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EOSC 2010 Commentary: Round 1

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Go to: Before the Tournament, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 16, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Round 28, Round 29, Round 30, Round 31, Round 32, After the Tournament.

TD Amy Byrne got things underway with a brief but stern warning of her usual draconian penalties. If a player's cellphone rings during play, they receive a warning. On a second offence, they lose 50 points of spread. On a third offence, they forfeit their game in progress. No one asked what happens on a fourth offence.

Astute followers of the web coverage will have noticed a slight irregularity in the pairings. Alison Pollard (AUS) and Gary Pollard (AUS) were originally placed in the B division but clearly deserved to play in A. As they were fortuitously paired with each other in the first round, they have been advised that their game will count as a result in the A division instead.

The originally planned full round robin in each division will accordingly be replaced by modified Swiss pairings. This will result in more repeat pairings at the top of the field, which many argue is a fairer way to run a tournament, as the ultimate victor will have tested his or her skill more against peers and less against the bottom of the field.

Speaking of possible ultimate victors, Nigel Richards (MYS) is playing Kevin Synnott (Eng) at Board 1, being annotated by a crew of inexperienced but enthusiastic game recorders. See the Games link above for the live play-by-play.

Nigel makes a spectacular play midgame, picking up a five-point challenge penalty as well, finishing the game 484-316.

Raymond Tate (Sco) is in second place after a 474-311 win over David Delicata (MLT), and as luck would have it, the third-quartile player with whom Nigel has been randomly paired next round is Ray himself.

The polynomial Brid Ni Bhriain (IRL) scored 424 points in her game against Sheila Anderson (Eng), and in so doing lost by one point.