Membership Services

[Sean Hewitt ECF DoMM]

I'm looking at what the ECF can do to improve its services to members. Therefore, can I ask that ONLY ECF members post replies please.

So guys - blank piece of paper. What would you like the ECF to do for you?

[Roger de Coverly]

Therefore, can I ask that ONLY ECF members post replies please.

Presumably the ECF is only interested in responses from individuals.

Leagues, Congresses ,County Associations and Junior organisations are members of the ECF as well. If they told you that they would like to be able run events without having to insist that individuals became members of the ECF at a per annum cost or at a lower cost than £ 2 per game their views would no doubt be ignored.

[Sean Hewitt ECF DoMM]

Therefore, can I ask that ONLY ECF members post replies please.

Presumably the ECF is only interested in responses from individuals.

I said members very deliberately. As you rightly say, this includes organisations who are full members as well as individuals who are direct members. So, with that clarified, what services do members want to see the ECF introduce or improve.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I think Sean is looking for constructive ideas. Maybe those critical of the ECF could hold fire for a bit and let some positive ideas be put forward?

Me, I want a grading service, a congress calendar, a national championship, and a fully digitised national library (including full pdf versions made available of all past BCF/ECF yearbooks and other historical records?). Might add more to the wish-list later.

[Carl Hibbard]

I think Sean is looking for constructive ideas. Maybe those critical of the ECF could hold fire for a bit and let some positive ideas be put forward?

Yes please sounds a plan, it's hard to moderate this one fast enough even if I was an ECF member

[Paolo Casaschi]

As ECF member and chess player in England I would like more of the games I play to count for the FIDE rating. It would be great if the ECF could work with FIDE to have the league games in England to fall withing the FIDE rating grid.

PS: no need to point out that it cannot be done with today's rules as reported in many posts, I'd just wish the ECF could convince FIDE to change those rules to the needs of the players in this country.

[Ian Kingston]

Since this thread is already in danger of being derailed, here are some actual suggestions.

1. Develop a national coaching scheme by training coaches at all levels throughout the country, with a path along which players can progress as they improve.

2. Produce materials that clubs and associations can use to promote chess in their area. This could include posters, leaflets, website templates or anything that can be adapted for use locally. This would help to present a professional outlook to players, parents, local media etc.

3. A simple list of benefits for members. I can’t (at a glance) find one on the ECF website.

[Angus French]

Tie-ins with the UK chess media publishers. Members receive vouchers with their membership card (this involves printing and postage, I know) to be redeemed through chess retailers. The retailers redeem collected vouchers with the publishers. The members get products at a discount; the publishers get increased sales; the retailers get increased sales. (I don't preclude the electronic use of vouchers - scratch off a section of the voucher to reveal an authorisation code; once the code is revealed, the voucher can only be used against an electronic sale.)

[Angus French]

It maybe doesn't give much but how about email notification of results which have been loaded into the grading system (sent at the time of the load)?

[Mick Norris]

I would like an accurate grading system, which means finding a way to get more of the chess played in the North into the ECF grading system

If in the process we can get more events FIDE rated, that would be good

I would like an accurate congress (or maybe events) calendar, to give us one place to look at when trying to schedule events

I would like the county championships final stages (as the Union stages remain separate) to be well organised, with a final (or finals) at a decent venue

I would like an English championship (if necessary, to replace the British, but preferably separate to it) to produce adult, senior and junior English national chess champions

I would like to see Ian's coaching idea developed (particularly, but not restricted to, junior chess)

[Alan Walton]

As the grading system is recognized as the predominant benefit for ECF membership I think this is the main area to look into

Personally I would like to see an introduction of a grading system which identifies the strength of the player (i.e. using a FIDE system), the current system only tells you how well you have performed in the last 6 months and not really a great indicator of ability

[Christopher Kreuzer]

One other thought that came to mind with regards to historical matters is making sure the ECF website materials are preserved (and even, come to think of it, ensuring some of the stuff 'of record' posted on this forum, such as results and obituaries, are preserved, though I know that is more a matter for Carl, but anything would help).

One example to show what I mean:

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/national ... _dec08.htm

That link doesn't work. Lots of stuff from the old ECF website is no longer available.

That page (an obituary) can be seen on the Wayback Machine (a web archiving service) here:

http://web.archive.org/web/200812262039 ... _dec08.htm

But some of the old ECF website pages were not archived as far as I can tell. That this material was in all likelihood allowed to be lost is, in my opinion, an absolute disgrace. I would like to see a commitment from the ECF that some effort is made to recover the old material and that this never be allowed to happen again.

FWIW, in the case of this obituary, details (and more) are here, but not all organisations will maintain such records.

That pdf is from Cowley Chess Club, see the page here:

https://sites.google.com/site/cowleyche ... rd-archive

Efforts to move historical records online would, I think, be appreciated by many.

[Roger de Coverly]

One other thought that came to mind with regards to historical matters is making sure the ECF website materials are preserved

Whilst there is a case for the ECF as the national chess body to do this, I get the impression that Sean was looking for a list of services to be only available to members. It would be possible to lock parts of the ECF website to keep non-members away, but does that not defeat the objective of preserving them?

[John McKenna]

I agree the thrust of Alan Walton's post - it is an anachronism that I have an ECF grade based on 10 games in the 6 months to end of 2012 plus brought forward games from earlier periods but have a FIDE rating that has no games in any recent ones. That is particularly irksome because the FIDE system is being updated monthly. And, before anyone says upgrade to Gold, note that it has been pointed out above that my 10 games do not qualify for monthly rating ,only 6-monthly ECF grading, until such time as ECF and FIDE get their act together. If that ever happens I might be prepared to become a fully-paid-up member of a universal one-price scheme. (Not I sincerely hope a cue to discuss the hoary old chestnut, please.)

[Bruce Holland]

As ECF member and chess player in England I would like more of the games I play to count for the FIDE rating. It would be great if the ECF could work with FIDE to have the league games in England to fall withing the FIDE rating grid.

PS: no need to point out that it cannot be done with today's rules as reported in many posts, I'd just wish the ECF could convince FIDE to change those rules to the needs of the players in this country.

As I see it, a start has been made on this already, rather by default. An increasing number of events are running sections that are both FIDE rated and have results submitted to the ECF's grading system. This has run alongside FIDE having lowered the bar for allowing mere mortals to obtain a rating. I refer of course to the lower divisions of the 4NCL, never mind the Majors, Intermediate, and Minor sections of the typical weekend congress. Give a few years we will see this grow, and sooner or later a tipping point will be reached where a set of serious negotiations and discussions between the ECF & FIDE can occur, so that issues such as what to do about League Chess can take place.

However, if we ever go down the FIDE route wholesale, then I am sure there will be costs, constraints and compulsory aspects that will upset our very English ways, and we can look forward to howls of protest from some quarters.