Update from Shallow Throat

[Kevin Thurlow]

Two of the defeated directors return as managers.
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/board-st ... h-the-ecf/

Well the first one perhaps makes up a bit for the vote-counting shambles. Many people would have turned the offer down.

[David Pardoe]

Both these guys are worthy candidates, whom I`m sure have lots to offer our UK chess scene..

David Openshaw will do a great job as International Manager.... as will Bob Kane as Commercial Manager, reporting direct to the top...

There`s loads of scope to develop things in both areas, so I wish both these guys well.

On the Commercial side, there is great scope for initiatives... whether it is putting the ECF in front of the general public more prominently, by keeping and marketing the likes of the ECF diaries... a humble but relevant step.. On that front, I`d like to see our Unions take up a block of say 50 diaries each. Some could go as token `thankyou gifts` perhaps to senior Union board members/officials for good service, etc.. some should go to each County within the groups..say 5 per county. Again for distribution to well deserving Officers, perhaps. There might be an argument for taking say 100 diaries per Union, and distributing say 10 to each county captain to ,sell on at County matches. Maybe also market batches to our major congresses during the Autumn period up to Christmas.. for resale at those events.. I`d like to see greater efforts to involve Union and county bodies in the production and marketing of the ECF Year book.

There must be lots of scope for players and officials to contribute articles of interest to this publication. Every county body should have one, and arguably most clubs should be encouraged to participate, and contribute news items and stories/information of interest. Hard copy material is valuable, and helps give the ECF greater visibility.

Another possibility might be to run a grand `Simultaneous` between say London Euston station and Manchester Piccadilly station commuters.
Say 50 boards set up on each station, with web links, and the public invited to make moves and contribute say £1 each, for each move they make.
Others, who didn't want to join in, could perhaps contribute via `donation buckets`... If some GMs/IMs could be available at each station to record the moves, discuss chess, meet the public, offer encouragement, commentate on the games being played, take details of participants, to enter winning groups for a prize draw, that could be interesting.

Maybe to give out fact sheets about the ECF and local chess events, clubs, leagues, etc.. Also, a book stall(s) might help, and could do some good business, and encourage chess take-up... It might even attract some media interest!!

This event could run for a whole day, taking in the `rush hours`, say on a Saturday. As each game finishes, another could be set up, so you have a continuously rotating series of games, with a running score leader board to show the ongoing match score between the two sets of commuters. Proceeds to be shared between a major charity (like Children in need), and towards a GM fund, and International Chess...it might raise some useful funds to help encourage our top players. What fun..

[Mike Truran]

Good idea David. Why don't you get cracking on organising it?

[Chris Rice]

Both these guys are worthy candidates, whom I`m sure have lots to offer our UK chess scene..

David Openshaw will do a great job as International Manager.... as will Bob Kane as Commercial Manager, reporting direct to the top...

Did you actually read the ECF Press release? Bob Kane is the Tradewise Relationship Manager and that is all. You seem to have invented a whole new job description for him.

[Nick Grey]

Roger - re your reforms on how we play the games in the Thames Valley League.
You are not a registered player & your club does not play.

Not sure why we should consider your opinion as opposed to the votes at the meeting.

We have voted on the matter (& more recently in September) against compulsory Quickplay Finishes, & also an alternate quickplay/slowplay.
Both motions were defeated. A number of comments on why we have this matter come up at meetings over the year. The proposal was to play this in our top division only.

Our league also made a decision to implement John Upham's League Management System so I will be getting back to that tomorrow evening, rather than prepare for a county chess match on Saturday.

I appreciate John has a lot of fingers in various pies & grateful for his updates whether by John, BCM or Shallow Throat.

[Nick Grey]

I'll also say adjournments have worked well for 100s of years (even at the very top levels) & some of our enlightened leagues (Thames Valley, Surrey, London) continue to allow them. Because we continue to take the views of our members.

I think it was 20-25 years ago that the Surrey Chess Congress brought in quickplay finishes - previously you could adjourn.

[Roger de Coverly]

I'll also say adjournments have worked well for 100s of years (even at the very top levels) & some of our enlightened leagues (Thames Valley, Surrey, London) continue to allow them. Because we continue to take the views of our members.

Writing from the viewpoint of a couple of unelightened leagues, I was very glad to dump both adjournments and adjudications and pleased that most players supported the abolition. I'm sorry, but having struggled through the traffic on a Friday evening to Richmond, I did not appreciate my junior opponent ceasing play at 30 moves with fifteen minutes left on both clocks, The rules would have allowed me to adjourn, which in my more local leagues of Bucks or Berks at the time, I would have taken to refute the gamesmanship. As a consequence I took the decision to boycott any league that didn't enable completion on the night.

(edit) Actually adjournments haven't been adopted in league chess for hundreds of years. In the 1970s, the London League was unique, in the South East at least, in playing over two sessions. It was a benchmark for those who wanted to dump adjudication at move 30, to adopt London League style rules of playing a second session. Weekend Congresses dumped adjudications by the middle 1970s, and one round a day Congresses dumped adjournments by the 1990s if not earlier. In most parts of the country, leagues have followed suit. It's clear that adjournments favour those with the resources to enable travel to remote venues, even before you get on to the issue of third part assistance (not that it's illegal) (/edit)