Scottish Championships 2015 - Day 1 - Are we nearly there yet???

It's that time of year again, isn't it?  It's time for the Annual Scottish Chess Championships.  This year we are playing in Edinburgh.  I still have memories (or is it nightmares) of the last time.  I think this is my 8th as an Arbiter and hopefully by now I am getting the hang of it...

We are playing in the basement of the Stewart Melville College.  I have to say, it is a really nice venue and reminds me a lot of the Trades Hall in Glasgow which has been my favourite venue of late.

Numbers are healthy, in the 90s and we have all of our norm chasers playing.  Good to see them all playing at home.

As we are clashing with the Welsh Open, Dave is not joining us until later in the week,  As a consequence (and due to my daughter deciding she was not getting up this morning), I somehow only had 2 hours to set up the wired and wireless boards.  Despite losing the 2 - 3 pin converter, I made it with minutes to spare (massive call out to David Congalton who got me out of a hole with that one!!!)

The number of people who have come up to me today to ask if I was Alex has me worried.  Either Alex is getting younger or I am getting older....  For those who can't tell the difference, I am the one with the beard!

There is a really good viewing gallery above the players.  I'll get some shots from there tomorrow.  The excitement was too much for one of the spectators today...

Day 1 is over, it seems to have gone well.  I wonder what day 2 will bring!