Bunratty 2019

tedjennings · 13-12-2018 10:41pm #1

Hi, all
On-line entries for Bunratty 2019 are now open at bunrattychess dot com
If you want to stay in the hotel you must ring reception during normal hours and say you want to book a room for the chess weekend as all the room have been reserved for chess players and if you go on-line it will tell you that the hotel is full (which it is not at the moment) but it fills up quickly.
Look forward to seeing you all there 22nd - 24th February 2019
Ted.

Tim Harding · 14-12-2018 9:47pm

Your site says "Please note that the Feb'18 rating list will be used for the running of the tournament!"

Better change that to 2019?

sodacat11 · 15-12-2018 12:22am

Tim Harding wrote: »

Your site says "Please note that the Feb'18 rating list will be used for the running of the tournament!"

Better change that to 2019?

The ratings usually get ignored or rendered meaningless by the "special invite" arrangement so it doesn't really matter what list is used.

tedjennings · 15-12-2018 2:42pm

Thanks, Tim

sodadog12 · 23-12-2018 4:06pm

Is there space in the hotel still?

sodacat11 · 23-12-2018 4:13pm

sodadog12 wrote: »

Is there space in the hotel still?

They say that imitation is the sincerest for of flattery but really you should just get a life, and maybe an imagination of your own.

sodadog12 · 23-12-2018 4:23pm

Same reply in this forum and the New Year/All Play All forum and I need to get an imagination?

sodadog12 · 23-12-2018 7:06pm

Anyway, is there space in the hotel?

sodacat11 · 23-12-2018 7:27pm

sodadog12 wrote: »

Anyway, is there space in the hotel?

There was until a few days ago., ring them and ask.

tedjennings · 28-12-2018 8:08pm

Check the Bunratty web site for the only way to book a room!

tedjennings · 15-01-2019 9:21pm

Hi, all
Bunratty is just around the corner!
The Hotel is now full.
Go to our web page "bunrattychess dot com" for a list of local B&Bs.
You can check the latest entry list there as well.
Ted

Past_Pawn_99 · 16-01-2019 12:07am

tedjennings wrote: »

Hi, all
Bunratty is just around the corner!
The Hotel is now full.
Go to our web page "bunrattychess dot com" for a list of local B&Bs.
You can check the latest entry list there as well.
Ted

Are there still rooms available on the Sunday night?

tedjennings · 16-01-2019 6:40pm

Past_Pawn_99 wrote: »

Are there still rooms available on the Sunday night?

Ring the hotel ask for reception and say you will be at the Chess tournament.

tedjennings · 18-02-2019 9:21pm

Hi, All
Nearly there now.
On-line entries close on Thursday 21st.
After that by e-mail to info at bunrattychess dot com
Over 320 entries to date and too many GMs to mention
Ted.

Hedgelayer · 18-02-2019 9:25pm

There's three hotel's in Shannon it's only down the road if anybody's stuck.

It's literally a 5 minute drive.

There's also plenty of b&b along the road from Bunratty Castle to minister's cross.

Retd.LoyolaCpt · 19-02-2019 10:25am

Due to cancellations, there are now 5 rooms available in Bunratty Hotel this weekend but they won't last long! Call the hotel ASAP to ensure you get one.

There are now over 325 entries confirmed for this weekend making Bunratty once again the biggest weekender of the year.

sodacat11 · 22-02-2019 1:52pm

How come Gary O'Grady is number two seed in the Challengers with a "rating"?? of 1968 when his FIDE rating is 1897 and his Irish rating is 1546?? Sponsor's get special treatment perhaps and are allowed to use the year of their birth as their rating?

Tim Harding · 22-02-2019 8:30pm

Bunratty starts at 8pm I think and the pairings for all four sections are up now.
The top six in the Masters and board 1 in each of the other events will be shown live.

Board 3 in the Masters, Nigel Short v Stephen Moran is the one I'll be watching at
http://view.livechesscloud.com/b9031a34-e353-42fb-92c1-f91fec4ede2d

General link to live boards: https://www.bunrattychess.com/livegames.php

Masters pairings: https://www.bunrattychess.com/results_masters.html

Tim Harding · 23-02-2019 11:43am

The top six Masters boards are now also on chess24 with engine analysis and timings:
https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/bunratty-masters-2019/2/1/1

Bd 1. D. Fitzsimons-Howell; bd3. H. Li-N. Short; bd4. Turner-K. Delaney; bd 5. T. O'Gorman v Ginger GM

The main shock last night was GM Baburin blundering in a drawn rook endgame against a 2100 player.

sodacat11 · 24-02-2019 9:33pm

Great performance by John Mc Morrow in Bunratty!! No wonder he put up such a good prize for the best untitled player

cdeb · 24-02-2019 11:26pm

Yep, an FM performance. Maybe this is what being Chairman does for your game!

Very enjoyable tournament. Not a single default on Sunday morning; fair dues to the controllers taking the issue to task.

Did sodacat's opponents' combined age end up being greater than his in the end I wonder?

Tim Harding · 24-02-2019 11:35pm

cdeb wrote: »

Did sodacat's opponents' combined age end up being greater than his in the end I wonder?

By my calculations the combined ages of his first three opponents was about 41, but then he played two adults before skipping round six.

(Correction: I originally typed 31 instead of 41)

prey · 25-02-2019 2:38am

sodacat11 wrote: »

Great performance by John Mc Morrow in Bunratty!! No wonder he put up such a good prize for the best untitled player

inspired move

sodacat11 · 25-02-2019 11:20am

Tim Harding wrote: »

By my calculations the combined ages of his first three opponents was about 41, but then he played two adults before skipping round six.

(Correction: I originally typed 31 instead of 41)

That ten year old that I played is one to watch, definitely a future titled player.
I notice that I got no reply to the strange case of the makey up rating. Sponsors are great and much needed in chess so they should get all the praise in the world BUT I would draw the line at them being allowed to influence things like rating bands, special invites etc. The chess world is no place for nepotism.

Tim Harding · 25-02-2019 3:06pm

sodacat11 wrote: »

I notice that I got no reply to the strange case of the makey up rating.

Gerry Graham's report on the ICU site says it was a conversion of his ECF rating.

sodacat11 · 25-02-2019 6:58pm

Tim Harding wrote: »

Gerry Graham's report on the ICU site says it was a conversion of his ECF rating.

Thanks for that Tim,I wasn't aware that ECF ratings take precendence over ICU and FIDE ratings. I must see if I can resurrect my own ECF or Australian rating they would probably be higher than my current ICU and FIDE ratings !!

zeitnot · 25-02-2019 7:46pm

sodacat11 wrote: »

Thanks for that Tim,I wasn't aware that ECF ratings take precendence over ICU and FIDE ratings. I must see if I can resurrect my own ECF or Australian rating they would probably be higher than my current ICU and FIDE ratings !!

But aren't they old ratings? It seems reasonable to use the ECF rating of a player whose games are mostly played in England.

sodacat11 · 25-02-2019 8:32pm

zeitnot wrote: »

But aren't they old ratings? It seems reasonable to use the ECF rating of a player whose games are mostly played in England.

Then why not use ECF ratings for all the English players? I don't mind what system is used but it should be the same for everyone. The player in question has played quite a few games in Ireland yet his ICU rating is only 1546. He played two games at the weekend for a TRP of 1555 which seems to suggest that his ICU rating is more realistic than his ECF one. It also seems to indicate that ECF ratings are wildly inflated.

zeitnot · 25-02-2019 9:01pm

sodacat11 wrote: »

Then why not use ECF ratings for all the English players?

... as opposed to an ICU rating? Sure, makes sense.

sodacat11 wrote: »

I don't mind what system is used but it should be the same for everyone.

Fair enough, but how was the system not the same for everyone? The tournament T&Cs spell out the system used (item 14). The tournament director shall use ICU rating, FIDE rating, National Federation Rating, "but not necessarily in this order". The ratings in question were 1546, 1897, and 1963 respectively. Would any player with those ratings be put into the under 1600 section? It seems hard to imagine.

sodacat11 · 25-02-2019 9:44pm

zeitnot wrote: »

... as opposed to an ICU rating? Sure, makes sense.

Fair enough, but how was the system not the same for everyone? The tournament T&Cs spell out the system used (item 14). The tournament director shall use ICU rating, FIDE rating, National Federation Rating, "but not necessarily in this order". The ratings in question were 1546, 1897, and 1963 respectively. Would any player with those ratings be put into the under 1600 section? It seems hard to imagine.

Maybe he is too good for the under 1600 section but he certainly isn't good enough to get second seeding in the Challengers.
As far as I can see FIDE ratings were used for most English players not ECF ratings, it seems that an exception was made for a sponsor. I can see why the organisers might feel indebted to a sponsor but I don't like the idea of people getting special treatment just because they are wealthier than others, it just seems wrong.

zeitnot · 25-02-2019 10:23pm

sodacat11 wrote: »

Maybe he is too good for the under 1600 section but he certainly isn't good enough to get second seeding in the Challengers.
As far as I can see FIDE ratings were used for most English players not ECF ratings, it seems that an exception was made for a sponsor. I can see why the organisers might feel indebted to a sponsor but I don't like the idea of people getting special treatment just because they are wealthier than others, it just seems wrong.

The benefit of being seeded second, rather than 8th or 9th or whatever his FIDE rating would give, out of 83 seems so incredibly small that it's hard to believe that it was intended as special treatment.

FIDE lists him as inactive, so that rating is out of date as well.

I really think you're making a mountain out of a molehill here.

Bunratty 2019

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