FIDE Registration

[Christopher Kreuzer]

So I go to look up David Howell's rating and its historical progression over time, and when I try to click on the graph, I get:

"According to Regulations on Registration & Licensing of Players archives and statistics data on FIDE is available for registered players. Please use your FIDE Arena account, FIDE Ratings server account or create a new account at http://arena.myfide.net/register"

I know that was what they intended, but it's still very....

[John McKenna]

It's coupled with a login procedure.

Can't even see your own rake's progress - that can be a blessing in disguise.

[NickFaulks]

So I go to look up David Howell's rating and its historical progression over time, and when I try to click on the graph, I get:

"According to Regulations on Registration & Licensing of Players archives and statistics data on FIDE is available for registered players. Please use your FIDE Arena account, FIDE Ratings server account or create a new account at http://arena.myfide.net/register"

I know that was what they intended, but it's still very....

For what it's worth, creating an Arena account is very easy, and I think you can use all bogus information so long as the email address in in the right format - can be [email protected]

[John McKenna]

I'm somewhat reluctant to do that - create an a/c with FIDE Arena - in order to see rating info.

I have done a similar thing with Chessbase in order to access some facilities there but there's a difference.

Both Chessbase & FIDE allow free registration and a/c creation at present.

Edit: If enough people join Playchess or FIDE Arena surely it just creates a captive audience and charges usually follow that.

I pay nothing to Chessbase except for what products of theirs I buy (one did include a year's 'free' access to Playchess.com).

In the case of FIDE, however, I think some portion of my payment for ECF Gold membership has gone to FIDE for rating purposes. What annoys me is the thought that a fee to use the FIDE Arena a/c may be introduced at some future date.

[NickFaulks]

Edit to above, I find that you cannot use the same email address for more than one account ( so avoid [email protected]! ).

[NickFaulks]

What annoys me is the thought that a fee to use the FIDE Arena a/c may be introduced at some future date.

That is of course the plan. Some federations are already organising themselves to fight it, and I hope the British federations will lend their support.

[Roger de Coverly]

I'm somewhat reluctant to do that - create an a/c with FIDE Arena - in order to see rating info.

It's time Sue Dunham came out of retirement and registered for FIDE Arena. I may have missed it, but for an account not seeking an official online rating or a link to the OTB rating, there didn't seem to be a "real names" policy.

[John McKenna]

Like Chessbase's Playchess, FIDE's Arena may have a no-names-no-pack-drill policy to begin with. (I can't really see why that would need to change at Playchess.) If charging is introduced by FIDE the real identity of most members will become known to them via the payment procedure. They may eventually encourage and expect all players who have a proper otb standard/rapid/blitz rating to use their real names (or a link) if they get an online rating, too. Those who just play online and have only an online rating may be allowed to remain incognito but FIDE may have a good idea who they really are from their payment method.

What annoys me is the thought that a fee to use the FIDE Arena a/c may be introduced at some future date.

That is of course the plan. Some federations are already organising themselves to fight it, and I hope the British federations will lend their support.

What if the introduction of membership fee for FIDE Arena was coupled with a reduction in your federation membership fee?

Just a thought.

[NickFaulks]

What if the introduction of membership fee for FIDE Arena was coupled with a reduction in your federation membership fee?

I don't understand. You mean the fees ECF members pay to the ECF?

[Paolo Casaschi]

What if the introduction of membership fee for FIDE Arena was coupled with a reduction in your federation membership fee?

I don't understand. You mean the fees ECF members pay to the ECF?

For example: what if the registration with FIDE could entitle players to play in FIDE tournaments without any national federation membership requirement?

[Roger de Coverly]

What if the introduction of membership fee for FIDE Arena was coupled with a reduction in your federation membership fee?

Just a thought.

When I last checked, the fee payable by the ECF to FIDE in respect of the ECF's membership of FIDE was ONE Euro per year per active rated player. Rating fees for tournaments are on top of this.

I struggled to find the current actual cost of national federation FIDE membership, other than a line in the ECF's budget. They are in sterling and possibly stated net of VAT, but were quoted as £ 1,769 for 2013-14 with a forecast value of £ 1,623 for 2014-15.

[Roger de Coverly]

For example: what if the registration with FIDE could entitle players to play in FIDE tournaments without any national federation membership requirement?

It isn't FIDE that impose membership requirements, rather it is national federations. All FIDE require is registration and the issue of an identification number, leaving the exact details of the process undefined.The leadership of ECF and the BCF before it mislead players and perhaps themselves into believing that a per head per individual membership was an essential for participation in FIDE rated events. The ECF even went through the farce of getting everyone to sign a sheet of paper guaranteeing the ECF's debts up to one pound using the strict Companies Act definition of a "member of a Company".

[Adam Raoof]

It already does this, for a fee. However it will cost you £1.00 more to register with Arena than it does to join the ECF at Platinum level, for instance. And you won't be entitled to play for your club or get the discounts on rapidplays as you would with Bronze or Silver membership.

For example: what if the registration with FIDE could entitle players to play in FIDE tournaments without any national federation membership requirement?

[Roger de Coverly]

It already does this, for a fee. However it will cost you £1.00 more to register with Arena than it does to join the ECF at Platinum level, for instance.

I'm not sure what over the board benefits, if any, are offered by Arena Platinum membership. But at a cost of 50 Euros, that undercuts the similar level of ECF membership. Gold ECF at whatever they've increased the price too, perhaps not, depending on the exchange rate.


http://arena.myfide.net/registration-an ... emberships

FIDE is trying to have its cake and eat it. An organisation that is a federation of national chess bodies shouldn't be offering individual "membership" at all. If it does so, it needs to reform its voting processes so as to give some say to its supposed "members". Much the same applies to the ECF, although it does indirectly through the "Bronze representatives" etc give a minimal say to individuals.

[NickFaulks]

I'm somewhat reluctant to do that - create an a/c with FIDE Arena - in order to see rating info.

It's time Sue Dunham came out of retirement and registered for FIDE Arena. I may have missed it, but for an account not seeking an official online rating or a link to the OTB rating, there didn't seem to be a "real names" policy.

The change has now been rolled back. The decision was taken at a high level so I have no details, but I believe there were representations from major federations.