With Si Jiahui looking like a certainty to be Snooker World Champion in the next few years, China does seem to be cornering most markets gradually, one by one. It was never the case, in the 1970's, that we'd be best advised to all learn Russian but we might all be Chinese one day. Although not all things that look inevitable eventually happen.
Even further under the radar has been my recent, latest attempt on achieving a rating of 2000 at 10 minute, Rapid chess. I think my last report was when I just failed to improve on 1993 as my best ever mark. Well, in the last couple of weeks I rose almost without trace back into contention and raised that to 1994, missed the six points to get to 2000 but came back to put up 1996. There is not much room for error in this final push, these final pushes. One ideally wants to play players rated, say, 1900 but can find oneself up against a 2117, who I beat, but then, just now, a 2124 who I didn't so I'm back at 1987, three wins off passing 2000.
Surely I'll get there one day, leave the 2000 rating on my record and move to a different time limit. It's odds against that it happens this time. I'm more like to be 1950 than 2000 this time next week but, without it being the most important thing in the world, Feats Don't Fail Me Now.
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At 11 a.m. this morning, mine was the first Voter I.D. that my polling station had seen. In the four hours they'd been open, they had only seen 49 other voters and Portsmouth Council had only issued 400 Voter I.D.'s and they were recording how many had been used. I suspect mine was in vain. We have a minority Liberal council, I live in a fairly safe Conservative area but there is an Independent who, rightly or wrongly, one can't help but suspect of being UKIP in disguise. I'm sure Labour, Liberal and Green ought to work together and maybe get the better of a three-way split, in this case in favour of Labour, but they're not that bright.
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