Some Doeberl Observations

I felt that this years Doeberl Cup ran very well, with the main reason being the new venue. Over the years I have always felt that the larger the venue, the easier the event to handle, and this year was a good example. Having everyone play in the same room not only added to the overall atmosphere of the event, but made the job of arbiting the tournament significantly easier. The arbiting team were able to keep an eye on all the tournaments from one central vantage point, freeing up team members to carry out other duties.
I also felt this contributed to a better 'behaved' event, with very few noise issue, or problems with spectator and player behaviour. The extra space also allowed more spectators to watch the top boards, without inconveniencing the players.
The new venue (The Southern Cross Club in Woden) also had better facilities for food and drink than the previous one (University House), which benefited both players and spectators. The shorter time control in the Premier (back to 90m+30s) also meant there was a bigger break between rounds, which was appreciated by almost everyone. We also had the benefit of the club management being incredibly helpful, resulting in a smooth running event.
As for the tournament itself, we did have a few issues with the composition of the field. On the plus side we had an increase in the number of overseas players, with the visiting Grandmasters really adding something to the event. And while GM's Darryl Johansen and Anton Smirnov flew the flag for the local players, the absence of the other Australian GM's (for various reasons), probably affected the chances of players achieving title norms (especially IM James Morris).
Of course there were a couple of strange incidents we had to deal with (including a curling board, a bizarre last round game in the Major, and some amusing/unfortunate pairings) but compared to some years, the event was fairly incident free. Even the constant lectures on mobile phone behaviour seem to be having an effect as we did not default anyone for a ringing phone, and we only had to deal with a couple of very embarrassed spectators.
The club seemed pleased to have us there, so it looks like we will be returning to the same venue in 2019 (and beyond), and if you did not play this year, I highly recommend you pay us a visit in 12 months time.