Ryde Eastwood Club Championships Grand Final
As you know, I got the details of the Ryde Eastwood Chess Classic horribly wrong (but they are now corrected). However, I did get the Club Championships Grand Final correct, which started last week. In case you wish to know who is playing (and this may influence your decision to play in the Classic since winning it is easier ......), here are the finalists:
Group A
BILL GLETSOS 10/11
LOU DAMASHINO 9/11
Group B
JOSHUA CHRISTENSEN 8/11
MARK ASPIN 8/11
Group C
ROB WATSON 10.5/11
EGON CARDENAS 9/11
Now if I am a betting man, I would open a tab and start giving odds ......
1) Bill is a wily experienced campaigner, but playing week in and week out against us patsers have taken their toll, his ACF rating is slipping but he still have a trick or two (or even an Ace) up his sleeve. Surely he must be the favourite.
2) Lou is an improving player but may have hit a plateau for a time. It is just a matter of whether you caught him on one of his improvement spurts and if so, watch out!
3) Josh is also experienced, well, he certainly has learned how to mate with a knight and bishop and he knows well his Lucena endgame (hmmmmmmm! wonder whether he knows the Phillidor or the Vancura Position?), and he has real ambition to win the title and will be Bill's main rival.
4) Mark is another improving player and I have it on best authority that his improvement is due to ChessGrandmaster software ...... He has certainly improved since the day of his first game (rapid) with Alan Marton where he allowed Alan to bamboozled him and swindled him out of a win. But realistically, an outsider chance.
5) Rob, another experienced player on a comeback to chess after years of layoff, has shrugged off his recent illness, got on with his chess but does he have the stamina? He certainly has the skill ......
6) Egon has improved tremendously in the last 6 months (those sessions with Arthur certainly did no harm). Will be the dark horse in the race.
[disclaimer: The description given above are definitely tongue in cheek and bears no resemblance to reality!]
Group A
BILL GLETSOS 10/11
LOU DAMASHINO 9/11
Group B
JOSHUA CHRISTENSEN 8/11
MARK ASPIN 8/11
Group C
ROB WATSON 10.5/11
EGON CARDENAS 9/11
Now if I am a betting man, I would open a tab and start giving odds ......
1) Bill is a wily experienced campaigner, but playing week in and week out against us patsers have taken their toll, his ACF rating is slipping but he still have a trick or two (or even an Ace) up his sleeve. Surely he must be the favourite.
2) Lou is an improving player but may have hit a plateau for a time. It is just a matter of whether you caught him on one of his improvement spurts and if so, watch out!
3) Josh is also experienced, well, he certainly has learned how to mate with a knight and bishop and he knows well his Lucena endgame (hmmmmmmm! wonder whether he knows the Phillidor or the Vancura Position?), and he has real ambition to win the title and will be Bill's main rival.
4) Mark is another improving player and I have it on best authority that his improvement is due to ChessGrandmaster software ...... He has certainly improved since the day of his first game (rapid) with Alan Marton where he allowed Alan to bamboozled him and swindled him out of a win. But realistically, an outsider chance.
5) Rob, another experienced player on a comeback to chess after years of layoff, has shrugged off his recent illness, got on with his chess but does he have the stamina? He certainly has the skill ......
6) Egon has improved tremendously in the last 6 months (those sessions with Arthur certainly did no harm). Will be the dark horse in the race.
[disclaimer: The description given above are definitely tongue in cheek and bears no resemblance to reality!]
Comments
Gletsos-Cardenas: 1-0
Watson-Aspin: 1-0
Damaschino-Christensen: 0.5-0.5
Gletsos-Christensen: 0.5-0.5
Watson-Damaschino: 1-0
Aspin-Cardenas: 1-0
Christensen-Aspin: 1-0
Cardenas-Watson: 0-1
Damaschino-Gletsos: 1-0