GM Leinier will cease to be a national champion
The measure of excluding the chess player from Güines to project his ELO is not new, but surprises for its permanence after the growing popular clamor for seeing the best player of the country in pursuit of the national crown.
Both parties are right, but nobody can deny that a duel between Leinier and Lazaro Bruzon, Fidel Corrales or Yuniesky Quesada, just to mention the most outstanding ones, is much more spectacular than one without the idol from Güines, whose
sole official participation at home takes place in the traditional Capablanca Memorial tournaments.
According to the format released in the last few hours, 18 players would compete in two rounds for the national crown in Ciego de Avila, from January 11-26, 2009.
The island’s top 16 according to the latest ranking released by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) will be joined by the top two of a so-called Provincial Champions Cup, which will run in late November in the municipality of San Nicolas de
Bari, Havana Province.
The 18 contestants will play nine rounds through the Swiss System, and the top four will clash in a round robin match, from where the winner will emerge. The formula also has chinks, because the casting of lots will define who will play with the white pieces and who will play with the white ones, and that is not fair at all, there should be two rounds, to see all the players attacking and replaying.
Going back to Leinier, since his first absence was determined criticisms appeared. Nobody wants to see his ELO affected for the mere fact of seeking a national title, but the true thing is that the expectation lived by chess fans several years ago with the bilateral duels between him and Bruzon hasn’t come back in any of the subsequent editions.
There are official play systems in the world that are not compiled for the ELO rating, like Blitz Tournament. Many would say that a title won through the most internationally used system does not taste the same as one won through the super quick system, but something is something.
In addition, many times this type of matches are precisely the ones that define the crowns, because parity imposes itself in the traditional ones.
The 18 contestants will play nine rounds through the Swiss System, and the top four will clash in a round robin match, from where the winner will emerge. The formula also has chinks, because the casting of lots will define who will play with the white pieces and who will play with the white ones, and that is not fair at all, there should be two rounds, to see all the players attacking and replaying.
Fuente: Cubasi
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