<Even if you don't qualify, it's still possible to become World Champion, with a string of incredible luck to overcome your handicap. Furthermore, the top 10 places of the Winter leg earn an automatic qualification into the following year's Championship.>>

Excellent <danielpi> :) I wish more members would read the <fine print> around here! ~lol~ So, we can have as many as 40 qualifiers.

The relevant part of the rules is here:

<WINTER 2008 • CHAMPIONSHIP LEG

1st place: percyblakeney (25,845 chessbucks)

Runners up: Sneaky, technical draw, Andoy, protean, Fredrik, Akavail, NakoSonorense, Hot Logic, and Micawbr.>

Congrats <TD> and <NakoSonorense> you have already pre-qualified for the Winter Championship 2009 series! :))

Now, the question still remains if <NakoSonorense> is also in the 'Top Ten' in the current Summer leg are there still 10 spots left (total of 14) or only 6? <just curious> ;) I'm sure <ChessBookie> will set us straight very shortly... <grin>

Addendum: From the - ChessBookie Game Help Page - What are "Legs"? What is the Championship?

<The first three legs (spring, summer, and fall) are identical in format: At the start of each leg, each player's account is wiped clean and 1000 chessbucks are deposited. The player with the most chessbucks at the end of the leg is declared to be the winner, and positions 2 through 10 declared the runner ups.>

In the summary: <In short, if you want to be a serious contender for the Championship which takes place during the winter leg, you must first qualify by placing in the top 10 positions during one the spring, summer, or fall legs.>

If you look at past lists, <perceyblakeney> qualified twice in 2007. So I guess that means that only 39 people got the 10,000. I didn't comb the list, but it's entirely possible that there were even fewer than 39 people who "qualified".

There is a very good reason to be a jerk and continue to try to qualify, even if you have already qualified. Namely, the more often you qualify, the fewer competitors you will have in the championship leg.

It would, of course, be somewhat unfair to dig deeper into the leader board to ensure 10 people qualified from each leg. Let us say that <Nako> was 10th I was 11th in the Spring leg. Then, let us say that <Nako> was 10th in the summer leg, and I was 12th in the summer leg. If CB doesn't count <Nako> in the summer (because he had already qualified in the fall) then whoever is 11th qualifies, but he didn't really perform any better than I did (relatively speaking). He just did the same as me, except that a technicality allowed him to qualify. If <Nako> qualifies twice, why do I get bumped but not the other guy?

Furthermore, it would make it progressively easier to qualify for summer and fall legs, since presumably more and more people in the top rankings would have "already" qualified. And it also skews the leg winners. If I've already qualified (but not won) in an earlier leg, does that mean that I can't win a later leg? That seems preposterous.

Yes, I noticed that too... That's why I included the 'addendum' and 'summary' in the PS which seems to indicate it's always ten (never an amount selected greater than 10 to advance).

Then only subtraction occurs when previous qualifiers (from the Championship series or the following year's Spring, Summer and Fall legs) duplicate their efforts getting back into the 'Top Ten.' ;) It's interesting that I don't recall this question ever coming up before, so I've never thought about it! ~lol~ :)

I finished this leg with 102,181 chessbucks and I didn't even make a single bet. It's pure juice, baby!>

However, because it is conceivable that our decision in this issue could change the order of the #1 and #2 players, and also to reward the players for their excellent work, we've decided to award BOTH first and second place with the grand prize.

This leg's grand prize is, as usual, a free chessgames.com premium membership for one year.

Nevertheless, we will make good on our promise and award 1st and 2nd place with the free membership.

Runner up malthrope will also receive a free year's membership.

All players in the top ten are now qualified for the Championship Leg in the winter.

Final standings:

Congratulations to <SwitchingQuylthulg> (whose name I can't possibly pronounce) for winning... AGAIN!

<ChessBookie> I think you should consider changing the order of the Legs in the Hall of Fame page.

Congrats to others. So you made it after all <Nako>. Justice, I suppose. But watch out -- I'll be gunning for you in the winter leg -- Muhahaha!

Thank You <ChessBookie> it's very much appreciated! <grin> Also, for your 'Anonymous Donor' program in which my <CG.com> membership was renewed that way in January of 2008. I applaud you for creating this program. Since I'm fully medically disabled and $25 is a huge expense for me.

<Chessgames Bookie: There is some controversy this round because we have been informed that the games started earlier than the official site announced that they would start. With this in mind, we investigated the chessbookie logfiles for the time period in question, and concluded that nobody attempted to exploit this timing discrepancy. It's possible that it was not even exploitable at all. [...]>

Actually that's not true <ChessBookie> and that person that informed you about the incrediable 'SNAFU' with the starting time was me! :)) As I stated in my post to you reporting this fact, <"It's just a tragedy that this Summer betting leg has to end like this...">. However, I can tell you in the period I was betting (my final betting sequence from 10:15 AM to 10:59 AM) the betting was increased in the 'Pick-3' alone by a minimum of 7K. I didn't keep track of the other indivdual bets.

When I got the games on the monitor screen at 11:05 AM my time (exactly one hour and 5 minutes after the games had actually started) the following was already crystal clear to me (I'm a former Master strength chess player, btw):

1) Miton vs Becerra - was already drawn (official result having been posted).

2) Akobian vs Kritz - was also drawn (official result having been posted).

3) Onischuk vs Stefansson - was still in progress but it was clear that GM Onischuk was going to win this game (better position and a solid pawn up).

So, the 'Pick-3' was all set to choose the <Winning Bet> in this case <D-D-W>. As well as all the games involved 1-3 two of which had already ended. What I don't know if games 1 & 2 were drawn prior to 11 AM or just after (within the 5-minute gap that I didn't witness). In either case a draw was clearly indicated on the chessboard in both cases.

4) Pentala vs Kaidanov - with a complex position and Pentala having the better of it (he was clearly pressing Kaidanov).

5) Perelshteyn vs Mikhalevski - this is the only game that I cannot attest too. I do know (I'll double check this when I go over the game) that although Mikhalevski was winning but it appeared that he eventually lost on time in a winning position (I can't be 100% sure until I view this game again on a standard chess viewer as the official Monroi chess viewer is very inaccurate at times with pieces *not* on the chessboard *still* on the chessboard! ~lol~). Both the Pentala win and the Perelshteyn win ended within a few minutes of one another.

<ChessBookie: We were wrong when we said that our decision in that matter could influence the standings of first and second place. The gap is more enormous than we believed possible.>

If you had read my previous post to <SwitchingQuylthulg> you will see that I explained part of this. If my gamble had paid off in Rd #8 as I suspected that he <SQ> was my only main rival left (since he managed to come right behind me a few weeks before). After losing my gamble in Rd #8 after being in the lead throughout most of this Summer leg - I simply lost heart. I would have <Bet the House> in order to win but as you can see that's what I didn't do. Hence, the discrepancy between 1st and 2nd place. A sad heart needs time to mend. :)

Congratulations to all the winners that qualified and to everyone that played. 'Good Luck' to all in the forthcoming legs ahead! :^) All the Best, - Mal

Really? Great job, then! I've been playing since it started and, although I've never finished better than 8th, I still have been in the top 10 three times!

<SPICE Cup: Rd 9: Pick Three: Draw-Draw-White 6534 YOU WIN! COLLECT 29178 7:2 4.47 29,178 Sep-28-08>

and after that not many others were mad enough to take those odds ;-)

and after that not many others were mad enough to take those odds ;-)>

Yes indeed <SwitchingQuylthulg> :) If someone had asked me if I had a 'hot tip' for the Pick-3 in the last round... Only one bet would come to mind <D-D-W> !

However, as explained previously my heart simply wasn't into it even though I knew the only way to <WIN> was to make the full commitment. Trust only your instincts and <Bet the House> ~lol~ I'm sure you and I will have some great combative <ChessBookie> experiences in the near future! ;)

<Congrats to all qualifiers and to <malthrope> for being the first ever non-winner in a non-Championship leg to win a prize! :)>

Yes, I noticed that too! I was truly honored. :)) I've already congratulated you but I'll say it once again...

Congrats <SwitchingQuylthulg> - a job well done! :^)

Actually <danielpi> that <"It's easy to bet the house when you've already qualified"> has very little to do with it. :)

When you've played this <ChessBookie> betting game awhile you'll realize that we all have different approaches and betting styles. I've written a lot about my betting theories as it applies to the specifics of the <ChessBookie> betting game from page -92- onwards. It would behoove you to do some further reading. <grin>