The Kentucky Chess Association

[mgriffin]

Ken, I agree with you that and I wouldn't want to do it at the state either. I think it would be cool for someone to organize a scholastic tournament that can do that (Hank, Mike, Steve, I'm looking in your direction). I bet that might be a cool selling point. I know that I'd enjoy watching the big games broadcast. It'd probably be a good learning experience for me since so many of the kids are better than me.

Since this thread is really about the state, I don't think it's a good idea to mess with something that seems to be working.

[Allen Priest]

I had no intention of doing anything like that at the state individual.
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Allen Priest

[emorris]

As for the issue of having state co-champions, I think it is OK as long as
each co-champion has either a loss or draw. If two co-champions both
have perfect records (this happened in the 2009 Ohio Grade Levels, grade
5) , I wish a blitz playoff could determine a true champion. If not,
I feel really sorry for any kid who is 5-0 and brings home a 2nd place
trophy! I realize having a blitz playoff would probably be voted down due
to time issues and probably other reasons.

Accelerated pairings, in my experience, seem to work well because they reduce the number of perfect scores by pitting the top quarter of rated
kids against each other in round 2. This has been explained very well
in previous posts.

I sometimes wish that chess could be like basketball and adopt a bracket
or knockout format of determining a champion, but not for state tourna-
ments of course. The Swiss system, in my opinion, has some inconsistencies. For example, a person who has the following performance (loss, win, win, win, win) outscores but not outperforms a person who has this performance (win, win, win, draw, loss). The Swiss system determines the champion of each tourn. correctly and pairs opponents correctly every round if no teams are present, but sometimes fails to allocate trophies exactly right due to strength of schedule issues.

[Allen Priest]

None of the sections is anywhere near large enough to need accelerated pairings, unless there is a mad dash to sign up in the morning.
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Allen Priest

[Sherry Paris]

As for State Individual Championships, it's all about the NAME on the SHIRT every year and online forever. Those trophies pile up and go in boxes. But people read the shirts. Co Champions still list you as state champ in the long run.

Trust me, I've seen many kids over the years know the importance of the name on the shirt. Making adult decisions about their matches, to ensure their place in history. If they are at that level, they generally make wise choices. A right they have earned when sitting on the top boards. I have told all the teams I have worked with by the time they reached middle school, they make their own decisions, and learn to live with the consequences. Even some k-5 players can and should make their own choices.

And in the long run, there is always another match. These kids know they will play each other again, and probably have played before, so really sharing that championship is many times a wise choice. I guess this argument breaks down at National level. Maybe.
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Sherry Paris
Louisville Collegiate School (parent)

"Once the game is over, the Kings and the Pawns go back into the same box."
~ Italian Proverb