International Solving Contest 2006

the referee's word

D-Day is coming This is it!

The "central controller" of the ISC, Ward Stoffelen, sent me the material for the competitions. For category 1, there will be 6 problems to solve in 2 sessions of 2 hours. For category 2, there will be 4 problems to solve in 2 sessions of 2 hours. Sheets to write down the solutions will be provided, but participants should consider bringing draft paper (and writing materials!!). There should be enough chessboards on site, but participants can bring and use their own chessboard if they wish. There is little new participation compared to last time: only one newcomer: Jacques Dupin (category 1) and Guy Sobrecases who is getting bolder and moving to category 1 - there is still time to sign up! category 2 is ideal for discovering this kind of activity...

[clerk's note: Michel Caillaud was the referee that year; this explains his absence from the ranking]

results

All registrants came.

This was unreasonable for Eric Pichouron, who should have stayed home to be treated (in fact he did not return in the afternoon).

It will take a few days for him to recover before he can deliver the judgement of the composition contest.

Fewer participants than last year. It is true that at that time, the dynamic Abdelaziz Onkoud, absent this year, had been able to drag several of his students into the adventure. The timetable was more or less kept; a little 15 minutes late in the afternoon, the time for everyone (including the controller!) to come back from lunch. Results :

0 = incorrect or insufficient solution (key without threat, etc.)

- = no solution given

* = absent (Eric P for the afternoon)

Category 1 A tough test again; only the top 2 have the average.

In particular, no one found the best black defence in the 1st study.

A surprise at the count.

While Eric Huber seemed untouchable after the 1st Round (9.5 points ahead of last year's winner, Alain Villeneuve), he made several mistakes in the 2nd Round (including a false solution for the 2-moves!), and Alain Villeneuve recovered the lead in extremis!

1.Alain Villeneuve 5+5+5+1+-+-+5+5+5+4.5+3.5+5 = 44.0 (234')

2.Eric Huber 5+3.5+5+1+5+5+0+5+0+0+5+5 = 39.5 (240')

3.Jacques Dupin 5+0+4+-+5+5+5+0+-+0+0+4 = 29.0 (240')

4.Guy Sobrecases 5+5+-+1+-+-+5+5+0+4.5+0+- = 26.5 (240')

(not bad for someone who wanted to register in category 2!)

5.Etienne Dupuis 5+-+-+0+5+5+5+-+-+0+0+5 = 25.0 (240')

6.Jean-Louis Le Bouil 5+4.5+3+-+-+-+5+5+-+-+-+- = 22.5 (240')

7.Remy Besançon 5+3+2+1+-+-+5+3.5+0+2+-+- = 21.5 (240')

8.Daniel Capron -+-+-+-+-+2.5+5+5+-+2+-+2 = 16.5 (240')

9.Laurent Riguet 5+0+0+1+0+2.5+0+-+0+2+-+5 = 15.5 (240')

10.Eric Pichouron 0+-+-+-+-+-+*+*+*+*+*+* = 0.0 (120')

Category 2

Almost perfect score for François Gouze, who missed a selfmate that he had recognised.

Only the young Antoine Flotte represented the rising generation, and he did very well with almost the average points.

1.François Gouze 5+5+5+0+5+5+5+5 = 35.0 (217')

2.Antoine Flotte 5+0+-+3+5+0+5+0 = 18.0 (240')

brief update on the situation

"Copies" were sent last week to Ward Stoffelen.

Several errors in my additions (or subtractions) have been pointed out to me, but they do not change the ranking :

Jacques Dupin has 28.0 points instead of 29.0

Guy Sobrecases has 25.5 points instead of 26.5 after 1st Round,

Eric Huber was "only" 8.5 points ahead of Alain Villeneuve...

Alain Villeneuve also submitted a complaint for study 4: there would be a dual on the 4th move: 4.d6! instead of 4.Nf4! I have passed it on to Ward Stoffelen and this may change the notation for this study. To be continued...