ECF Player of the Year Award

Debate directly related to English Chess Federation matters.
Stewart Reuben
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Jun 14, 2014 2:08 am

I am the Manager of the Awards System. People seemed only interested in expressing their own opinions, never asking why the decisions had been made, so I didn't bother to post.

John Swain
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by John Swain » Sat Jun 14, 2014 8:04 am

Stewart Reuben wrote:I am the Manager of the Awards System. People seemed only interested in expressing their own opinions, never asking why the decisions had been made, so I didn't bother to post.
Opinions have certainly been expressed, Stewart, but questions have also been asked about the rationale behind the decision to publish the running total, as you will see from the extract below:
John Swain wrote:
What on earth is the thinking behind publishing the votes so far?

Stewart Reuben
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:18 pm

I must admit that it never occurred to me that John Swain had asked a question that was looking for a reasoned response. It read for all the world like a hostilely expressed opinion to me.

David Sedgwick
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:45 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:Am I the only one who feels that disclosing the current outcome of a ballot still in progress is most improper?
Stewart Reuben wrote:I am the Manager of the Awards System. People seemed only interested in expressing their own opinions, never asking why the decisions had been made, so I didn't bother to post.
Stewart Reuben wrote:I must admit that it never occurred to me that John Swain had asked a question that was looking for a reasoned response. It read for all the world like a hostilely expressed opinion to me.
I'd like to seek a reasoned response.

At the time when I started this thread with the post above, I was unaware that you were responsible for publishing the current voting figures on the ECF website.

Having known you for about thirty years, I accept without reservation that you would never knowingly do anything which was "most improper". I would like to apologise for any offence caused.

Please would you explain why you disagree with my sentiments.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by Stewart Reuben » Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:33 pm

When Andrew Paulson volunteered me into the post of being in charge of the ECF Awards system (without first asking me) it was very clear to me that the Player of the Year Award had been diminishing in importance and fewer people were voting.
My first idea was that it should be automated, rather than count the votes by hand. But I found out this was technically impossible using the ECF membership system. It would have been possible for members to vote for just one player, but when I introduced the Player of the Year Award in 1984 people always voted for up to 5 players. (Just one could be considered for next year.) There was even discussion in 1983 that the voter should have to vote for 5 people.

Originally I used to give a list of major achievements in the year. But this was justifiably criticised as weighting the voting and thus I dropped the idea. My successors had never returned to it.

Alex H has given a good example of a major sport where the votes have been tallied as time went by.

I noticed in Waitrose they have a system where shoppers can vote for one of three charities each month. There are little plastic discs than are placed into clear plastic containers. Waitrose put up money each month and it is divided in three depending on how many votes each charity received. It was clear to me they thought more shoppers would be interested in these donations if they had a say in the disposition of the money. Certainly one sees shoppers of all ages studying the options and putting the discs in the slots. You can see at a glance who is winning.

FIDE announce the allegiance of the federations for the candidates in advance. Nobody has commented on the advisability or otherwise of this practice on the Kasparov v Ilyumzhinov thread. Yet here, not only is the number given, but also the identity of the federations voting.

Last year anybody was allowed to vote on the ECF site. This resulted in something of a mess. Roger Edwards, then President, changed the system so that only members could vote and only for strong players. He was quite correct that something had to be done. A member of Council approached me at the April 2014 Council Meeting and said that he was very disappointed in 2013 that he had not been allowed to vote for his preferred choices. This was for the 5 most active players in the ECF Grading System. I could not see why he shouldn't vote as he chose.
But how could members know how people were voting? By publicising the tally as time passed would clearly help. I know somebody said that it had not occurred to him to vote for Keith Arkell until he saw the list.

Some people have written to me telling me the reasons for their nominations. I have responded to a few offering advice concerning the development of their 'protégé'.

Clearly some people have been misguided. They voted for players who were not ENG. Some have voted for people who are not active, but I could be wrong and they have given simuls.

Even when not involved I have kept an avuncular eye on the system. I have only once come across a facetious vote (of course there may have been others). The reason I knew it to be so was because the voter told me so. He is one of the people who has posted on this string.

David Sedgwick
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:02 pm

Thank you for your detailed response.

The following has recently appeared on the Chess Scotland website:

"2014 Chess Scotland Player of the Year

By way of an update to the notice of 10 April and the thread on the discussion forum I am writing to advise that votes for the 2014 Player of the Year are progressing well. 124 votes counted so far.

Many thanks to all those who have taken the trouble to participate. Anyone who has not voted yet can do so by sending an email to [the Membership Secretary]

6th June 2014"

I would suggest that a similarly worded announcement by the ECF would have helped to achieve your aspirations without giving rise to the objections which I and others have raised.

John Swain
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Re: ECF Player of the Year Award

Post by John Swain » Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:57 pm

Stewart Reuben deserves a lot of credit for explaining in considerable detail the rationale behind the current arrangements for ECF Player of the Year, including the decision to publish a running total. There have been ECF officers in the past who have preferred to shroud their affairs in secrecy, even when there was no need for confidentiality.

Like David Sedgwick, I did not know who was behind the decision-making, but it would have made no difference to what I said.

I accept that there are plenty of ways of canvassing opinions and if the ECF wishes to take inspiration from American Baseball or plastic counters in Waitrose, that's up to them. However, I would like to see the status of ECF Player of the Year, and English chess generally, enhanced and feel that the present arrangements are not truly democratic or fair, partly because a small number of people voting towards the end of the process can carry the day in a close contest.

If, on the other hand, the Award is not to be taken too seriously but is just a bit of fun, then there's no need for hot air from me with comments about the 1872 Secret Ballot Act!

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