2019 World championship qualifiers and draw

[Stony152]

Contrary to snooker, there has been a top 10 female chess player (Hungarian), so that shows there's no genetic barrier to entry. But many, many more women play chess, and still there's only been 3 top 100 female players. So with basically two competitive female snooker players, you're never going to get anywhere, especially as they have no-one to play against of any standard except each other!

Judit Polgar is part of a very interesting story. Back in the 1970s her father decided to teach her and her two sisters chess from a very early age. They pretty much lived and breathed chess throughout their adolescence. Judit actually very rarely played other women and refused to enter the "Women's" World championship. She's had a lot of success against top men and has beaten basically every great player of the past 30 years. (including Kasparov and present world champion Magnus Carlsen)

She reached a peak ELO rating of 2735 and a rank of 8th in the world. Carlsen's peak was 2882, but there aren't too many men who have ever been above 2750 and very few above 2800. the 20th ranked player at present has a 2735 ELO rating. So basically, at her peak she was at the level of Kyren Wilson or Barry Hawkins. There is obviously less luck and randomness in chess than in snooker, but she was capable of beating anybody in the world.

Maybe somebody in an athletic family needs to start their daughter or daughters playing snooker at a very young age and devote a lot of resources to it. Would anybody do that? Highly doubtful.

[DeanH]

love "Mr Blue Sky"

[Stony152]

love "Mr Blue Sky"

I'm partial to "Telephone Line" and "Evil Woman"

[DeanH]

dont forget "Roll over Beethoven"

[Stony152]

It actually is Elo and not ELO. My bad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system

[Stony152]

I'm in love with Rosie Vela. She's the gorgeous creature to the left of Mr. Lynne on backup vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEh3RJ5apIo

[fkhan]

Jimmy White vs Ali Carter is going to be a great match!

[Stony152]

Jimmy White vs Ali Carter is going to be a great match!

10-4 for Carter

[narl]

What is this routine White is doing standing rubbing his hands together? He started doing this a year or 2 back and now it almost seems to be something he does quite a lot while playing.

[fkhan]

10-4 for Carter

Carter is the favourite but it would be great if it is a close match.

[narl]

Carter is the favourite but it would be great if it is a close match.

He beat Carter in the 2017 uk championship first round in 2017, not impossible for him to do it again, but improbable.

[JimMalone]

Jimmy White vs Ali Carter is going to be a great match!

I actually think this is one of the least interesting second rounders. Carter will prevail easily.

[Mark187187]

Agreed. I'd go 10-2 Carter.

[Neil Taperell]

Who is Pang Junxu ? Never heard of him , just beaten Stuart Carrington .

[JimMalone]

Who is Pang Junxu ? Never heard of him , just beaten Stuart Carrington .

19 year old chinese player. Never heard of him before as well. Surely a surprise. Plays Kurt Maflin next.