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City of Dublin 2018

Retd.LoyolaCpt

Strong list of entries in the Masters of the city of Dublin with 7 2200+ players: Sam C, Alvaro V E, Conor O'D, Colm D, Michael De V, Killian D, and Gordon F.

About a week left to avail of discount entries.

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sodacat11

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

Strong list of entries in the Masters of the city of Dublin with 7 2200+ players: Sam C, Alvaro V E, Conor O'D, Colm D, Michael De V, Killian D, and Gordon F.

About a week left to avail of discount entries.

I presume the entry of Shay Scott, a 1200 player, is a typo.

Retd.LoyolaCpt

sodacat11 wrote: »

I presume the entry of Shay Scott, a 1200 player, is a typo.

Fixed. A few more entries in the masters- a 2400 FM among them.

sodacat11

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

Fixed. A few more entries in the masters- a 2400 FM among them.

Great entry!, shame about the venue

Hopefully the St Andrews tournament will be very well supported too although the 75 minute +30 second increment isn't very appealing to most people. I would much prefer a five rounder like the City of Dublin with a proper time control 90 +30
Gonzaga has it just right, great venue and proper time controls!!

Retd.LoyolaCpt

Memo from the organisers:
"Parking will be available in Arnotts carpark for a maximum charge of €5 per visit (bring your ticket to carpark office when leaving and mention chess). The carpark will remain open until 11.30pm on Friday/Saturday."

sodacat11

It is good that people's parking needs are being catered for.

There is a very strong entry for the C.O.D as there was for the Irish Championship, Bunratty, Kilkenny and Gonzaga and most other tournaments even though we seem to have more tournaments than ever these days. Irish chess seems to be in a very healthy place at the moment.
Venues generally have improved. There are more FIDE rated tournaments than we used to have and there are more special category events like junior, women's ,over 50/65 and norm tournaments. I think another big factor is the fact that we get so many titled players, both home grown and visiting,playing here. Having strong "headline acts" like IMs and GMs and publishing their names well in advance undoubtedly attracts other strong players which in turn attracts players lower down the food chain. My only concern at the moment would be about the increasingly shorter time controls (is increasingly shorter an oxymoron?). 90 minutes with a 15 second increment should be the absolute minimum, any shorter than that and it may as well be rapid chess. My personal preference for weekenders is 5 rounds FIDE rated with a 1hr 40 +30 second control, this gives plenty of time for quality games and also allows reasonable start and finishing times each day. Three Saturday rounds and finishing at 11pm or later is a pain in the posterior.

Danville

I always felt that six games in a weekender was simply giving value to entrants.
However I would not be against reducing Kilkenny to five rounds, but only if the majority wanted it.
Maybe six rounds in the beginner sections and five in the Major and Masters would suit best.? Thoughts please.
I may ask for a show of hands this coming November

sodacat11

I think Kilkenny would benefit greatly both from a playing and a social point of view if it was reduced to five rounds. The competition is so strong that extra time on the clock would be very helpful. The third game on a Saturday can often be a blunder filled lottery. Five rounds would also make draws a less attractive option for anyone seriously trying to win the tournament.
From a social point of view an earlier finish and later start on Saturday would allow people to spend more time having a meal or a drink and spending time with old friends on both the Friday and Saturday nights.
I understand your point about six rounds being better value but I think that the weekend has to be taken as a whole as the social part is what makes Kilkenny so special. Try five rounds for a year and see what the reaction is.

Pete Morriss

Danville wrote: »

I always felt that six games in a weekender was simply giving value to entrants.

I agree. Nobody has ever complained to me that the Galway Congress has provided players with too much chess. Having six rounds and allowing anybody to take a bye on request allows players to choose whether to play five games or six; only having five games does not allow that choice, so is likely to please fewer people.

Getting back to the CoD, the flyer says that the lower sections have six rounds at 90+30, but not FIDE-rated, which seems the worst of all worlds. I have played three games at 90+30 in a day, and I vowed never do it again, even though I was then a bit younger and healthier. Apart from the sheer exhaustion, I didn't have enough time after one long game to eat before the next one started (which probably contributed to the exhaustion). I can cope even now with three at 90+15 or (preferably) 90+10, but not 90+30.

sodacat11

Pete Morriss wrote: »

I agree. Nobody has ever complained to me that the Galway Congress has provided players with too much chess. Having six rounds and allowing anybody to take a bye on request allows players to choose whether to play five games or six; only having five games does not allow that choice, so is likely to please fewer people.

If a tournament is reduced from six games to five the games would be longer so instead of say six three hour games players would get 5 games with more time for each game. Would you prefer six sirloin steaks or five rib eyes? 6 pairs of synthetic socks or five pairs of woolen ones? Quality beats quantity in my opinion.

Travelling a long distance to a tournament and then having to take a bye because you don't like three games on a Saturday is hardly ideal.

Speaking of Galway, is it on this year?

Rathminor

The venue for this years COD is the worst weekender venue of the season.
The main room upstairs would be suitable for a small tournament, but not for a large weekender. It is way overcrowded this weekend and is very difficult to move around. With circa 130 players in the room it is not a pleasant setting, although the AC helps defer the smell of stale sweat.
The room downstairs is brighter and has players can move around in it, but is too hot.
The general consensus for people in the venue is one of frustration.
I understand that the organisers want a central venue, but with no parking, its a challenging venue for parents with late night finishes.
Let’s hope for a more suitable venue in the future, such as the Talbot Hotel, ALSAA and Gonzaga

cdeb

Ah, the downstairs room is fine in fairness.

The upstairs was a different story for sure, but it was at least much better for round 3 as one whole section was moved out.

I think there's a place for a city centre tournament on the calendar. Not a big fan of the ALSAA at all myself; too much noise and quite far away. A split between northside/southside/central tournaments is good, and is what we have (Malahide; St Andrew's/Gonzaga; City of Dublin).

Three 90+30 games in one day is a bit ambitious though!

sodacat11

Rathminor wrote: »

The venue for this years COD is the worst weekender venue of the season.
The main room upstairs would be suitable for a small tournament, but not for a large weekender. It is way overcrowded this weekend and is very difficult to move around. With circa 130 players in the room it is not a pleasant setting, although the AC helps defer the smell of stale sweat.
The room downstairs is brighter and has players can move around in it, but is too hot.
The general consensus for people in the venue is one of frustration.
I understand that the organisers want a central venue, but with no parking, its a challenging venue for parents with late night finishes.
Let’s hope for a more suitable venue in the future, such as the Talbot Hotel, ALSAA and Gonzaga

I agree with everything Rathminor says. The venue is awful for all the reasons given but my biggest complaint is accessibility. Getting in and out to Arnott's car park is a nightmare. It took me an hour and three quarters to get home to Kilcullen although it takes only 20 to 25 minutes to get here from the Red Cow roundabout. When I came out of Arnotts car park I got forced down the quays and couldn't turn right until I was nearly at the Point Depot or O2 or whatever it's called now. I really have a good mind not to bother turning up for my games tomorrow the whole thing is such a hassle. The whole area around O'Connell street is completely unsuitable for a chess tournament, the streets are full of junkies, muggers,beggars and skangers,there is no parking and the traffic is brutal. More thought should be given to where tournaments are held or people will just get put off playing at all.

eclipsechaser

sodacat11 wrote: »

It took me an hour and three quarters to get home to Kilcullen although it takes only 20 to 25 minutes to get here from the Red Cow roundabout.

Have you considered the Red Cow Luas Park and Ride? You could park the car there and get the red Luas line to O'Connell St. Not sure of the cost to park but Google suggests it would be a 30 minute drive from Kilcullen to the Red Cow and about 35 minutes on the Luas from the Red Cow to O'Connell Street.

Might be worth trying - driving in town isn't fun.

sodacat11

eclipsechaser wrote: »

Have you considered the Red Cow Luas Park and Ride? You could park the car there and get the red Luas line to O'Connell St. Not sure of the cost to park but Google suggests it would be a 30 minute drive from Kilcullen to the Red Cow and about 35 minutes on the Luas from the Red Cow to O'Connell Street.

Might be worth trying - driving in town isn't fun.

I did try that the last time the Irish Ch was held in the city centre and 35 minutes on the Luas is optimistic. I have also been on that red line luas a few times at night when people were openly drinking and taking drugs in between hassling other passengers. That was even less fun than city centre driving.
My understanding is that the City of Dublin is so named because it was once sponsored by the City of Dublin bank. Unless that was a lifetime sponsorship deal I don't see why the name can't be changed and then maybe we could get away from the notion that it has to be held right in the city centre. having said that, there are plenty of places in Dublin that are accessible, it is just the immediate area around O'Connell Street that is such a problem.

Tim Harding

Same venue next weekend for the Irish rapid and Blitz championships (and ICU agm), I think, but a smaller entry so some of the issues will be less serious, I hope.

sodacat11

Tim Harding wrote: »

Same venue next weekend for the Irish rapid and Blitz championships (and ICU agm), I think, but a smaller entry so some of the issues will be less serious, I hope.

I had intended going to the AGM but I will never be going anywhere near that venue again.
People might think that I'm being over critical but here is a brief summary of today's events.
I eventually found free Sunday parking close to the venue even if I did have to transgress the highway code a couple of times to access it.
Upon arrival at the venue there were no orderly board numbers at the boards, I in fact had three at mine. Apparently I was playing on boards 7, 8 and 9.
The draw wasn't up on the wall but this happened most rounds until about 5 minutes before the start.There were no score sheets but again not for the first time and there was no announcement that we were to commence battle but again this wasn't unusual.
During the game we were treated to a sermon and some loud Nigerian gospel singing from the room next door. This seems to be a bit of a tradition at the C.O.D as I remember the same thing happening a few years ago at a venue in Abbey Street. For anyone not into gospel singing there was loud Abba music being played in the foyer. The room was again too hot so I had to ask a hotel staff member to adjust the air conditioning.
My game was very interesting and I had a dream position for over four hours but I ended up over pressing and blundering. The game lasted 79 moves and needless to say my head was wrecked by the end of it. I asked the organiser how long I had before the next game and was told 20 minutes. This is supposed to be a FIDE rated tournament so why the games started at 10am, and 2,30 pm Ido not know. What was wrong with 9,30 and 2,30? or !0a.m and 3pm??? A person should get more than a twenty minute break.
Anyway, I grabbed some lunch and a coffee and arrived back 15 minutes late for the next round only to be told that there was a "capacity problem" and that there was no board or set available for us to play on. One organsier said that they had purposely given me some extra time but this is a load of bolony. What did he expect to happen/ Did he think that a game would end somewhere after ten or fifteen minutes and we could use their equipment?
After a few minutes of head scratching and bemusement we were then told that we could play on board 14 in the room upstairs in the Challengers (or Major maybe). Having heard all the horror stories about conditions up there we declined and just agreed a draw without playing. I had already taken a bye in round one because of the difficulty driving around Dublin on a Friday night so I ended up playing only three games instead of five.
The whole thing was a bit of a farce really,mainly as a result of the venue, totally unacceptable for a FIDE rated tournament.

Rathminor

sodacat11 wrote: »

I had intended going to the AGM but I will never be going anywhere near that venue again.
People might think that I'm being over critical but here is a brief summary of today's events.
I eventually found free Sunday parking close to the venue even if I did have to transgress the highway code a couple of times to access it.
Upon arrival at the venue there were no orderly board numbers at the boards, I in fact had three at mine. Apparently I was playing on boards 7, 8 and 9.
The draw wasn't up on the wall but this happened most rounds until about 5 minutes before the start.There were no score sheets but again not for the first time and there was no announcement that we were to commence battle but again this wasn't unusual.
During the game we were treated to a sermon and some loud Nigerian gospel singing from the room next door. This seems to be a bit of a tradition at the C.O.D as I remember the same thing happening a few years ago at a venue in Abbey Street. For anyone not into gospel singing there was loud Abba music being played in the foyer. The room was again too hot so I had to ask a hotel staff member to adjust the air conditioning.
My game was very interesting and I had a dream position for over four hours but I ended up over pressing and blundering. The game lasted 79 moves and needless to say my head was wrecked by the end of it. I asked the organiser how long I had before the next game and was told 20 minutes. This is supposed to be a FIDE rated tournament so why the games started at 10am, and 2,30 pm Ido not know. What was wrong with 9,30 and 2,30? or !0a.m and 3pm??? A person should get more than a twenty minute break.
Anyway, I grabbed some lunch and a coffee and arrived back 15 minutes late for the next round only to be told that there was a "capacity problem" and that there was no board or set available for us to play on. One organsier said that they had purposely given me some extra time but this is a load of bolony. What did he expect to happen/ Did he think that a game would end somewhere after ten or fifteen minutes and we could use their equipment?
After a few minutes of head scratching and bemusement we were then told that we could play on board 14 in the room upstairs in the Challengers (or Major maybe). Having heard all the horror stories about conditions up there we declined and just agreed a draw without playing. I had already taken a bye in round one because of the difficulty driving around Dublin on a Friday night so I ended up playing only three games instead of five.
The whole thing was a bit of a farce really,mainly as a result of the venue, totally unacceptable for a FIDE rated tournament.

Sodacat,
Your point on the turnaround being too tight is completely valid.
The board 2 game this morning only finished at 2.23pm with both players only getting 7 minutes turnaround before the last round.
This is something that needs to be looked at for future events.
A rule should be considered to ensure all players get at least 30 minutes between rounds, particularly in the FIDE rated competitions which are capped at only 2 matches a day.