East Devon Update 2001-2006
Well, been a while since
I posted one of these. Dunno who reads them but just for the
record...
East Devon Premier 2001
1/4 Something's rotten...
Well, I've never had such a bad start that I qualified for the
bye... Something's not right with my play this year.
Game 1 (1) Cowley,D - Regis,D [A46] 1-0
Game 2 (2) Dunn,A - Regis,D [A46] 1-0
Game 3 (3) Regis,D - Turner,J [A29] 0-1
Bye
Game 5 (4) Regis,D - Parker,J [A15]
1-0
East Devon Premier 2002 1.5/5 No better
This wasn't hugely more encouraging: it's not just that I'm losing
games, it's the way I'm losing them that is sometimes
discouraging.
Game 5 (5) Regis,D (1744) - Dunn,A
(1900)
[A26] 1/2-1/2
Game 6 (6)
Woodruff,A (1808) - Regis,D (1744) [A40] 1-0
Game 7 (7)
Regis,D (1744) - Evans-Quek,S (2160) [A40]
0-1
Game 8 (8) Williams,D (1688) -
Regis,D (1744)
[C12] 1-0
Game 9 (9) Regis,D (1744) - Ponter,I
(1936) [A11] 0-1
East Devon Major 2003 3.5/5 A confidence-booster?
Well, I need to do something to stop the rot, so now that I have a
grade low enough to enter a Major or two, perhaps I ought to build
myself back up that way. But it didn't get off to a good start...
Game 10 (10) Regis - Farina [C24] 0-1
Game 11
(11) Oughton - Regis [A25] 0-1
Game 12
(12) Regis - Dean [D40] 1/2-1/2
Game 13 (13) Sellwood,C - Regis
[C12] 0-1
Game 14
(14) Regis - Moreland [A16] 1-0
East Devon Premier 2004 (-)
My partner's Dad died; first one I've missed.
East Devon Premier 2005 1/5 The other tournament from hell...
I was absolutely punch drunk in this tournament, lurching from
disaster to disaster. There were some spells of coherent play but
the impression is of someone who can't hold it together... and
sometimes, can't see as far as the nose on his face.
Game 15 (15) Hutchings,P - Regis,D
[C01] 1-0
Game 16
(16) Regis,D - Wright,R [A10] 0-1
Game 17
(17) Taylor,G - Regis,D [C02] 1-0
Game 18
(18) Jepps,G - Regis,D [C00] 1-0
Game 19
(19) Regis,D - Chapman,P [A20] 1-0
East Devon Premier 2006 1.5/5 Some signs of life?
I wouldn't say this was an unqualified success - in fact, I think
it's the first tournament I've played in where I've not won a single
game - but it feels a bit more together: although I'm still missing
things, I'm missing mostly more subtle things, and although I'm still
losing games, I don't think I'm such an easy mark.
Game 20 (20) Regis,D - Helbig,P [A25] 0-1
Game 21
(21) Whymark,D - Regis,D [A37] 1/2-1/2
Game 22
(22) Regis,D - Kneebone,J [A39] 1/2-1/2
Game 23 (23) Page,M - Regis,D [C12]
1/2-1/2
Game 24
(24) Regis,D - Richmond,J [A26] 0-1
Some context
[Did you know I do statistics for a living?]
| Year |
White
|
Black vs. 1.e4
|
Black vs. 1.d4
|
Score at East
Devon |
Grading
performance |
Grading over
year |
Games played |
2001
|
English Opening, few Bishop's
Opening etc
|
French Defence, a few Modern
Defences
|
English Defence
|
1/4
|
130
|
143
|
28
|
2002
|
English Opening, a few more
Bishop's opening etc
|
French Defence, a more few
Modern Defences and Sicilians
|
English Defence |
1/5
|
142
|
144
|
?
|
2003
|
English Opening |
French Defence, occasional
Sicilian
|
English Defence |
3.5/5 (Major)
|
150
|
154
|
31
|
2004
|
English Opening |
French Defence, occasional
Sicilian |
English/Dutch*
|
(-)
|
(-)
|
163
|
23
|
2005
|
English Opening |
French Defence, occasional
Sicilian |
English/Dutch, some other
experiments |
1/5
|
114
|
159
|
31 |
2006
|
English Opening |
French Defence, occasional
Sicilian |
English/Dutch, some other
experiments
|
1.5/5
|
140
|
163
|
24
|
* Actually, I seem to get rather few people play 1.d4, and if they do,
1...e6 doesn't always lead to the Dutch, so although theoretically I
play the Dutch as Black, I only get one or two a year.
Discussion and conclusions
- I had a fond idea when starting this section of the website, that
I would be able to record my reflections about my play and also, maybe,
muse smugly on the improvements seen as a result of all this study and
navel-gazing. The reality has been something else.
- I have had some really rather poor form in the early part
of this century which has only just shown signs of recovery. I
have won the Club Championship twice, in 2005 and 2006, which
might some measure of success (after 15 years of trying) although I had
only one strong player to beat in each year and could as easily be
interpreted as evidence of a fall in strength in the club!
- I conclude: It is not realistic to expect improvements in your
play unless have time to devote to improvement and few other demands on
your time and energy. My
knowledge of the game, its history, opening and endgame theory, and so
on, is probably
more than I need, but I've not able to put in the hours thinking
through
things at the board (at home or in tournaments) that I need to in order
to improve. Sometimes I have come to a chess match and looked at
the board almost uncomprehending, for my time and energy have been
caught up with work or home maytters; at other times I have spent the
week before a game doing nothing but work on a chess book, yet come
to the board absolutely out of form, for all my thoughts have been
about typefaces and paragraph styles.