Yes, the January 2019 ECF grading list has been published, so its time for my bi-annual review of how club members have fared, chess wise, since the previous list.
Gold Stars
Jude +19
The Club Organiser +8
Dave +8
Matt +7
Joshua +5
Phil +5
Mike D +4
Ben +3
William +3
Andrew P +2
Bernard C +2
Chris +1
Steve +1
As You Were
Nick F =
Tony =
Carl =
Pull Your Socks Up
Nick M -1
Bruce -3
Paul -3
Mike J -4
Rod -5
Andy B -7
Roy -7
New Kid on the Block
Billy - straight in at 121!!
Returning from Hibernation
Bernard R - 131 (ouch! those games in Germany really hurt)
Where Did He Go?
Stuart - disappeared!
With the upturn in club membership and activity, we now have 25 graded players, though regrettably we have lost Stuart who has fallen off the list due to inactivity. Although he did play at least a couple of times for the B team in the Coventry League before Xmas, these games have seemingly been missed by the graders. Given the results, this may be for the best! We also have Algis bubbling under but not yet in possession of a grade, also due to grader incompetence as his results have been split under two different player references. As I'm pretty sure there is only one of him, this organisational issue is being addressed!
Anyway, from our 25 members with current active grades we had 13 risers, 7 fallers, 3 non-movers and 2 new/re-entries. Collectively we gained 68 grading points and lost 30, for a net club gain of 38 points - easily the best result since I started monitoring our collective performance.
Leading the way, with an absolutely stellar gain of 19 points in just 6 months, is Jude, whose upwards trajectory has seen him already pass Roy, who is regrettably heading in the opposite direction. And at this rate of improvement, Jude will be passing everybody else in the club in the next few years, so we'd all better be ready for that moment to arrive. Great stuff, Jude!
I am mystified as to how I gained 8 points, but I think a large part of that is because they have found the points I was incorrectly robbed of in July. Dave also logged a strong +8 performance (become a match captain - it boosts your grade - unless your name is Roy), and given their 100% record, its no surprise he was kept company by the rest of the LDCL B team squad. Nice also to see Matt and William going the right way, too.
Roy brings so much to the club, but regrettably this does not include grading points. Together with Andy B he heads the list of club under-achievers. No need to dwell on the negatives though, is there? So lets move swiftly on to another massive success story. For bursting onto the grading list at 121 is Billy - at the age of just 7. This is an absolutely remarkable achievement. My first ever grade was 106 and I was about 14 at the time!!
Unbelievably, though, I have become, for the first time ever, Club Top Dog, with a lifetime best to boot. Though my recent results suggest that I will not be occupying this lofty perch for long if Paul just carries on not playing any games, he's sure to back at number 1 in July!
Of course, these grades are relatively unimportant for match purposes, as team eligibility and board orders will continue to be determined by last July's grades for the rest of the season.Anyway - keep up the good work, guys - we are on the way up. Especially if we can keep pace with Jude and Billy!
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