# Dopers 2005! Chess: Royal Rumble! Doper Chess Fest!!!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 26, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061 "2005-02-26T22:58:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/41 "2005-03-02T18:58:18Z")
Well, I suppose that I’ll give this thread about another week to collect participants, and then email everybody to try to set things up.
I’ll read up on Swiss tournaments, and try to think up some semi-objective system whereby we could rate players, or have them self-rate.
I think that, perhaps, monday that seventh of march would be a very good day to start sending out emails and making pairings.
What say ye all?
---
### Author:  [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/42 "2005-03-02T19:04:45Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#):
>
> Well, I suppose that I’ll give this thread about another week to collect participants, and then email everybody to try to set things up.
>
> I’ll read up on Swiss tournaments, and try to think up some semi-objective system whereby we could rate players, or have them self-rate.
>
> I think that, perhaps, monday that seventh of march would be a very good day to start sending out emails and making pairings.
>
> What say ye all?
Fine by me.
---
### Author:  [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/43 "2005-03-02T19:45:15Z")
Example of Yahoo format;
> [@](#):
>
> 1. e2-e4 e7-e5
> 2. g1-f3 d7-d6
> 3. d2-d4 f7-f6
> 4. f1-c4 g8-h6
> 5. h2-h3 c7-c6
> 6. b1-c3 d8-a5
> 7. c1-d2 d6-d5
> 8. c4-b3 c8-e6
> 9. d4xe5 b8-d7
> 10. e5xf6 d7xf6
> 11. e4xd5 c6xd5
> 12. d1-e2 a5-d8
> 13. c3-b5 f6-e4
> 14. o-o-o a8-c8
> 15. d2-f4 f8-d6
> 16. b5xd6+ e4xd6
> 17. f4xd6 d8xd6
> 18. f3-d4 e8-e7
> 19. h1-e1 h8-f8
> 20. d4xe6
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/44 "2005-03-02T19:53:04Z")
> [@Gfactor](#):
>
> Example of Yahoo format;
Hrm… other than a snippet of dialogue from Bladerunner, I’ve never seen chess notation in any other manner.
How do you suggest we handle reporting here? I do think it would be neat to see game histories when we run each of the four (five?) rounds. Maybe someone wants to work with me and we can collect the game histories each week and then annotate them ourselves?
---
### Author:  [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/45 "2005-03-02T20:10:22Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#):
>
> Hrm… other than a snippet of dialogue from Bladerunner, I’ve never seen chess notation in any other manner.
>
> How do you suggest we handle reporting here? I do think it would be neat to see game histories when we run each of the four (five?) rounds. Maybe someone wants to work with me and we can collect the game histories each week and then annotate them ourselves?
The threads that glee is doing right now have more typical notation.
Here is an example (randomly selected) of modern chess notation.
[http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess\_ht\_attack/031115\_h\_t\_attack\_pins.html](http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_ht_attack/031115_h_t_attack_pins.html)
I’m not sure that I have a suggestion about reporting, and I don’t really care if we do the Yahoo thing. I probably don’t have time to annotate the games, and I have to say that my limited chess insight would render any annotations that I did worthless. But I know there are many Dopers who are good at such things.
---
### Author:  [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/46 "2005-03-02T20:22:31Z")
OK, I’m in. To fight valiantly and lose is my forte…
My only mental reservation is the recollection that the last time I tried to use Yahoo chess, my system choked on the java aplets the site uses.
Most of my internet chess I played at Microsoft’s Zone dot com, but it makes you download a buttload of their software.
This sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Thanks to **FinnAgain** for the idea
---
### Author:  [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/47 "2005-03-02T21:38:32Z")
I’d like in, please.
To my worthy opponents: prepare to WIN!
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/48 "2005-03-03T00:14:25Z")
**Lizard King** : my pleasure.
**Lathe** You’re in, perpare for some fun.
(Anybody have a link to The Onion’s article on the kung fu style that’s guaranteed to lose?)
---
### Author:  [@Elvez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvez)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/49 "2005-03-03T02:10:13Z")
I’ve never really played any real-time online chess. My experience has been with [itsyourturn.com](http://itsyourturn.com) (which is email correspondence chess), where the games progress more slowly, but it’s easier to play people in different time zones and with different schedules.
Just another option.
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### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/50 "2005-03-03T02:22:42Z")
Well, I’m sure that we can allow people to play over any service they’d like. I think we’d set a time limit of one week for completion of games, but other than that it’d be up to the participants.
Thank you for an alternate suggestion though.
---
### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/51 "2005-03-03T02:33:39Z")
Count me in too!
I have not played in tournaments in a long time, but 5 years ago I was rated 1600.
---
### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/52 "2005-03-03T09:11:27Z")
I’ll play. My hotmail account has been erratic lately, so if you send out a mass email, maybe put a copy in this thread?
---
### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/53 "2005-03-03T11:02:31Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#):
>
> Well, I suppose that I’ll give this thread about another week to collect participants, and then email everybody to try to set things up.
>
> I’ll read up on Swiss tournaments, and try to think up some semi-objective system whereby we could rate players, or have them self-rate.
>
> I think that, perhaps, monday that seventh of march would be a very good day to start sending out emails and making pairings.
>
> What say ye all?
A Swiss tournament is basically aimed at producing a winner. Below that, final placings are not as reliable because your opponents may vary in strength.
The number of rounds you need depends on the number of players. For 16- 32 entrants, 5 rounds is the minimum.
Club players will have a rating. The ELO system applies worldwide (with national conversions where necessary). Less experienced players won’t have a rating, but it would be normal to just put them in as with identical ratings of say 0, then within that group at random.
A typical first round draw would pair top half v bottom half, varying colours alternately (to make future pairings easier).
For example:
White Black
Arthur (2000) v Basil (0)
Catherine (0) v Derek (1800)
Ernest (1600) v Fiona (0)
George (0) v Harry (1550)
Ian (0) v Jackie (0)
Karl (0) v Lee (0)
---
### Author:  [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/54 "2005-03-03T18:02:13Z")
Regarding the yahoo format, a friend of mine pointed me to this [link](http://www33.brinkster.com/ahmbay/blackeagle.asp?p=download) claims to have a Yahoo-\>PNG converter but I haven’t been able to make it accept any input so far, maybe it only accepts complete games and I don’t have one to hand.
Worth a shot if people want to go the yahoo route.
SD
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/55 "2005-03-03T19:44:36Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#):
>
> I have not played in tournaments in a long time, but 5 years ago I was rated 1600.
I don’t understand, do you mean a Yahoo rating of 1600?
**Ellis Dee** : Welcome to the tourney, of course I’ll post here as well as mass mail.
**glee** Would you be able to help me set up pairings in each round? You seem to understand much better than I do, and I don’t want to screw things up.
**SpaceDog** : Excellent. Would you please post to us if you get it to work?
---
### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/56 "2005-03-03T20:46:20Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#):
>
> I don’t understand, do you mean a Yahoo rating of 1600?
USCF rating, Elo system.
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### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/57 "2005-03-03T23:51:53Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#):
>
> **glee** Would you be able to help me set up pairings in each round? You seem to understand much better than I do, and I don’t want to screw things up.
I can certainly do the pairings (I have organised quite a few tournaments).
I was hoping to play, but hereby offer to direct instead!
The information needed from each player to do the draw is simple:
Have you a current or former ELO rating?
If you have a national rating (issued by your chess federation), I can convert it.
Don’t worry if you have no rating!
All players will play in every round, using the Swiss system.
---
### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/58 "2005-03-04T02:20:30Z")
Its been a week so I think all (or at least nearly all) of the people that wanted to sign up have. Shall we get this thing going?
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### Author:  [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/59 "2005-03-04T04:01:39Z")
> [@treis](#):
>
> Its been a week so I think all (or at least nearly all) of the people that wanted to sign up have. Shall we get this thing going?
I know of one more person who might be interested. We’ll know for sure by tomorrow around lunchtime…
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2005, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-2005-chess-royal-rumble-doper-chess-fest/292061/60 "2005-03-04T07:00:53Z")
**Glee** : Can’t you help organize as well as play? It seems a shame for you not to participate.
And I think, since people keep trickling in one or two a day, that we’ll wait until next week to close the tourney. I’d rather wait a bit too long than exclude someone who wanted to play.
If lots of people disagree, of course, we’ll run it asap.
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