Scottish Championships 2013 - Days 8 and 9. We have a winner and what was I thinking!!!

"To err is human, to really screw it up takes a computer"

I am sitting here, the day after the tournament totally exhausted.  I have to say it was completely worth it.  Lets review Days 8 and 9 and what will probably be the worst day of my Arbiting career!

Day 8 dawned with an air of excitement.  So many people still in contention to be the Champion, so much chess!  The weekend tournament was well underway, everything was working as it should do.  Absolutely perfect.

Dick approached me early on and asked if I could somehow get a picture of our player of the year, David Oswald, without him realizing why.  I am a really bad liar, people see right through me so I had to think of a way to do it that was not really a lie.  After a bit of thinking I decided to ask him to pose for the magazine, I just did not tell him why only I had been asked to get a picture for the magazine

Totally unsuspecting!!!

We worked out that there was a couple of players still with norm chances and hopes were high that one of them could come through.  The temperature was really nice, lower than the previous days and actually manageable.  Some excellent chess was played and at the end of the day, we had 5 likely candidates for the championship.  But which one would win!!!

Alex's new T-Shirt!

Roddy, Alan, Colin, Andrew and Clement were all chasing the title.  We would have to wait until the Sunday to find out who it would be!


Day 9, I am travelling to the venue taking a look at the tie breaks and to my utter horror I noticed an error in the draw!   Words cannot describe how I felt yesterday at the event knowing I had made a really bad blunder.  What I couldn't understand is how the computer did not pick up on it.  I asked Alex and I now understand why.

I just want to make one thing clear, that is the blunder was mine.  Alex very kindly apologized to everyone at the start of the round out our behalf, but the mistake was mine and mine alone!  Even today it is still bothering me.

I asked a few players what they thought of what I had done, well their reaction speaks volumes...

Gutted!

Well I am not finishing on a downer!  We have some winners to celebrate!!!

In 1988, A certain IM Roddy McKay picked up his 7th Scottish title.  I bet he never in his  wildest dreams imagined he would win again 15 years later!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the 2013 Scottish Champion, for the 8th time!

IM Roddy McKay

 The winners of the Tournament!

 The 10 way tie for one of the Grading Prizes!

Who's round is it?

 Winners of the Minor

 Runner up in the Open

 Grading prize from the Open

Well thats it for this year.  Time for a couple of well deserved days off.  Well done to Roddy and all the winners and well done to Alex for organizing another superb tournament.