The Yorkshire problem

[Roger de Coverly]

Chess is incredibly lucky to have such dedicated volunteers. Well done Sean and Dave, it would be nice if we could all be one big "happy" family, and your work is taking this towards that outcome.

You have read the thread about National Stage county matches with the result of one match overturned because of a non-renewal of membership?

Not just me, here's the opinion of one of the relatively few players in their twenties.
http://extremelydistressingnews.blogspot.co.uk/

[PeterFarr]

Chess is incredibly lucky to have such dedicated volunteers. Well done Sean and Dave, it would be nice if we could all be one big "happy" family, and your work is taking this towards that outcome.

You have read the thread about National Stage county matches with the result of one match overturned because of a non-renewal of membership?

Not just me, here's the opinion of one of the relatively few players in their twenties.
http://extremelydistressingnews.blogspot.co.uk/

Pretty much all of this thread suggests at least tentative steps towards a Yorkshire / ECF rapprochement, and whatever disagreements there are around ECF policy, its surely fair to applaud the new and past DoMM for giving up a whole day of their spare and unpaid time, to talk to the YCA people.

If anything, one or two (only) of the posters on the county championship thread could usefully keep Michelle's comments here in mind - we really ought to be a big happy family - why not?

[Roger de Coverly]

- we really ought to be a big happy family - why not?

With the ECF directors introducing and defending mean spirited rules and practices, I rather suggest it should start at the centre.

[PeterFarr]

I tried. I failed.

[MartinCarpenter]

Well to be honest that - as normally with chess - looks more like a mix up/something that hadn't really been thought through properly. Best I can tell the YCA and ECF have got along OK for a while now.

It was only really Yorkshire's U180 team which struggled with the organisation this year (new captain and half the team from last year too strong to play!). The open team was well organised and strong this year but got a little bit mauled by Surrey (and a couple of defaults ).

As for the local leagues, I guess the first divisions are the place to start rather than trying to get whole league acceptance directly. Somewhere like the Sheffield league is so massive (over 4 thousand listed on chessnuts) in terms of the number of games played that the monetary implications of doing it all at once are genuinely quite scary.

[PeterFarr]

Pause for breath. Ok I will try again.

With the ECF directors introducing and defending mean spirited rules and practices, I rather suggest it should start at the centre.

Why do you have to say "mean spirited"? Why not just say that you think the rules are wrong?

Do you really think the Directors were trying to make things worse? Is it not possible to believe in a simple mis-judgement?

You've made serious and intelligent alternative proposals, but I think you only weaken your argument by attacking the motivations of ECF officials.

[Roger de Coverly]

Why do you have to say "mean spirited"? Why not just say that you think the rules are wrong?

As far as I can tell, the rules were mostly, if not exclusively written by the Director now enforcing them.

This contains delights such as defaulting players in the Open team for not having a grade in the most recent July list and ignoring the ECF's own January grading list.

A more flexible approach would have noted that the rules were new and initially issued warnings to captains in technical contravention. This would particularly apply where the imposition of penalties would change the match result.

[PeterFarr]

A more flexible approach would have noted that the rules were new and initially issued warnings to captains in technical contravention. This would particularly apply where the imposition of penalties would change the match result.

Yes, totally agree.

[Andrew Bak]

For all the insomniacs out there:

Yorkshire AGM Minutes

[Andrew Bak]

The Bradford and District Chess Association has agreed to have Division 1 ECF graded and all this entails.

The meeting was very constructive and a motion to make the entire league graded will be taken at next year's AGM.

[Andrew Zigmond]

The Bradford and District Chess Association has agreed to have Division 1 ECF graded and all this entails.

The meeting was very constructive and a motion to make the entire league graded will be taken at next year's AGM.

This is excellent news. I'll be raising the matter at the small Harrogate league AGM tomorrow; according the the chessnuts calculator paying residual game fee would have cost us £26 last season, £18 of which came from Ilkley who may now have to sign up as Bradford League players so it seems a bit silly not to.

[Sean Hewitt]

The Bradford and District Chess Association has agreed to have Division 1 ECF graded and all this entails.

The meeting was very constructive and a motion to make the entire league graded will be taken at next year's AGM.

Ihor emailed to tell me this earlier. It is excellent news, and I understand they nearly went straight in and graded the whole thing, but decided to wait a year to see how things work.

I am sure, as I said at the YCA AGM that this will lead to the majority of leagues in Yorkshire being graded in future. Sometimes, being involved with the ECF is worthwhile!!

[Jon Mahony]

The Bradford and District Chess Association has agreed to have Division 1 ECF graded and all this entails.

The meeting was very constructive and a motion to make the entire league graded will be taken at next year's AGM.

Ihor emailed to tell me this earlier. It is excellent news, and I understand they nearly went straight in and graded the whole thing, but decided to wait a year to see how things work.

I am sure, as I said at the YCA AGM that this will lead to the majority of leagues in Yorkshire being graded in future. Sometimes, being involved with the ECF is worthwhile!!

Coming from a 2nd division player in Bradford, I can say that’s great news, and would very much like to see it extended to all games next season, just wish we could have had it this year

[David Pardoe]

A more flexible approach would have noted that the rules were new and initially issued warnings to captains in technical contravention. This would particularly apply where the imposition of penalties would change the match result.

Yes, totally agree.

I like the `big happy family concept`.....lets hope this shows through at the coming ECF AGM.

Yes, some ECF officials may have made mistakes...thats quite normal.
Maybe some wider consultations might have helped.
But we live and learn, so I`m hopeful that our ECF board have learned a few things this year, and can carry the lessons through to the coming year(s).
Running an organisation like the ECF is no easy business, so they need our constructive support if things are to progress.

[Chris Rice]

The support for the ECF seems to be at odds with the signature "bring back the BCF" ?