DOP's Report 22nd October 2003

I have been DOP at The Gap CC since 1995 and believe that 2003 has been the best year so far in regards to participation and commitment from the players. There have been very few withdrawals from tournaments and the number of forfeited games must be at a record low.

The recently concluded One Hour would have to best tournament that I have run at the club, and its success is due to the players doing what they should – showing up on the night at the appointed time, or contacting their opponent in a timely fashion when this is not possible. There were 88 games played in the tournament out of a possible 92, with only 4 awarded on forfeit, and only one of these when a player failed to show up or notify the opponent. This was further impressive as the 2003 Hour tournament was the second largest in the history of the club, only behind the monumental 18 player round-robin in the 1983 Flood Cup which contained 107 games (but took all year to run!).

Major tournaments conducted during 2003 include the following:

• Flood Cup (including Handicap Trophy)
• One Hour tournament (including Maiden Trophy)
• Allegro tournament, and
• Lightning tournament.

In addition to these I was organiser and arbiter for 6 junior tournaments through the year, conducting these on a once-every-4-weeks basis. As in previous years these were a success, although it was disappointing to notice a drop in numbers through the year, caused by the problems surrounding the coaching.

The club has been involved in interclub tournaments against Samford Valley CC and Northside CC. These nights were quite successful, and attracted special interest from players eager to play serious games but not able to make the commitment to play in a full tournament.

The purchase of Digital Game Timers (DGTs) during the year is timely, and will assist the DOP’s task of making those difficult judgments in tight finishes. It is also hoped that our players will become accustomed to the use of DGTs, assisting them should they enter weekend tournaments. To take advantage of the DGT’s incremental time function, there are proposals before this year’s AGM which aim to amend the time controls for some tournaments.

In 2004 I foresee a similar programme to this year, and welcome any suggestions for how the programme can be improved. The tournament schedule for 2004 should be available during December, with the first 2004 tournament to be the Lightning run over 6 weeks commencing in the first week of the New Year. The 2004 prize night is scheduled for Friday 23 January 2004.

Once again thanks to all club members for making 2003 a successful year for the club.

Andrew Robinson
Director of Play (DOP)
The Gap Chess Club Inc.