Report – 20 February 2009

 

Prize Night Tournament - Handicap Lightning

 

Prize Night

The night commenced with the presentation of prizes to tournament and trophy winner for 2008. Stuart Wilson was at the club tonight and handed out the prizes to the prize winners from last year.

 

Handicap Lightning Tournament

The Handicap Lightning tournament started tonight with a preliminary round in 2 groups. It appeared that the tournament would be an eight player round-robin but a few late entries meant that once again there were 12 entrants, as coincidentally there have been in every year since 2000. The groups were drawn at random. The top two in each group progressed to the semi-finals.

 

The handicap system is based on a system of handicaps awarded on playing strength. The handicaps are determined by rating, with 2000+ players having a zero handicap (‘playing off scratch’), 1900-1999 having a ½ point handicap, 1800-1899 1 point etc, down to a player under 799 has a 6.5 point handicap. Before each game the difference between the 2 players’ handicaps is calculated, with the lower rated player having 5 minutes in the game to make all moves. The higher rated player is allocated 5 minutes minus the handicap difference (but must have at least one minute). For example, if the difference is 1.5 then the higher rated player will receive 3.5 minutes to make their moves.

 

 

Group A

POINTS

Handicap

Nathan Shaw

5

0.5

Ray Adams

3

0.5

Peter Hiller

2

1.5

Matthew Cooper

2

1.0

Gary Sands

2

2.0

James Hiller

1

3.5

 

Nathan won all of his games, including the last one against Ray who was smashing him on the board but ran out of time. James won against Peter with the help of the clock – one observer commented of James that “he was doing a lot of hovering”.

 

Group B

POINTS

Handicap

Andrew Robinson

0.0

Brendan Griffen

0.0

Greg Colwell

2

1.0

James Holland

2

1.0

BJ Hamilton

2

1.0

Doug McKee

0

1.0

 

Brendan met Andrew in the first round and was king and queen against king but stalemated in the final three seconds. This pair won the rest of their games to cruise to the semi-finals.

 

Semi Finals

Andrew Robinson – Ray Adams 0-1

Nathan Shaw – Brendan Griffen 0-1

 

Andrew said afterwards that he allowed Ray to win because he knew what angst it would cause Ray if he won a lightning tournament. The truth was that Ray played very well and dominated on the board and thee clock from early on. After the game Ray got caught up in the moment and was overheard talking about lightning having its place in the chess pantheon (heresy!). In a repeat of last year, Brendan proved too good for Nathan at the semi-final stage and progressed to the final.

 

Third Place Match

Nathan Shaw – Andrew Robinson 1-0

 

Final

Brendan Griffen – Ray Adams 1-0

 

Brendan won this game to repeat his victory of last year.

 

 

CONSOLATION MATCHES

5-8 Classification

Semi-F Peter Hiller – James Holland 0-1

Semi-F Greg Colwell – Matthew Cooper ½-½; 0-1 (play-off was a 2 minute game)

5-6 Match James Holland – Matthew Cooper 0-1

7-8 Match Greg Colwell – Peter Hiller 1-0

 

9-12 Classification

Semi-F Gary Sands – Doug McKee 1-0

Semi-F BJ Hamilton – James Hiller 1-0

9-10 Match Gary Sands – BJ Hamilton 1-0

11-12 Match Doug McKee – James Hiller 1-0

 

 

Further information:

Past winners of the Handicap Lightning tournament (with index to past tournaments)

Results of tonight’s tournament in are presented here in detail.

 

Other incidents

Brian Willcock arrived at 10:30pm just before the heavens opened with a huge downpour. He is already considering where he will sit at Suncorp Stadium for the Asian Champions League games in 2010.

 

Quote of the night

“I’d like to be poked!” – James hopes his Facebook dream will come true.

 

“That’s what we need… a pulpit” – Nathan after someone raised the subject of salvation (possibly it was Ray) and de-frocking (probably this was James).

 

“You’d be terrible under cross-examination. I know a lot of people who’d like to get you in the box” – two aforementioned legal men in discussion.

 

 

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