Modern Benoni

Wow.... BoozerLoser was by far the lowest rated player coming into the tournament.  BL is now poised to win this tournament.  We have just a few games left and they are well underway.

I have formed a new group "Friends and Chess Players" for us to form.  We can play tournaments, or whatever.  If interested, let me know.  I will probably send out invites later.

Jim - TD 

Wow, only two games left to go, BoozerLozer has taken the lead.  One more win and BoozerLozer will win the tournament.  BoozerLozer started with the lowest rating in the tournament, climbing all the time.  As I recall BL's rating went from the mid 600's to near 1100 during the course of the tourney.

While the Fat Lady is warming up, it is not over 'till its over.  Two losses by BL and it might come down to tie breakers.   Wow, great finish and a fine tournament.

Jim

FuMan has taken a strong, even commanding lead.  His lead is not insurmountable, but it would take a run of wins by his opponents.  Coming down the stretch though, he is in the driver's seat.

In other news, this group has done (not everyone overlapped) Modern Benoni, and Accelerated Dragon.  Any suggestions for the next one?  The English, Caro-Kann, or maybe we need a straight tournament and not a thematic one.

If you have thoughts, post them!

The three who moved on to the championship round have one game finished so far.  Others are well underway.  FuMan has taken an early lead with the first final round win.

Good luck to the finalists!

Jim - TD

Here is the system that Chess.com and many federation use (in blue):

What happens when there is a tied score? And what is the Tie Break?

If 2 players in a group have the same score then both will advance. Tournament Directors can choose to use an additional tie-break method (we use the Neustadtl score) which factors in the strength of the opponents. If two players have the same score and the same Tie Break score, both will advance.

Below is an example of how the tie breaking system works:

A player's tiebreak score is calculated by adding the sum of the player's points they have defeated to half the sum of the player's points they have drawn against.

Bob won two games against John and one game against Mary. So Bob gets 2x1.5 points from John and 1.5 points from Mary, which sums up to 4.5 tiebreak points.

John won one game and drew one game against Mary. So John gets 1.5 x 1.5 points from Mary, which sums up to 2.25 tiebreak points.

Mary won one game against Bob and drew one game against John. So Mary gets 1x3.0 points from Bob and 0.5 x 1.5 points from John, which sums up to 3.75 tiebreak points.

Notice that you only use tie break points if you are tied with a player.  Hence if you are ahead in game points, the tie breaking points are superfluous.   In this tournament, FuMan has a rather large lead and hence would not need tie breaker points.

Also note:  The top three go to the next round with a clean slate.  So the goal of the first round is to make the finals.  The top three (all who make the finals) will get a custom trophy stating they finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a Modern Benoni tournament.  

So finish in the top three so you can do battle in the final round!

Jim - TD

Well, we have many games finished.  The top three will advance to the final round.  Keep it going and good luck.

Jim - TD

The tournament has begun.  Several interesting games already but no finishes yet.

Jim

Have any friends under 1200 rating who would like to play in a small tournament?  Well, one spot left and we are ready to go.

Read the post by me below.   It will give you an idea of what the Modern Benoni is like.  Of course, there are LOTS of variations.  But be ready.  It is a hard and sharp opening.

Jim - TD

This is a Thematic Tournament for the Modern Benoni for players rated under 1201.  The idea is to let lower rated players play a small thematic tournament.

6 players.  You will play at least 10 games.  Top 3 go to the second round.  Custom trophies (and cool!).

This is a fast 1 day limit tourney with NO VACATION.  Do not sign up unless you can log in every day and hopefully make some significant moves.

Tourney will start as soon as 6 players sign up.