4NCL RAPIDPLAY CHAMPIONSHIPS

[Mike Truran]

4NCL Rapidplay Championships
5-6 October 2013

Puma Daventry Court Hotel, Daventry, Northants NN11 0SG
http://www.pumahotels.co.uk/hotels/dave ... orthampton

Events: Team (Saturday), Individual (Sunday)
Format: Seven round Swiss each day, 10 mins + 10secs/move
Prize fund: £975 including grading and junior prizes

Organiser: Mike Truran 01993708645/[email protected]
www.4ncl.co.uk

[LawrenceCooper]

Thanks for these. I don't understand who are nominated players though

[Mike Truran]

Nominated on the entry form. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

[LawrenceCooper]

Nominated on the entry form. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Gulp, that's a massive entry fee hike on previous events

[Mike Truran]

I don't understand. The entry fees are exactly the same as last year, save that non-ECF Silver members now have to pay £6.00 per day, not for the whole weekend (although hopefully that's only a minority of players anyway). I have so far been unable to get the ECF to confirm that the exemption that Andrew Farthing agreed last year was on an ongoing rather than a one-off basis. This despite my understanding at the time that it was intended to be the former on the basis that the event consists of pretty much the same pool of people playing on consecutive days at the same venue.

So I've had to assume in the absence of a decision from them that it won't be given.

Hey ho. Sometimes I wonder whether the Sage of Bourne End might have a point.

[LawrenceCooper]

I don't understand. The entry fees are exactly the same as last year, save that non-ECF Silver members now have to pay £6.00 per day, not for the whole weekend (although hopefully that's only a minority of players anyway). I have so far been unable to get the ECF to confirm that the exemption that Andrew Farthing agreed last year was on an ongoing rather than a one-off basis. This despite my understanding at the time that it was intended to be the former on the basis that the event consists of pretty much the same pool of people playing on consecutive days at the same venue.

So I've had to assume in the absence of a decision from them that it won't be given.

Hey ho. Sometimes I wonder whether the Sage of Bourne End might have a point.

I thought it had been £40 per team in previous competitions (I've played in three previous) but I may have missed recent editions due to clashes with ECF meetings etc

[Roger de Coverly]

Thanks for these. I don't understand who are nominated players though

Has it been necessary in previous years to declare the team members when entering? I would have thought the way these are organised would be that you get enough expressions of interest to commit to entering a team, and then round up or select enough players to fill a team rather nearer the date. If you have to declare the team at entry, that just encourages delaying the formal entry until the last possible moment.

[LawrenceCooper]

In fairness it's still a very good deal if players are playing on both days and are already members so hopefully it will be a successful event.

[Mike Truran]

Has it been necessary in previous years to declare the team members when entering? I would have thought the way these are organised would be that you get enough expressions of interest to commit to entering a team, and then round up or select enough players to fill a team rather nearer the date. If you have to declare the team at entry, that just encourages delaying the formal entry until the last possible moment.

Captains/managers are (and always have been) welcome (and encouraged) to send in principle rather than finalised entries in advance of the entry deadline - and in practice team lists have often limped in well after the two beforehand cut-off. We aim at two weeks beforehand to make Neville's life a bit easier, but we wouldn't turn away later entries.

[Jonathan Rogers]

I don't understand. The entry fees are exactly the same as last year, save that non-ECF Silver members now have to pay £6.00 per day, not for the whole weekend (although hopefully that's only a minority of players anyway). I have so far been unable to get the ECF to confirm that the exemption that Andrew Farthing agreed last year was on an ongoing rather than a one-off basis. This despite my understanding at the time that it was intended to be the former on the basis that the event consists of pretty much the same pool of people playing on consecutive days at the same venue.

So I've had to assume in the absence of a decision from them that it won't be given.

Hey ho. Sometimes I wonder whether the Sage of Bourne End might have a point.

I thought it had been £40 per team in previous competitions (I've played in three previous) but I may have missed recent editions due to clashes with ECF meetings etc

I think so - it was definitely £60 per team last year too. I am sure that it was £40 in 2010, when you last entered a team, and since the event attracted a large number of entrants that year, I wonder whether it was kept at £40 in 2011. But then an unexpectedly low number of teams entered (you for example had a clash with the ECF AGM) and the event made a substantial loss. I believe that it was after that when the fees rose. In 2012, prizes were also reduced and a further cost-cutting measure was that there was no live trasmission of games in the individual championships. I have not seen the 4NCL accounts for the last year yet, but I would guess that the event still made a small loss, or at least, I would be surprised if it made a profit.

It is still good value for money. Obviously the economics would be better still (for everyone, since the 4NCL does not actually aim to make a profit from the event) if the event were to attract a more consistently high rate of entry. I wonder whether it may help to play in Daventry this year. The former venue near Milton Keynes was really somewhat unattractive, both in terms of the very small rooms for those staying overnight and of the surrounding area.

[LawrenceCooper]

I don't understand. The entry fees are exactly the same as last year, save that non-ECF Silver members now have to pay £6.00 per day, not for the whole weekend (although hopefully that's only a minority of players anyway). I have so far been unable to get the ECF to confirm that the exemption that Andrew Farthing agreed last year was on an ongoing rather than a one-off basis. This despite my understanding at the time that it was intended to be the former on the basis that the event consists of pretty much the same pool of people playing on consecutive days at the same venue.

So I've had to assume in the absence of a decision from them that it won't be given.

Hey ho. Sometimes I wonder whether the Sage of Bourne End might have a point.

I thought it had been £40 per team in previous competitions (I've played in three previous) but I may have missed recent editions due to clashes with ECF meetings etc

I think so - it was definitely £60 per team last year too. I am sure that it was £40 in 2010, when you last entered a team, and since the event attracted a large number of entrants that year, I wonder whether it was kept at £40 in 2011. But then an unexpectedly low number of teams entered (you for example had a clash with the ECF AGM) and the event made a substantial loss. I believe that it was after that when the fees rose. In 2012, prizes were also reduced and a further cost-cutting measure was that there was no live trasmission of games in the individual championships. I have not seen the 4NCL accounts for the last year yet, but I would guess that the event still made a small loss, or at least, I would be surprised if it made a profit.

It is still good value for money. Obviously the economics would be better still (for everyone, since the 4NCL does not actually aim to make a profit from the event) if the event were to attract a more consistently high rate of entry. I wonder whether it may help to play in Daventry this year. The former venue near Milton Keynes was really somewhat unattractive, both in terms of the very small rooms for those staying overnight and of the surrounding area.

They also seem to have stopped the discount for early entries which gave them a good indication of entries and also encouraged teams to enter early. I normally enter two or three teams but suspect that it will be one at most under the current rates.

There were lots of places to eat in walking distance from the Newport Pagnell venue though which was good, albeit the bar seemed to close earlier and earlier each time though which lost them a lot of revenue in bar takings.

[Mike Truran]

Good point.

How about 1 team £60, 2 teams £100, 3 teams £120.

I'll update the entry guidelines later.

[Sean Hewitt]

Good point.

How about 1 team £60, 2 teams £100, 3 teams £120.

I'll update the entry guidelines later.

careful Mike. someone will complain!!

[LawrenceCooper]

Good point.

How about 1 team £60, 2 teams £100, 3 teams £120.

I'll update the entry guidelines later.

careful Mike. someone will complain!!

Not me

[Angus French]

I don't understand. The entry fees are exactly the same as last year, save that non-ECF Silver members now have to pay £6.00 per day, not for the whole weekend (although hopefully that's only a minority of players anyway). I have so far been unable to get the ECF to confirm that the exemption that Andrew Farthing agreed last year was on an ongoing rather than a one-off basis. This despite my understanding at the time that it was intended to be the former on the basis that the event consists of pretty much the same pool of people playing on consecutive days at the same venue.

So I've had to assume in the absence of a decision from them that it won't be given.

Hey ho. Sometimes I wonder whether the Sage of Bourne End might have a point.

Mike, ECF membership exemptions - including for the main 4NCL competition - were discussed and approved (or not) at the ECF Finance Council Meeting in April 2013. Should not an application for an exemption for the 4NCL Rapidplay competitions have been made at that time? I ask because what you say above reads to me as being implicitly critical of the ECF and I think such criticism would be unfair.