Middlesex CCA C V Surrey CCA C

Played at London Mindsports

Played at London Mindsports Centre. hard fought match played in friendly spirit.

Keith Jones

James Fox

Details of Surrey player James Fox corrected to 312869G (Streatham), replacing inactive player of same name259244H (Coulsdon)

Michael Flatt

board order rule

Middx actually used board order of latest ratings, which I thought was very sensible both at the time and even now that it's been pointed out that it broke the +/-80 rule based on Sept ratings order. But also under the rule, it would be too late to object now, after the match, not that I want to anyway. For Surrey I use my own special rule of Sept ratings +/-15 for each win/loss in previous u1850 matches this season, equivalent to the +/-2 rule I used to use under old-style ECF grades (which incidentally, under the old system, was a mathematically exact update for a rating based on 24 games against an opponent of the same rating). My rule would generally keep within the +/-80 rule in a season of 6 matches as after 5 matches even 5 wins are only +75, unless someone >80 above has -75 for 5 losses, an unlikely combination. Personally I don't think introducing the +/-80 rule was a good idea, although I know others disagree with me. But if the rule is retained, then it should at least be amended to clarify: (1) you may use any reasonable system (consistent across your team in any match) for defining the applicable ratings; (2) whether you really are expected to have online access to everyone's ratings to check your opponent's team, taking time delaying a match, before starting play, or can a penalty be extracted afterwards for a serious infringement you couldn't reasonably have known about at the time of play; (3) whether a captain should before start of play draw attention to a deliberate +/-80 breach and justify it on whatever grounds before explicitly agreeing it with the opposing capt (as the way the rule is now phrased implies you can break the rule if no one objects at the time, so obviously in particular if captains mutually agree on a deviation, which I think is very sensible, so there would be no automatic penalty as applies in some leagues).

H.Trevor Jones