Emergency Board Meeting - Draft Minutes

[Paul McKeown]

Latest result on the videprinter: Piffwibble United 3 Commonsense 0

[Richard Bates]

From the initial posting of the minutes: In my presidential election platform, I advocated the general principal that the ECF should welcome back under its wings all elements of English chess that had been alienated from it over the years. I identified UKCA and UKSCC, representing 55,000 chess-playing children, as a priority and asked the Chief Executive to produce a Term Sheet which would be acceptable both to the ECF Council and to Michael Basman and his team; subsequently, other groups (such as EPSCA) were to be encouraged to work with us under the same terms. The Chief Executive is compiling a chronology....

Why was the Chief Executive tasked with this job rather the junior director, or at least why was the junior director not involved at this stage?

"Alienation" was a rather strange choice of word, IMO. It suggests that all these organisations were once under the ECF umbrella but had grown apart from it, as opposed in many cases to always being independent and happy to exist in that way. Not that i imagine that Andrew Paulson had more than cursory knowledge of the history of most of the organisations he had identified. And attempting to bring an organisation like UKCC into some sort of relationship with the ECF would be a rather double edged sword i would think, with the common advantages for both not particularly obvious.

[John McKenna]

In answer to David's question, above - it could be because the current CEO was the former Junior Director so a division of labour combined with a measure of continuity was more effective. Just one possibility, I guess.

[David Shepherd]

Wouldn't continuity be the new Junior Director working with the former Junior Director?

[John McKenna]

Yes, but it might make the division of labour more difficult.

[David Shepherd]

Yes, but it might make the division of labour more difficult.

Division of labour - is that like having a board allocated to specific areas of responsibility?

[David Shepherd]

PS John thanks for attempting to answer my question, I can see some logic for involving the CEO, it is the logic for not involving the current Junior Director at the initial stage I am less sure of, although there may be a reason.

[John McKenna]

David, yes it is. Therefore a better description in this case would be subdivision.
It might be interesting to see if there is an organisation chart on the ECF website.
Also, to know - who is responsible for HR?

Edit: David, thanx for the PS
Edit: All that a quick search of the ECF site shows is a list of officers and their responsibilities
Plus a Personnel Committee.

[Rob Thompson]

I suspect that the reason for not including the current junior director is that the current junior director was not the person who was supposed to win the election.

[John McKenna]

Hope not, Rob, but it is another possibility.

[Roger de Coverly]

It's a shame really that "you know who" refuses to become a termite.

Here are his latest thoughts

https://twitter.com/GiddinsSteve/status ... 5474479104

[Chris Rice]

Nice summary article today by Peter Doggers on the Chess Vibes site for anyone coming into it new.

http://www.chessvibes.com/andrew-paulso ... federation

Looks like April 12th when ECF Council next meet is going to be the big day for the final showdown......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qakWAS8ixtU

[Martin Crichton]

excellent find Chris.

Although it looks a certainty that Paulson will be going or gone by April 12th I am intrigued as to who he has lined up in his coup attempt to replace the current directors (assume all those that voted against him)

Perhaps he will name his proposed team here on this forum? In all fairness if he can find 5 good men/women who have better standings and are better known in the English chess community than those he is seeking to replace he will have a great chance of staying on.

I doubt he will find such people to stand. Sounds like bluff to me. Suprise me

[JustinHorton]

I am intrigued as to who he has lined up in his coup attempt to replace the current directors (assume all those that voted against him)

And, indeed, who is going to be proposed as his replacement.

Out of interest, how does the ECF function during the next seven weeks?

[John McKenna]

Martin Crichton>Surprise me<

No can do, Martin, at present.

What does NOT surprise me is that 5 (or 6?) good and true Englishmen leapt to the defence of another of their ilk when his position was threatened by "this American interloper" (Nigel Short's words, which you already echoed).
What really DOES surprise me is that the said 'interloper' somehow thought he had a snowball in hell's chance of the board getting shot of Nigel. And, that it wouldn't misfire and blow up in his own face - or in a word BACKFIRE!?!