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Thread: Olympiad Selection Ratings (Final) - National

  1. #11
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    You have it right Bob.

    Both Hansen and Porper would seem to have a chance to play as one might describe both Spraggett and Bluvshtein as iffy, but we won't know until we see who responds positively to their invitations.

  2. #12

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    I can confirm that both Spraggett and Bluvshtein have officially declined their invitations. Invites for Porper and Hansen should be sent out by Gerry soon.

  3. #13
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    In Alberta we are very excited to have two representatives in the next Olympiad. I might be wrong, but I believe that this will be the first time since 1939 Argentina Olympiad that an Albertan is member of the team. Back then Walter Hollowach from Edmonton was on the team. I would like to thank selection committee members: Vlad Drkulec and Vlad Pechenkin for making an honest and proper choice for our team.

  4. #14
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    Crosstable of the qualifying tournament. Notice which possible team member scored the 2722 performance rating and tied for first place.

    I think it's great when a qualified new (to the team) player stands opposed but still gets to play. Then he has the opportunity to prove that the negative perception is wrong and/or that he can raise his team coefficient. But when the opposed player doesn't get to play, that can lead to long-term disaffection. Look at 1974, for example. With all respect to Yan Teplitsky, who is a great player and a great guy.

    Lionel Joyner was among the top players circa 1960, but I don't know if he was living in Edmonton then. And CFC didn't play in the 1960 or 1962 Olympiads--in fact, never behind the Iron Curtain. In those days, sometimes a guy with a regular job could not get time off work to play chess and travel for 2-3 weeks.
    JMS+ 1 p1.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
    Crosstable of the qualifying tournament. Notice which possible team member scored the 2722 performance rating and tied for first place.

    I think it's great when a qualified new (to the team) player stands opposed but still gets to play. Then he has the opportunity to prove that the negative perception is wrong and/or that he can raise his team coefficient. But when the opposed player doesn't get to play, that can lead to long-term disaffection. Look at 1974, for example. With all respect to Yan Teplitsky, who is a great player and a great guy.

    Lionel Joyner was among the top players circa 1960, but I don't know if he was living in Edmonton then. And CFC didn't play in the 1960 or 1962 Olympiads--in fact, never behind the Iron Curtain. In those days, sometimes a guy with a regular job could not get time off work to play chess and travel for 2-3 weeks.
    Jonathan: You probably have left a lot of people wondering what you're talking about, but maybe I can provide some light on the subject.

    Lionel Joyner is one of Canada's least known champion players from the "modern" generation ... say as of 1972 when a lot of us old timers started. At that time he had a CFC rating of 2395 (behind only Yanofsky, Suttles, and Biyiasas). It's likely that the CFC ratings at that time were 50-100 points deflated from FIDE ratings.

    He had largely become inactive other that Alberta events by that time - but in the 50's and early 60's was very active when playing out of hometown of Montreal, winning the Canadian Closed in 1961 and playing on the 1958 Olympic team. I suspect he turned down invitations in 1964 and subsequent years to play on the team.

    I recall a document in Chess Canada (I think from probably about 1973-4) that the recommendations of the Olympic nominating committee had been overturned by somebody higher up - not sure who that was (the Executive - President - FIDE Rep ??). The one player I recall who lost their position on the team was Kevin Spraggett. I suspect someone out there can likely remember this and look this up .... Jonathan may be able to confirm if this was what he was referring to (but wanted to keep the readers guessing). Or maybe his point was that someone took Spraggett's placed (who never would have been picked) and performed really well !!

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fred McKim View Post
    ...
    I recall a document in Chess Canada (I think from probably about 1973-4) that the recommendations of the Olympic nominating committee had been overturned by somebody higher up - not sure who that was (the Executive - President - FIDE Rep ??). The one player I recall who lost their position on the team was Kevin Spraggett. I suspect someone out there can likely remember this and look this up .... Jonathan may be able to confirm if this was what he was referring to (but wanted to keep the readers guessing). Or maybe his point was that someone took Spraggett's placed (who never would have been picked) and performed really well !!
    AFAIR: Zvonko Vranesic was named Canadian team selector at the 1973 CFC Annual Meeting. He chose Kevin Spraggett, but not D.A. Yanofsky. There was a major kerfuffle, and the CFC Governors (who in those days were supreme, the role of the Exec was guidance and to make reports) overturned the selection. Yanofsky played, Spraggett did not. Nice 1974 was not a great result for Canada, for those days. Whatever the reason: egos, testosterone, spousal interference, just didn't happen to be playing well, ...; it was a star team with a journeyman result. Canada lost to Australia, but avoided the "C" final when Australia could only score 3 against Rhodesia while Canada made a clean sweep. Even with the good fortune, the 24th place in Nice was the worst result from 1939 (17th place) until finally in 1988 we fell to 37th place.

    Spraggett turned down every Olympic Team invitation ("disaffection") until 1986, then was team leader 1990-2002, and finally has settled back into disenchantment again.

    In case there's doubt, I'm saying that it would have been good to see Spraggett, who was selected as a team rookie for 1974, play. I believe that's how I voted at the time, too.
    JMS+ 1 p1.

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