New (and first) Welsh Grandmaster

[Andrew Zigmond]

The meaningful debate about the increasing age of our GMs has to be what do we intend to do about it?

[Stewart Reuben]

So 17 ENG GMs 50- and 9 50+ who are a bit active. 35 active or inactive irrespective of age. Chandler, Davies, Gallagher, Kosten, Turner have switched federations and nobody has switched to ENG. To think, we had none at all in 1975.
David Anderton and I decided as a matter of policy many years ago not to actively encourage strong players to become ENG. Mihai Suba did do so for a couple of years at his own behest. I don't know whether there is any current policy.
ENG WGMS Bellin, Corke, Ciuksyte, Houska, Hunt, Lalic, Jackson.

Andrew >The meaningful debate about the increasing age of our GMs has to be what do we intend to do about it?<

I hope you don't actually mean that, As expressed the obvious solution is to kill off the older ones.

Possibly you mean, how do we manufacture younger GMs? We have candidates, e.g. Daniel Fernandez, Yang-Fan Zhou. There are quite a number of ENG players who have 1 or 2 GM norms. The answer is to make it more attractive to pursue a chess career. They don't have to play here, although that would be encouraging. Raise the status of the game. The only positive move recently is the new TV programme. If 8000 members each put in an extra £100 a year, that would be a good fighting fund.

[Andrew Zigmond]

In response to Stewart's post, if the other 7,999 members put in £100 I'll do my part.

Seriously, my impression is that there is a lot of activity around junior chess at the moment and some excellent initiatives (CSC, Yes2Chess etc) but there's so much going on it's hard to find any real structure for the players of the future to develop. Obviously the ECF is making progress with the new academies and I look forward to hearing more about this.

[LawrenceCooper]

In response to Stewart's post, if the other 7,999 members put in £100 I'll do my part.

Seriously, my impression is that there is a lot of activity around junior chess at the moment and some excellent initiatives (CSC, Yes2Chess etc) but there's so much going on it's hard to find any real structure for the players of the future to develop. Obviously the ECF is making progress with the new academies and I look forward to hearing more about this.

It not only requires funding (we have around half a million in the JRT) but a coordinated plan to help players in terms of training, tournaments, maybe even a change of culture needed in schools etc Hopefully the ECF academy can be the first of many steps to make a difference but it will still be some time before we see any progress.

[Stewart Reuben]

There are excellent initiatives at the junior level and progress has been made at the 50+ level internationally.
It is in the adult sector 20-50 where there is a lack of coordinated effort. We need top level players to provide role models. This costs very substantial sums and we do not have the input of business sponsors anymore.
Developing women's chess is a whole parallel subject of its own.
Note, I suggested £800,000 a year to have a real impact.
It would take a minimum of 10 years to make a really visible impact.

[Andrew Zigmond]

This might require a thread of its own but I'd be interested to hear how we could co-ordinate the 20-50 age bracket (which I'll be dead centre of come January). It's not going to be an overnight process but I think anybody who cares about the future of chess in this country should try to play their part.

[Stewart Reuben]

Carl could move it off to its own thread. But it flows naturally from Nigel Davies' reason for moving to Wales that he could have a bigger impact in Welsh chess it being smaller.
Grading. Monthy lists would have a substantial impact. The Elo system is better for that. Continual update rather than the rolling one year ECF System. Do away wth the volunteer graders and install a couple of professionals. Change to 4 fgure numbers. Not because they are better, but to fall into line with the rest of the world. Best improvement in grade prizes.

British Championship. £20,000 first and corresponding other increases. Start money depending on rating as applied with Grieveson, Grant. Removing the weaker players who are just there to provide income.Subsidise the rather fewer qualifying competitions. Make the Major Open a norm tournament by inviting forign IMs.

Hastings is a bottomless well. £100,000 would set it up OK, just. Itwould enable there to be a 10 player RR Premier again.

Provide financial incentives for chess organisers.

Grand Prix. First £20,000 and corresponding other increases.

Somebody else's turn.

[Roger de Coverly]

Monthy lists would have a substantial impact.

Why? In some ways the FIDE system is just annoying with your rating potentially changing by micro amounts every month.

Do away wth the volunteer graders and install a couple of professionals.

I doubt that helps. The major impediment for monthly grading would be collecting results from leagues and club tournaments. By their very nature that relies on volunteers to collect, check, consolidate and report results.

[MartinCarpenter]

Well, since we're clearly positing 'unlimited' funds we might as well posit some sort of unified electronic countrywide results system while we're at it

[Brian Towers]

Monthy lists would have a substantial impact.

Why? In some ways the FIDE system is just annoying with your rating potentially changing by micro amounts every month.

I think you've missed the point, Roger. This is aimed at chess players in the prime of life (25 - 50) not grumpy old men, drifting off into senescence like you and me.

[Alistair Campbell]

Apologies for resurrecting this thread, but researching the hoary old problem of transferring allegiance in an attempt to help our new poster, I came across this exchange.

In other news:

John Dempsey (formerly Scotland) transfers to Virgin Islands to become their 7th-best player.

Going back to John, I see he must be in with a shout of going to the next Olympiad

I see John is playing Board 3 for ISV. Congratulations - hope for us all...

[David Sedgwick]

Apologies for resurrecting this thread, but researching the hoary old problem of transferring allegiance in an attempt to help our new poster, I came across this exchange.

In other news:

John Dempsey (formerly Scotland) transfers to Virgin Islands to become their 7th-best player.

Going back to John, I see he must be in with a shout of going to the next Olympiad

I see John is playing Board 3 for ISV. Congratulations - hope for us all...

At the risk of resurrecting another thread, he won't be playing tomorrow.

US Virgin Islands (ISV) have the bye.

[Nick Grey]

As for first Welsh GM why is he not playing - may have not lost 4-0 to Iran?