c4countdown

Hi all

It's that time of the year again when the online masters tournament occurs. Well, it's a few weeks before it occurs, strictly speaking, but there's an extra round this year so time to get cracking. With the advent of the Apterous tourney mechanism this year's Masters can be bigger and better than before without turning into the epic sprawling mess many pre-apterous tournaments became. As such there will be 24 invitees and a guarantee of at least 8 wildcard spaces in the best-of-3-games first round, leading up to the epic best-of-11 final in the Spring. As always, Standard 15 will be the format used for all games.

If you want in, simply say so in the thread below. Invitees get a bye straight into the first round- everyone else will enter a knock-out tournament for the remaining first round places.

The invitees (Names in green have accepted their place, names in red have declined it.)

Paul Howe
Innis Carson
Kai Laddiman
Jon O'Neill
Mark Tournoff
Jon Corby
David O'Donnell
Charlie Reams
Junaid Mubeen
Nick Wainwright
Steven Briers
Dan Vanniasingham
Kirk Bevins
Ryan Taylor
Chris Davies
Andrew Hulme
Martin May
Richard Priest
Dinos Sfyris
Oliver Garner
Jimmy Gough
Damian Eadie
Richard Brittain
Jack Hurst

Entries for the play in close on Sunday February 14th, round 1 of the tourney proper will be drawn live on apterous at 8pm on Wednesday February 24th and will kick off immediately thereafter.

Play-in entrants:

Lloyd Pettet
James Levison
Michael Wallace
Jim Bentley
Ian Dent
Julie Taylor
Henry Meier
Niall Seymour
Andrew Feist
Chris Philpot
Phil Makepeace
Edwin Mead
Karen Pearson
Matt Bayfield
James Robinson
Ian Volante
Simon Myers
Matt Morrison
Craig Chittenden
Peter Lee
Hugh Binnie
Tom Rowell
Matthew Tassier
Kevin Davis
James Leroux
Bob De Caux
Ross Allatt
Josh Overhill
Scott Gillies
Adam Gillard
Edward McCullagh
Dale Levell

Enjoy.

Sounds great, I'm in.

Hi Ben,

Depending on places I would like to go forward for qualifying if that's ok?

Cheers

I'd like to enter the knockout tournament please

Deal.

yes

I would love to be considered for the qualifying phase please Ben ta.

I would like to try to play my way in please.

Should be epic.

If the tourney is open to such as me, then yes please!

Yes please. Paul Howe, I'm coming for you.

Please sign me up for the qualifier

I would like to try and fluke my way in if poss.

Oh I'll go for the "lucky" fresh meat tournament slot.

Count me in.

I'll have a go at qualifying, if I may.

I'll very gladly enter. Shame there's no Conor to at least give me a challenge though.

Yeah, go on then. Just out of interest, what were the criteria for the 24 invitees? I'm asking because if it's apterous ratings, Dale Levell, particularly, and Eoin Monaghan's omissions are glaring.

I accept your kind invitation

Phil Makepeace wrote:Yeah, go on then. Just out of interest, what were the criteria for the 24 invitees? I'm asking because if it's apterous ratings, Dale Levell, particularly, and Eoin Monaghan's omissions are glaring.

Invitations were determined over a combination of a few things- performance on the show, performance at co-events and apterous rating. The first one takes higher precedence over the others, hence why Eoin and Dale were omitted, and Jack and Dan only got in by virtue of really impressive co-event performances (5th then 3rd and 3rd 1st 3rd respectively in their last few events).

May I enter the knockout stage please?

I'd like to enter the knock-out stage too please Ben.

I fancy a crack at becoming this year's Rory McLeod, please.

(For those who weren't watching the action on the green baize at Wembley last month, that means I'd like to enter the qualifying tourney.)

I kind of disappeared halfway through Feisty's last tournament(s) so I'd probably better say 'no'.

I would like to be considered for a wildcard entry, please.

You're all dead. I'm in.

Love to play one game in the knock-out stage, but depends upon timing, as I'm away 11-22 Feb.

Count me in please.

In please!

In

Great avatar, Dinos!

In where appropriate please.

Yes please.

Me.Entered = True

I am skiing from March 22nd until March 31st. Would these dates clash with this tournament?

Ryan Taylor wrote:I am skiing from March 22nd until March 31st. Would these dates clash with this tournament?

Possibly the semis or the final. There should be some flexibility to the timeline though if everybody plays their games quickly.

Ben Wilson wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:I am skiing from March 22nd until March 31st. Would these dates clash with this tournament?

Possibly the semis or the final. There should be some flexibility to the timeline though if everybody plays their games quickly.

I will have exited the tournament by this stage, so thats ok!

Ben Wilson wrote:

Phil Makepeace wrote:Yeah, go on then. Just out of interest, what were the criteria for the 24 invitees? I'm asking because if it's apterous ratings, Dale Levell, particularly, and Eoin Monaghan's omissions are glaring.

Invitations were determined over a combination of a few things- performance on the show, performance at co-events and apterous rating. The first one takes higher precedence over the others, hence why Eoin and Dale were omitted, and Jack and Dan only got in by virtue of really impressive co-event performances (5th then 3rd and 3rd 1st 3rd respectively in their last few events).

Sounds fair to me. The two I cited will definitely make the knockout stages very heavyweight should they choose to enter.

Ben Wilson wrote:

Phil Makepeace wrote:Yeah, go on then. Just out of interest, what were the criteria for the 24 invitees? I'm asking because if it's apterous ratings, Dale Levell, particularly, and Eoin Monaghan's omissions are glaring.

Invitations were determined over a combination of a few things- performance on the show, performance at co-events and apterous rating. The first one takes higher precedence over the others, hence why Eoin and Dale were omitted, and Jack and Dan only got in by virtue of really impressive co-event performances (5th then 3rd and 3rd 1st 3rd respectively in their last few events).

Harvey Freeman and Mark Nyman would have to qualify?

Ryan Taylor wrote:

Ben Wilson wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:I am skiing from March 22nd until March 31st. Would these dates clash with this tournament?

Possibly the semis or the final. There should be some flexibility to the timeline though if everybody plays their games quickly.

I will have exited the tournament by this stage, so thats ok!

I believe in you Ryan.

I'll put my name forward as someone to beat in the qualifier.

Junaid Mubeen wrote:Yes please. Paul Howe, I'm coming for you.

A rather disturbing image is plaguing my mind since reading this post.

I'd like to put myself forward for qualifying please.

Go on then count me in.

craig wrote:I'd like to put myself forward for qualifying please.

I don't wish to sidetrack this thread - just want to say I'm looking forward to your game on Monday craig.

Ralph Gillions wrote:

craig wrote:I'd like to put myself forward for qualifying please.

I don't wish to sidetrack this thread - just want to say I'm looking forward to your game on Monday craig.

Likewise.

I'll do it.

I'd like to put myself forward for qualifying please

I too would like a bash at the qualifier.

Go away Hugh. Just go away for a while.

count me in as well please mr ben

Yes please, I'll play a qualifier.

I'll decline my (very generous) invite - in my current state I'm aptofodder and I'd rather my space went to an enthusiastic qualifier. Good luck to all entering.

As a Season 62 participant, I feel I must really put myself forward for the play-in.

I suppose I might as well take a shot at the qualification round...

Sounds good, I'm in

Hi, yeah, I'd like to enter the pre-qualifier please.

I'll have a go at the qualifying round please mate

Not for me this time, thanks.

I'd like to take part, thanks

I suppose I should double-check the timing: is the first game on 2/21, or are the play-in games supposed to be done by 2/21? (I ask since I will be out of town and mostly away from a computer from 2/19 through 2/21, so if I can't get the play-in games in before that time then I need to vanish from the list.)