FIDE Arbiters’ Licence Fees Scheme

[Sean Hewitt]

As you may know, FIDE is introducing a scheme whereby arbiters have to be licensed and pay a licence fee in order to continue officiating at rated events. From 1st January 2013 all arbiters at FIDE rated events will need to have a licence, failing which the event will not be FIDE rated.

The ECF has been opposed to this scheme since it was first suggested and supported attempts to abolish or substantially modify it at the FIDE Congress in Istanbul in September 2012. We should like to thank Nigel Short, the ECF FIDE Delegate, and Lara Barnes (who represented Chess Scotland) for their efforts in this regard. A further proposal which would have imposed additional levies on events was rejected by the Congress.

However, the Licence Fees Scheme remained unaltered and it is now necessary for the ECF to facilitate its implementation. It is the arbiters’ responsibility to pay the licence fees, but FIDE require payment to be made through the ECF, acting as the arbiters’ agent.

The total cost will be as follows

Category A IA £270.00
Category B IA £180.00
Category C IA £144 FA £108.00
Category D IA £ 90 FA £ 72.00
Other Arbiters £20.00

The ECF will only be providing this service to ECF members. Non-members will need to join the ECF before they can obtain their arbiters’ licences. A list of arbiters by category may be found at -
http://arbiters.fide.com/arbiters-classification.html

Please would you advise by Friday 30th November whether or not you would like the ECF to apply for a licence on your behalf. Replies should be sent to acting International Director Sean Hewitt at [email protected]
If you do wish to be licensed you will also need to send the appropriate licence fee to the ECF by bank transfer to Sort Code: 601015 Account number: 87572044 or by cheque to the office. Licences will be applied for once funds are received.

If you opt not to pay, then you will be considered inactive by FIDE and will not be permitted to arbit at FIDE Rated events. In such circumstance you will be able to restore active status by obtaining a licence at a later date.

Please note that once licensed, it is important that you remain an active arbiter at FIDE Rated events, as this licence fee is a one-off fee valid for life or until the arbiter becomes inactive. An arbiter becomes inactive if during a two year period he or she does not act as an arbiter at any FIDE Rated event valid for an FA norm. Inactive arbiters must then pay a further licence fee on becoming active.

A currently inactive arbiter may choose to become active by paying the relevant fee and will be placed in Category D.

If you have any queries, please would you adress them to -
David Sedgwick, Manager of Arbiters (International) at [email protected]

- Sean Hewitt, ECF Acting International Director & David Sedgwick, ECF Manager of Arbiters (International)

[Roger de Coverly]

Please note that once licensed, it is important that you remain an active arbiter at FIDE Rated events, as this licence fee is a one-off fee valid for life or until the arbiter becomes inactive. An arbiter becomes inactive if during a two year period he or she does not act as an arbiter at any FIDE Rated event valid for an FA norm. Inactive arbiters must then pay a further licence fee on becoming active.

Could it be defined what the term "active arbiter at FIDE rated events" actually means? So if a local rapid-play or blitz was considering being FIDE rated, would that mean that everyone involved in running the event was deemed an "active arbiter"? Provided you trust the computer program, computer expertise rather than arbiter expertise is needed to produce timely pairings.

[Alex McFarlane]

With regard to Sean's post, it is actually possible for an arbiter to downgrade their status. So an A category IA may wish simply to register as a D Category IA. Since England, unlike Scotland and Wales is not paying this fee for its members this may be a useful piece of info.

Licenced arbiters wishing to upgrade may do so by paying only the difference. However, upgrading from National to FIDE Arbiter or from FA to IA requires a new licence to be issued and is not considered an upgrade.

With regard to Roger's post, the use or otherwise of computers does not affect the arbiter status. A blitz or rapidplay will require a licenced arbiter from 1st January but some of the arbiter qualification 'norms' from these events will not be applicable until 1st July.

My prediction is that FIDE will soon be insisting that rated events must have an International Organiser present.

[Roger de Coverly]

With regard to Roger's post, the use or otherwise of computers does not affect the arbiter status. A blitz or rapidplay will require a licenced arbiter from 1st January but some of the arbiter qualification 'norms' from these events will not be applicable until 1st July.

My prediction is that FIDE will soon be insisting that rated events must have an International Organiser present.

That wasn't quite the question. Assume you have one "qualified" arbiter present and a number of assistants. Do all the "assistants" have to be paid for as "national arbiters" in order to qualify the event for rating? You could presumably just not declare their presence.

Particularly for Blitz events, if a licenced arbiter is needed, that would appear to put an end to the attempt to promote club events as suitable for FIDE rating.

[Alex McFarlane]

All arbiters must be declared.

If a tournament tried this dodge then it could end up in a very embarrassing situation. It would only take one player who had a bad tournament to point this out to FIDE for the event to be unrated. National arbiters could also be looking for norms and would require to be listed. I don't think FIDE will insist on listing arbiters when registering the event.

The difference between a deputy arbiter and an assistant may become a very grey area with some events however.

[Sean Hewitt]

With regard to Sean's post, it is actually possible for an arbiter to downgrade their status. So an A category IA may wish simply to register as a D Category IA.

David Sedgwick asked this question of FIDE (Specifically of Panagiotis Nikolopoulos - Chairman of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission) and was told that downgrading was not permitted. If you have information that contradicts this and could let me have it, that would be appreciated.

[Alex McFarlane]

I asked the question at the Commission meeting!!

The answer I was given was that it was permissable. That tied in with a private conversation I had with a senior official who expressed concerns about some of the Category A officials.

[Sean Hewitt]

I asked the question at the Commission meeting!!

The answer I was given was that it was permissable. That tied in with a private conversation I had with a senior official who expressed concerns about some of the Category A officials.

Well, all I can say is that we have asked this very question of the Chairman and been told, in writing, that this is not possible.

[Alex McFarlane]

Is there anyone who wishes to be downgraded?

If there is then I would get in touch with others at the meeting. It certainly seems unfair that you cannot go for the 'miminum' category if that is your wish having taken the higher category when it was free. Is FIDE now going to monitor th category of Arbiter and promote accordingly without the request being made?