Therein lies the crux of the matter.Andrew Zigmond wrote:In terms of the close knit group it is perhaps worth noting that in the first instance the main qualification to join the team is to be a qualified ECF arbiter which limits the pool of candidates straight away (and the qualification is not easy to obtain, nor should it be).
There are many functions that can be carried out quite satisfactorily without the need to be a registered ECF or FIDE Arbiter. There are very few occasions that the Arbiter is required to become involved and make a ruling, especially now that Fischer Time Controls have superseded the need for Quick Play Finishes.
Preparing the draw for each round is only a minor part of the Arbiter's duty. It requires a straightforward application of a set of rules that somehow has taken on a mystique akin to the casting of runes or reading of tea leaves (as alluded to elsewhere in the incomplete title of the Blitz competition that Alex controlled).
In the the last round draw of the Championship application of either the FIDE or British Swiss Pairing Rules would have produced identical opponents for players in contention for the title. Can the extra fiddling around and desire to create a draw satisfactory to the aesthetic taste of an individual Arbiter be justified if it exerts no influence on the emergence of the eventual winner? Given the time saving and absence in heartache in adopting the computerised FIDE system, wouldn't the pragmatic approach be to accept it?
With regard to the ECF Arbiter qualification, it is not only the taking of the test but the need to gain the endorsement of a Senior Arbiter that that conspires to limit the supply of new Arbiters. Firstly, the opportunities of taking the test are few and far between and poorly publicised. Secondly, the pool of Senior Arbiters is very limited both in number and geographically. Should the first step in removing the perceived blockage be simply to promote some of the more active registered Arbiters to the Senior rank and to ensure a good geographic spread?