Irish Chess Championship 2023

RooksPawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959051#Comment_120959051

Thanks for explaining and hope you feel better soon, but I am surprised that half-point byes are allowed at all in our national championship.

They were not permitted in the recent British Championship, for example.

RooksPawn

And have you taken an antigen test? Covid is on the rise again, it says on the news, and I hear there were some cases at the recent British Championships due to one or two players with symptoms infecting opponents.

Shanemelaugh

Thanks, yeah I mean most events do allow for one half point bye if necessary apart from the latter rounds.

I have taken a test and it came up as negative also no temperature over 38 so pretty sure it’s just a common head cold. So will definitely be finishing off the event thankfully.

Joedryan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959304#Comment_120959304

As far as I remember they used to be permitted in the first rd or 2, but agree it should not be allowed at all

macelligott

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959051#Comment_120959051

Sorry to hear you got a head cold - but in retrospect you would have been better trying to play through it as you were still in contention. It should have been explained to you that half point byes are not given during a championship tournament - it is a FIDE event and half point byes are generally not avaliable. Otherwise, there is a danger that several players would seek strategic byes during a championship. In the Irish championship, a half point can be a very good result - unlike in a five round weekender, where a half point dropped could put you out of contention.

macelligott

A few years ago, I also had to take a bye in the Irish championship (also round 6, I think) in order to attend my cousins funeral.

Shanemelaugh

I mean I have played in many international 9 round events including the World Open with huge prize funds whereby even 2 half point byes were permitted, I think it’s understandable not to allow byes for maybe the last two rounds maybe 3 rounds for obvious reasons, but at the end of the day it’s an extremely long event and illness + circumstances should be accounted for so it seems harsh to me just to point blank disregard byes in the middle stages of the event, but I do get your points maybe it’s something the ICU can look at for future events also the bye was only given to me because I was ill they do not just get given out lightly so I’m not sure I think it’s fair to allow for a half point bye in the middle stages whereby someone has an illness and it is clear that it is not a tactical bye, as it’s always at the discretion of the arbiter.

Retd.LoyolaCpt

This could be codified in the terms and conditions going forward but its not covered as of now; hence, arbiter's call.

For context, there have been several half point byes granted in rounds 5-8 over the last few years.

cdeb

It may be a simple error too. Worth a quick question to the arbiter (who's usually more than reasonable in this regard) rather than a long discussion on the internet I'd have thought.

Joedryan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120960335#Comment_120960335

Should be added alright if its not there, I provide an example which is fairly standard practice:

A player cannot request more than three byes, except for the last two rounds where it is permitted. Byes for a given round cannot requested after the previous round has finished. 

No half point byes will be awarded.  

RooksPawn

Shane has got his half point which probably makes it easier to do the pairings than if he had been scored zero.

His reward is Black against Alex Baburin.

New leader Conor O'Donnell plays Peter Carroll and Jonathan O'Connor plays Jacob Flynn.

Kavin still has a chance if he can win his last three games. In round 7 he has Black against Cathal Keenan.

Seamus Duffy and Dermot Nolan seem to have withdrawn.

Joedryan

All sounds a bit dodgy

Joedryan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959752#Comment_120959752

Appreciate that Shane, but its not a standard practice for open tournaments, in Spain they give zero for a bye, and in a National championship it would be absurd to allow a player not to play and get a half a point, its basically a free rest day

prey20

IMO this a non-issue, player and arbiter entirely correct

no advantage to the player, now black v the top seed and loses a white

another player with 2 byes (½, 0) now on board 1 for Rd7

there have already been 2 full point byes in the event with more impact on integrity of the scoring

Joedryan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120963330#Comment_120963330

you are obviously not a fan of rules

ridiculous post

corkcitychess

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959330#Comment_120959330

I recently played in the over 50's british ch but I was dosed up on anti biotics as the glands in my throat swelled up....I withdrew after 5 rounds because of miserable performance (2 draws and 3 losses) and a train skrike that was taking place in round 6....last week my throat infection reappeared and I am now on super strong anti biotics (625mm tablets of co-amoxiclav) ...my throat infection has subsided.

As an older player now I can pass on my experience. Do not play chess if you are unwell...it will just make you more unwell.

zeitnot

It would be interesting to have a place were people could comment on games as they're in progress. The chat room doesn't seem to be working on Lichess, and it's pretty dead here. Also, the tipster competition was enjoyable.

Some dramatic twists and turns on the top two boards. Further down the field, there were some interesting blunders, for example on boards 8 and 12 (where 24. Nd6??? must be simple chess blindness, and there were further twists and turns later). Colm Daly seems to have a lost position, falling into an interesting bind / near-zugzwang.

I've been struck all through the tournament at the number of games where players play on in positions that would be utterly hopeless against a good 1200 player. Player's prerogative, of course.

RooksPawn

It seems Seamus Duffy has not withdrawn after all but will play Brendan Lyons in round 8 while Muhtarim is not paired.

A motion for agm to outlaw discretionary byes in national championships seems required. There have just been too many of them this year.

Seamus has yet to score anything at the board but maybe he can put that right tomorrow by taking on Brendan's suspect Black repertoire.

Jonathan O'Connor has been having a terrific tournament but can he stop Conor taking the title tomorrow with a round to spare?

There have certainly been some very strange games on the lower boards in several rounds. Apart from board 13 (not 12) where White won quickly after blundering a piece with 24 Nd6 (why didn't Black stop the nonsense with 28...Nb6 and 29...Nd5 ?), there was board 15 in round 6 yesterday. Maybe somebody who was there can explain?

On Lichess, 53 cQ=Q was suddenly changed to c8=R and the underpromotion made the win uncertain instead of immediately resignable.

A few moves later the game suddenly ended 1-0 after a Black move. Presumably this was on time? My guess about the underpromotion is that White put an upturned rook on c8 and the arbiter intervened? If so, you would think that any player experienced enough to be in the national championship should know you cannot do upturned rooks any more and that if necessary you can pause the clock to get a real queen.

Retd.LoyolaCpt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120967485#Comment_120967485

Your guess is right on the latter: upturned rook.

Muhtarim and Dermot have withdrawn.

zeitnot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120967485#Comment_120967485

You're right, board 13, not 12.

I saw the changed promotion in Fox - D. Nolan at the time. I thought it was a simple live boards error, but your theory on upturned rook is very plausible. I think White is winning in the final position (even with rook), though.

As I say, I was following this game live--it seemed the most interesting of the round--and was expecting Anthony to play the straightforward 53. Qd3+, winning without any need to calculate anything. Promoting to a queen requires calculating what happens with various checks.

RooksPawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120967582#Comment_120967582

You are right that Anthony should have played 53 Qd3+, the only forced winning move according to Stockfish! I was still trying to work out what should happen when he pushed the c-pawn instead.

White has to see that after 53...Qxd3 54 Bxd3+ Kh5 55 Ba6 f2 he must play 56 Kg2 and then although Black can pick up the c-pawn by 56...f1Q+ 57 Bxf1 Rc8 the a- and b-pawns supported by the B will win.

The funny thing is that promoting to a R actually helped White to win, because if it had been a queen on c8 Black would surely have taken it (55 c8Q/R) f2+ 56 Kh2 Rxc8 and after 57 Qxc8 Qe5+ the engine says Black draws.

Whereas after the R was placed on c8 Black was tempted not to take it, made the inferior move ...Rf3 and lost.

One of chess's little ironies.

macelligott

I’m not playing today. Sore throat and headache- I hope not Covid 🙄

Joedryan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120969477#Comment_120969477

did you get a half point? ;)

sodacat11

Jonathan O'Connor had a once in a lifetime chance to win the Irish Championship today yet he agreed a daw AS WHITE after 19 moves🐤🐔 I just don't get it.

RooksPawn

Rare technical ending 2NvP in Flynn-Baburin.

I won't say what the tablebase evaluation is.

Alex must mate or force his opponent to move his h-pawn by move 109 at latest.

If the pawn advances a new 50-move count begins.

As of 8.40pm, at move 72, they only have a few minutes each plus increments to play it but they could be at this for an hour or more...

Eugene Donohoe

Fantastic to watch. Great play by Alex and great Sportsmanship by Jacob to allow the final knight move mate.

macelligott

Excellent technique by Alex Baburin today in the Triotsky position. Especially given the time shortage and crucial tournament situation.

RooksPawn

Last round top pairings: Baburin v Collins; O'Donnell v Crowley; Venkatesan v O'Connor.

Yes, that ending was fascinating to watch. At the start, the tablebase shows, Jacob could have postponed giving up the N for the h5-pawn but it's understandable he wanted to start the count. Objectively 60 Ke4 was best but Kg4 only cost 4 moves (losing in 77 whereas only 50 allowed).

White's first big mistake was 79 Kc2?? which loses in 39 compared with 79 Kb2 (loses in 67), Ka4 (61) or even Ka3 (59).

In these kind of endings it's easy for either side to "waste" a move or two, or sometimes even five, by humanly-imperceptible inaccuracies without changing the expected result but occasionally there is a big moment when the precise move is required.

After Alex found 79...Kc4! (others would have let the opponent off) White couldn't really afford any more slips.

81 Kc2? cost 5 more moves, though with perfect defence thereafter it is still theoretically possible to reach the safety of move 110.

Finally 88 Ka2?? lost in 13 theoretically and Alex played the final phase more or less perfectly. With 88 Kc1! the tablebase shows a thin line of perfect play that would save White under the 50-move rule.

Well done Alex but I do feel rather sorry for Conor who is now slightly behind on tiebreaks.

At least Conor will be fresher tomorrow and arguably has the weaker last round opponent.

zeitnot

@RooksPawn Why do you say Conor is behind on tie-breaks? He is not behind on any relevant tie-break (see flyer).

Joedryan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120971170#Comment_120971170

will it be the dreaded play off/lottery?

I have been saying this is a disaster waiting to happen for years