"The Dreamers" and "Chess Mates" are currently tied with 13 match points (TB1, 2 match points for each team win, 1 match point for each team draw, no match point for each team loss). In terms of game points, The Dreamers is also holding a narrow lead over Chess Mates (TB2, 26.5 against 25.5). Both these teams have also fought to a team draw against each other in their earlier encounter, so we can be assured of a dramatic, nail biting finish in the final round on 16th August 2019.
Also worth mentioning is that the opposing teams of both title-contending teams in the final round are also playing with something at stake -- thanks to the generous prize money sponsored by QCD, top 8 teams will get a cash prize, and the teams will be striving their best for better placing for bigger rewards.
I have chess friends in both The Dreamers and Chess Mates, so I will not be favouring a particular team to win over the other =) May the better team emerge as the overall winner!
Just a recap of the tiebreakers as stated in the rules and regulations of this team tournament:
Last but not least, some interesting statistics:
Black actually scored slightly more points than White despite White having the first mover advantage, LOL. I don't know if it could be due to (i) burden of expectations on White to play for a win; (ii) Team match strategy -- perhaps some teams prefer their stronger players to play Black to hold opponents White boards); (iii) White entering the game more relaxed while Black being more serious in their preparations, resulting in the latter performing better; or simply (iv) random "luck" factors.
Also interesting is the very low percentage of drawn games, 24 / (87+24+90) X 100% = 11.9%, while decisive games made up 88.1% of all games, excluding forfeits. It is also good to see the number of forfeits staying low.
A huge diversity of Player Pool
(Reference: https://chess-results.com/tnr424743.aspx?lan=1&art=16&turdet=YES)
Out of the 125 players listed, 75 have a FIDE rating. And it ranges from the highest of 2392 to the lowest of 1138. There are also 50 players without a FIDE rating. Pointing this out because during the initial "matchmaking " phase (i.e. me recruiting players for both new and existing teams), there were players who declined to join, citing "I don't know if I am ready".
Well, I would say that the love for the game, the unique experience of playing in an adults only tournament is probably a more important consideration for most of us on board. I have also asked informally and understand that most players / teams, especially the ones I helped to matchmake, were keen to continue playing next year. There are also players who have been asking actively for training matches to improve themselves so as to become a more valuable player for the team. I have also seen some players in the QCD league who become more interested and active in playing official (rated) tournaments.
So long as you enjoy the game, I don't think you can go wrong playing the QCD league. Hope to see more interested adults coming on board and enjoying themselves in future runs of the QCD league!
Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
newbie_learner
Siglap South CC Chess Quartet
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