for KK. If Zygimantas had come to me looking to play a different night, I'd have done the same.

As rivals, we wanted to beat Elm Mount, Trinity and Gonzaga more than anyone but that doesn't change the way we do business.

I guess you're under the illusion that the Gonzaga B team are happy to see the A team beat them secretly (or at least don't mind as much if we lose)? That couldn't be further from the truth. Firstly, it sets up our whole season and secondly, the trash talk after is not fun for the losing side.

mikhail

sodacat11 wrote: »

Unless Benildus lose six players there is little chance of you ever playing Conor O'Donnell in the league.

http://www.chessleague.net/chessorg/leinster/match.php?org=1&lid=93&fid=5284

spidersweb

mikhail wrote: »

http://www.chessleague.net/chessorg/leinster/match.php?org=1&lid=93&fid=5284

Not taking sides here but this is one of the funniest things I have seen in a while.

John Healy St Benildus B


1 Stephen Brady St Benildus A 2310 1 White Lost

2 Colm Daly Bray / Greystones 2268 1 Black Lost

3 Reinhold Mueller Dublin 2156 1 White Lost

4 Anthony Fox Dun Laoghaire 1969 1 Black Lost

5 Conor O'Donnell Gonzaga 2361 1 White Lost

6 Peter Cafolla Rathmines 1981 1Black Won

7 Bartlomiej CichonskiBalbriggan 2007 1 White Lost

8 Ramon Cardenas ValeroCurragh 1 Black Lost

checknraise

Crazy how the Fox didn't get a draw!

sodacat11

mikhail wrote: »

http://www.chessleague.net/chessorg/leinster/match.php?org=1&lid=93&fid=5284

It is 2019 on my planet.

sodacat11

Spidersweb,,,,if that is the funniest thing you've seen in a while you really have a sad life. Imagine anyone trolling through the internet looking for something like that???I was looking forward to hearing from you about that 100 euro bet you were banging on about but it appears that you weren't prepared to put your money where your mouth is. I don't blame you as it probably would have been sucked in to that vast chasm.

mikhail

spidersweb wrote: »

Not taking sides here but this is one of the funniest things I have seen in a while.

I remember it well. It was a very welcome change of fortune in a difficult season. I agree with sodacat on this one though - it doesn't have much bearing on this. In spite of the sniping here (the whinging wrecks my head), I have to say I've no issues playing him over the board.

checknraise wrote: »

Crazy how the Fox didn't get a draw!

I drew with him in our previous encounter, but he does have a couple of hundred Elo points on me.

sodacat11 wrote: »

It is 2019 on my planet.

As we speak, Benildus' third team is in the mix for promotion from the Heidenfeld, so my totally serious proposed rule change could benefit me should I reprise my role as lead punching bag for a B team next season.

sodacat11

mikhail wrote: »

I remember it well. It was a very welcome change of fortune in a difficult season. .

Can't say that I remember it but I probably took you for granted after our previous encounter
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game808019093.html

mikhail

sodacat11 wrote: »

Can't say that I remember it but I probably took you for granted after our previous encounter
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game808019093.html

Oh boy, that's quite the heap of ****e from me there. Sometimes I'm amazed I am the rating I am.

spidersweb

sodacat11 wrote: »

Spidersweb,,,,if that is the funniest thing you've seen in a while you really have a sad life. Imagine anyone trolling through the internet looking for something like that???I was looking forward to hearing from you about that 100 euro bet you were banging on about but it appears that you weren't prepared to put your money where your mouth is. I don't blame you as it probably would have been sucked in to that vast chasm.

Copy and paste takes seconds and the links and research were done by and provided by John. It is a figure of speech when I say the "funniest thing" and you have to admit that in the context of your comment to him, this result from a very recent season, in which you are the only guy he dd not lose to, but in fact beat, is hilarious. You could hardly make it up.


As for our bet, bring it on. Happy to bet 100 Euros that you are just wrong. PM me with any details you wish for confirmation. I will be very happy to take your money.

spidersweb

sodacat11 wrote: »

Can't say that I remember it but I probably took you for granted after our previous encounter
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game808019093.html

Good grief that is like 5 years ago! Winning for Black after 9 moves too. Any chance we can see the win from John?

sodacat11

Here are some brilliancies to keep you amused
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817420984.html http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817467781.html http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817531359.html
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817581859.html
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817633359.html

spidersweb

sodacat11 wrote: »

Here are some brilliancies to keep you amused
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817420984.html http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817467781.html http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817531359.html
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817581859.html
http://view.chessbase.com/cbreader/2019/11/6/Game817633359.html

Fair play, they were indeed amusing. Thanks for sharing.

sodacat11

Rathmines 4.5 Bray 3.5

spidersweb

sodacat11 wrote: »

Rathmines 4.5 Bray 3.5

A serious blow to the chances of Bray winning this year with their first loss this season. Indeed first time they have not won the match. They needed to get at least 4 or 5.5 points to stay on track. They still might do it, and still all to play for with so many rounds left. What were the teams and individual scores?



Fair play to Rathmines on a great result. First match win for them and second time to avoid losing their match.

sodacat11

It is nearly six months to the end of the Armstrong, plenty of time to avoid a repeat of last year's farce i.e Dublin Uni failing to put out a full team in the last round. Apparently the students have exams at that time of year so it is unlikely that they will be able to put out a full team again this year. Blanchardstown are set to benefit from this anomaly which is not fair to either Rathmines or Ballinasloe both of which are likely to be their relegation rivals. Surely in the interests of fair play with six months available Dublin Uni and Blanchardstown should be asked by the Controller to at least play their lower board games in advance?

spidersweb

sodacat11 wrote: »

It is nearly six months to the end of the Armstrong, plenty of time to avoid a repeat of last year's farce i.e Dublin Uni failing to put out a full team in the last round. Apparently the students have exams at that time of year so it is unlikely that they will be able to put out a full team again this year. Blanchardstown are set to benefit from this anomaly which is not fair to either Rathmines or Ballinasloe both of which are likely to be their relegation rivals. Surely in the interests of fair play with six months available Dublin Uni and Blanchardstown should be asked by the Controller to at least play their lower board games in advance?

???

sodacat11

spidersweb wrote: »

???

Perhaps I didn't explain it in simple enough terms. Dublin Uni gave FOUR walkovers in the final round last season .It is highly likely that they will struggle to put a team out again this year due to exams so why not let themplay the match in advance? Gonzaga get to postpone whole matches whenever they want so why not change the Dublin Uni V Blanchardstown fixture instead of giving Blanchardstown a head start over their relegation rivals without even having to push a pawn?

undisputed

sodacat11 wrote: »

Blanchardstown are set to benefit from this anomaly which is not fair to either Rathmines or Ballinasloe both of which are likely to be their relegation rivals.

Which makes me wonder. Why did Rathmines give a walkover to ..... TCD in round 3???

spidersweb

sodacat11 wrote: »

Perhaps I didn't explain it in simple enough terms. Dublin Uni gave FOUR walkovers in the final round last season .It is highly likely that they will struggle to put a team out again this year due to exams so why not let themplay the match in advance? Gonzaga get to postpone whole matches whenever they want so why not change the Dublin Uni V Blanchardstown fixture instead of giving Blanchardstown a head start over their relegation rivals without even having to push a pawn?

Thanks for explaining and elaborating. Not sure what to suggest honestly.

sodacat11

undisputed wrote: »

Which makes me wonder. Why did Rathmines give a walkover to ..... TCD in round 3???

No mystery there. For one reason or another we can never field a full team and on this occasion we couldn't even get a sub. Every team has this kind of problem but there is a big difference between that and not being able to wheel out more than four players or a ridiculously weakened team in the final round when medals and relegation are at stake.

undisputed

sodacat11 wrote: »

No mystery there. For one reason or another we can never field a full team and on this occasion we couldn't even get a sub. Every team has this kind of problem but there is a big difference between that and not being able to wheel out more than four players or a ridiculously weakened team in the final round when medals and relegation are at stake.

Well, if you are fighting relegation you just need to try harder. You had a great chance to put TCD themselves in danger. And you unfortunately missed it. Now you have to rely on other teams to do a job.

sodacat11

undisputed wrote: »

Well, if you are fighting relegation you just need to try harder. You had a great chance to put TCD themselves in danger. And you unfortunately missed it. Now you have to rely on other teams to do a job.

TCD are in no danger of relegation, it's only between Ballinasloe, Rathmines and Blanchardstown and as things stand Blanchardstown are going to be given a 3 or 4 point head start because they have TCD in the last round. I don't know why the fixtures aren't arranged so that the likely winners of the Armstrong and the likely relegation candidates are playing each other head to head in the last round but I suppose that would just make too much sense.
Anyway. I'm off to Malta tomorrow to compete in the Malta open along with the Kanyamaralas , lots of sunshine, strong chess and good vino
https://www.chessorg.de/Listen2019/Malta-Open-Teil.php

undisputed

I disagree. Trinity will not have a full team in many rounds and can absolutely be in danger. And in this case they would try to put a strong team in the last round. But if competitors will give free points to them.... then unfortunately you only have yourselves to blame

Past_Pawn_99

Trinity giving 4 walkovers in the last round of last season was purely down to the controller changing the date of the final round. Between a combination of players going to the ennis congress, players just not happening to be available that particular weekend, and our second team also playing at the same time. If the match had been played on the original date, which I pushed for very strongly, even so far as to find another venue for the original date, we would have had a full team.

sodacat11

Past_Pawn_99 wrote: »

Trinity giving 4 walkovers in the last round of last season was purely down to the controller changing the date of the final round. Between a combination of players going to the ennis congress, players just not happening to be available that particular weekend, and our second team also playing at the same time. If the match had been played on the original date, which I pushed for very strongly, even so far as to find another venue for the original date, we would have had a full team.

That's good to hear! I thought that the problem would be a recurring one because of exams.

Rathminor

Have any boards been played yet in the Blanch v Gonzaga match? I know that Gonzaga have some players in the ECC this week, but there still should have been several boards played

Retd.LoyolaCpt

Rathminor wrote: »

Have any boards been played yet in the Blanch v Gonzaga match? I know that Gonzaga have some players in the ECC this week, but there still should have been several boards played

Gonzaga A 2-0 Blanchardstown. Remainder of the games in the next week.

Retd.LoyolaCpt

Gonzaga B 3-3 Trinity, 2 to play later in the week

Retd.LoyolaCpt

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

Gonzaga A 2-0 Blanchardstown. Remainder of the games in the next week.

Gonzaga A 6.5-1.5 Blanchardstown.