Playing Stuart in the Summer Cup is only viable at his recommended grade, estimating him a lot lower isn't allowed Graham. lol It would make the next Chess Edinburgh meeting a bit more exciting though.

Agree RE Robert McCord and Robert Liddle.  I also think we should play Stuart as our board 1 if we get a tough draw?  He is not one of the new players that I think is over-graded (maybe like Andy Gould is at the moment). Stuart, if anything, is undergraded. His game the other night involved sacrifising two pieces and the way he dispatched his opponent after that was very precise.  I was a bit concerned at a glance that they were speculative sacs but after a few more moves Stuart's intentions became very clear.

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Robert Liddle is great value for his grade.  He is capable of beating higher graded opponents and getting handicap points at the same time.

I would agree with that Andrew, but would also include Robert McCord (longer time control!).

Could we really get away with Stuart playing, following the guidance from Dougie Bryson?

I will give the captaincy a miss.  I'd recommend Peter for the job if he wants it.

I will also sit out from the event but am available if you are short of players or have a tough draw.

I suggest we also field Stuart Ward at estimated 800 elo. (lol)

IMO the best players core players for this event are listed below (depending on what the opposition play). We want to play players who are punching above their weight and I think these players are.

Paul Kowtun

David Marshall

Peter Docherty

Steven McHarg

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I agree.  There is enough experince in the club to help a first timer take on the role.  We have a good pool of players, and the handicap system means that the best team doesn't always contain the highest graded players.  Finding the right blend will be interesting.

LOL, I like the connection!

From a personal point of view, i think it would be nice if someone other than the usual suspects took on the role of captain for this competition, you never know, they might even like it.