Monday 15 April 2013

The curse of the double round

It is a given that professional chess players prefer tournaments that have a 1 round per day schedule. Even better if the event has a couple of rest days thrown in, an opening banquet, and even an open bar. However such tournaments are quite expensive to organise, although events that have the single round schedule, like Gibraltar or Queenstown, regularly get ranked at the top of the 'best' events of the year.
More common these days are events with a 2 rounds per day schedule, or a hybrid double/single round format. The double round format is the norm in Australia, where most players are amateurs, and getting time off work is quite difficult.
GM Nigel Short is one player who has expressed a dislike of the double round schedule, so much so that an appearance at the Doeberl or SIO would be out of the question. But he does play the Thailand Open, which has cut back on its double round days, now having only one.
This may still be one too many for Short, if this afternoons game is anything to go by. Up against Indian IM Saptarshi Roy, he miscalculated a tactical sequence around move 19, and soon found himself in a lost position. At this time it is worth pointing out that IM Roy has made the trip to Australia, and survived the Doeberl/SIO wringer!


Roy,Saptarshi - Short,Nigel [A47]
2013 Thailand Open, 15.04.2013



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