Like I said before, I enjoy participating at BMS(UK) events. Since all matches are recorded, transcribed and analysed by the tournament organiser, you can get a pretty accurate idea of your playing performance without the hassle of having to record and transcribe your matches yourself. Win or lose, you know if you played well or badly.
This was my second participation at Castle Donington. This time, I flew cheaply to Manchester, rented a car for four days and enjoyed the scenery of the Peak District on my way to and from the venue, which is situated just south-west of Nottingham.
The event takes place at the Holiday Inn Express, close to East Midlands Airport. The hotel is great : it is compact, sound-proof (at least to noise from outside), reasonably cheap (45£ / night), has friendly staff and serves good food. Free coffee and water all day through. Comfortable playing conditions. Entry fee : 75£. I especially like the playing schedule which involves no play after dinner. On Saturday, play starts at 11:30am. Every player plays three 11-point matches, which takes till about 6 or 7pm. Then there is dinner and time off. On Sunday, play starts at 10:30am and again all players play three 11-point matches. This guarantees a prize awarding ceremony at 6pm at the latest.
All playing and recording equipment is provided by Rick Janowski, the TD and mastermind behind BMAB and BMS events. So there is no need to bring anything along, except toothpaste and some fresh clothes.
Last time I participated, I won 2/6 (or 3 – who cares), but this time I had a good run with 5/6. Ok, that’s nice (it takes care of the expenses), but most important are the PRs of course, which will be made public in a week or two. Last time I felt I under-performed with a PR of 5,3. I hope I did better this time, but one can never be sure.
Below is a picture and the final leaderboard :
M.