The final rankings, as reported by the referees:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0
note that the standings posted above contained an error in the Sonneborn/Berger calculations.
Matteo Bernini took second place by an edge, not Ron King as reported.
The winner however, was Michele Borghetti, no doubt.
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May I refresh your memory for all GAYP Qualifiers so far? :
Prague 2005 (9 rounds): Jim Morrison won with 26/36= 72,2 % , two full points ahead of Baghtiyar and Mustafa Durdyev
Las Vegas 2007 (8 rounds, repairing): Luabalo Kondo won with 20/32 = 62,5 %, one point ahead of Beckwith.
Isle of Whight 2009 (8 rounds): Richard Beckwith won with 21/32 = 65,6 %, one point ahead of Freeman, McCosker and Morrison
San Remo 2011 (8 rounds): Sergio Scarpetta with 21/32= 65,6 %, one point ahead of Kondlo, Francis
Barbados 2013 (8 rounds): Sergio Scarpetta with 27/32= 84,4 % (!), six (!) points ahead of Morrison, Francis
Knoghton 2015 (8 rounds): Michele Borghetti on 19/32= 59,4 %, tied with Bernini, King, Beckwith, Martynov and Kondlo
We conclude: only one time a tiebreaker was needed to determine the winner.
record score: 84,4 %
lowest score by winner: 59,6 %
record margin: 6 points
Now we take a look at the 3-move Qualifiers, just to compare:
Barbados 2004 (8 rounds, repairing): Ron King with 25/32 = 78,1 %, 5 points ahead of Allicock and Devlin
Stonehaven 2006 (8 rounds): Ron King with 23/32 = 71,9 %, 4 points ahead of Baghtiyar Durdyev and Docherty
WMSG Beijng 2008 (9 rounds): Alex Moiseyev with 27/36 = 75,0 %, 4 points ahead of King and Paegle -> challenger race decided by tiebreaker
Dublin 2010 (8 rounds): Michele Borghetti with 23/32 = 71,9 % , won on tiebreaker ahead of King.
WMSG Lille 2012 (9 rounds): Michele Borghetti with 26/36 = 72,2 %, 2 points ahead of Scarpetta
Louisville 2014 ( 8 rounds): Lubabalo kondlo with 22/32 = 68,8 %, won by direct comparison (3-1) over Scarpetta.
record score: Ron King 78,1 %
record margin: Ron King, 5 points
lowest score by winner: Lubabalo Kondlo by 68,8 %
Conclusions:
1. more often a 3-move QT was decided on tiebreaker (3 times) then a GAYT QT (one time)
2. the absolute record margin and record score is held by GAYP, while it also holds the record score for lowest percentage of the winner.
3. In average however, the 3-move winners scored constantly (with one exception), over 70 percent, while in GAYP the winning score was sometimes below 70 percent, and it had the only winner that scored less then 60 percent.
This indicates, that not the style and the system was the reason for the close race, but probaly the high level of the top players.
We had 8 grandmasters (a record), a current World Champion (Borghetti), a former World Champion (King), 4 players that have already played a GAYP WC match as challengers (Beckwith, Kondlo, Francis, Morrison) and three future World Champion candidates (Bernini, McCosker, Bashim Durdyev). Players that finished in the last five (Boyle, Morgan) did already won the prestigous Welsh Open in GAYP in previous years!
However, I like the idea of a different format for GAYP as proposed by Alex.
Greetinx from sunny Dortmund, Germany
Ingo Zachos