Friday, February 22, 2008

USATE 2008: GGGg Cannot Play in Finals

The following e-mail exchange was posted online in the comments section of another blog:

Carol Jarecki wrote:

Hi Eugene,
There is some misunderstanding, and lots of controversy, regarding your team's acceptance into the Playoff. As you said, the team members understood they could not play, as established in past years, because of it's rating configuration. Since the restriction wasn't in writing in the East's TLA Steve Doyle feels the team is allowed although others disagree, asserting the rule of not more than a 1000-point difference between boards 3 and 4 has been in place for so long that it no longer needs annual publication. This has caused such national contoversy that he has gone so far as to suggest the Playoffs be cancelled this year. This would be very unfortunate and most likely would not be agreed. I need to know if I may contact the second-place team to partipate in the Playoffs on April 12th which would satisfactorily resolve this problem in the interest, intention and tradition of the US Amateur Team tournaments.
Many thanks for a quick reply and cooperation.
Carol

Eugene Perelshteyn wrote:

Carol,
Yes, going into the event it was our understanding that we would not be eligible to play in the final in case we win 1st. I believe Steve Doyle mentioned it to Roman, and we were fine with this. Either way, we are not interested to play in the final as it will be online. Our goal was to have fun, play next to each other over-the-board, and enjoy the great atmosphere of the tournament. You can contact the 2nd place team.
Best,
Eugene

Note: The second place team "1.d4" (Dan Yeager, Victor Shen, Scott Low, and Jared Defibaugh) finished at 5.5/6 and never played GGGg.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel if GGGg is not going to play then the east should lose the right to send a team to the playoffs (alternative idea see below). Yes it it true that D4 did not play GGGg but what about all the other teams that played them. GGGg being able to play changed pairings, and results of other teams and other tiebreak variables that can't or be extremely difficult to determine. Rook N Roll for example played the top rated team in round two and lost 2.5 - 1.5 and then that team lost to GGGg in a later round.The odds of getting a 1/2 or full point round if they did not play GGGg would have greatly increased. Rook N Roll lost out for the under 2100 prize by .75. Yes, I do realize that there are so many variablesJ(too many to mention) in this type of tournament that could have made the tie breaks closer or larger but, this is an example of a domino effect that was not noted.
My other idea is that if we were to send a team to represent the East than gather the 5.5 teams and the teams that played GGGg and have them battle it out to represent the east. There is time to do this before the playoffs.

Philip J. Sorge (Rook N Roll Forever)

Anonymous said...

It's clear that the most practical course of action is to send the second place team. Yes, any team that finished 5-1 because they lost to the GGGg team (such as Kenilworth A) may have been unfairly denied a chance to compete for the championship. But there is really nothing to be done about that at this point, and no way to know how those teams would have finished had they not had to play GGGg.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it may be the most practical decision to send the second place team but is it really fair to the teams that played GGGg? Finding out all the teams involved and setting up some matches can be done. It will take a little work and remember the playoffs are in April. This way it would be fair to all involved. The east can send a team under fairer conditions, otherwise the east should not be represented this year.

Anonymous said...

The most fair thing to do is send the second place team. Yes, they never played GGGg but they still proved themselves as the #2 team with a 5.5 finish.

It took a lot of work for that team to finish 5.5. If might be hard for the teams that went 5-1 by losing to GGGg but it is a Swiss system and thats how it was run.

This coming from someone who missed out on representing my state in the Denkar's one year by a draw (played 3 games as an alternate anyway).

Anonymous said...

Is it a rule that if the first place team bows out the second place team automatically goes? If it is then, so be it, but it is still unfair to the other teams that played GGGg. If GGGg is not going no one should represent the east this year. The winner should represent the east end of story.
John your story albeit touching is not the case here. I believe your story was not a team story nor did you have to play a Gm or Gm's in only needing a draw.
I am forming a Super GM team to play with my 9 year old daughter next year. I will need some investors. If anyone is willing to help form this super team you will be given credit for and maybe others will do the same and have 50 Gm's in next years tournament.
Another issue is maybe the east should send teams to the other regions as the Univeristy of Dallas comes to the east. I did not check if all are from the east originally but the team name and top college is represented as UTD. If we send other teams to the other resions they have a better chance of making it to the playoffs since there are way fewer teams to compete with. More things to comteplate on this issue.

Anonymous said...

It stinks. Danny Rohde's team lost in the last round to the ineligible team and was knocked out of the playoffs.