English Chess Forum

I have notice of a grading-related agenda item for next month's AGM. The meeting will be asked to endorse a proposal from the Manager of Grading & Rating that the grading of overseas games be discontinued following the publication of the January 2013 grading list. Chris Majer is preparing a paper on the subject, which will be uploaded to the ECF website as soon as it is available (probably in a week's time).

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ECF Company Secretary and Financial Controller

That was, perhaps still is, a key benefit when membership was voluntary.

Excellent. I was going to write in my election "manifesto" that I thought this would be a good idea. Glad that the Manager of Grading agrees with me!

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February 16-17: 2013 BUCA Team Championship
April 20: 2013 British Blitz Championship
July 27-August 10: 100th British Chess Championships

Why? What's the rationale?

I think the ECF grading system should be for events that comply with ECF funding rules, and are held in the area covered by the ECF.

I'm not convinced that grading games in tournaments where a player plays only players who are ungraded (i.e. overseas players) improves the accuracy of the system. The players are treated as a conversion of their FIDE rating for this purpose. I assume the whole reason Chris is writing a paper is that he has some statistics to show that this hinders the accuracy of the system.

I was going to say that I wanted Chris to investigate whether or not this process helped or hindered the accuracy of the system. If he's writing a paper on it, I assume he's already done this research, and the conclusion he's reached is that it hinders.

Perhaps I should have waited until seeing his paper before declaring unilateral support for it though!

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February 16-17: 2013 BUCA Team Championship
April 20: 2013 British Blitz Championship
July 27-August 10: 100th British Chess Championships

It's not necessarily about accuracy as the number of games involved is small. It is about offering a service to members wanting to have their international performances included with their domestic grade. This is a feature of both the Scots and Welsh systems. It's also a feature of some of the European systems. The chess-results.com service used for the Olympiad and other FIDE events doubles up as the data service for Austrian domestic rating. I found I was on it for one game played against an Austrian in Hastings, and the only Hastings results were the nine games played by the player in question.

You also have to consider the future of grading games played in Welsh congresses and Guernsey.

I play at Guernsey and have not wanted the games graded for the reason that they're played in a different Federation (and you play a lot of people with ratings that are dubious - I have a long list of games played against Dutchmen rated 1800!)

But a lot of the players there feel differently and got annoyed when the games weren't graded one year. I am definitely in the minority.

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Kevin J Thurlow

"One of the nicest people in English chess." - S Giddins 2011
"Not a gracious gentleman" - D Howes 2011

Guernsey was graded last year, although they don't feature in the list of organisations with a vote on the ECF Council. One supposes that either they have a special status, aka secret deal, or it's done through some other organisation. Welsh events don't seem to be graded any more as part of ECF grading.

What is the position this year? I don't believe they impose any membership requirements on players who aren't GCI?

Earlier this year Adam Raoof agreed that Guernsey could again be ECF graded.

On what terms might we enquire? I ask because I asked if the e2e4 Dublin International could be graded. Adam, on this very forum, said no. It wasn't a big deal, but this seems like double standards.

I suppose you could enquire if you made him a cup of tea, or bought him a drink.

Don't worry, I'll see myself out.

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February 16-17: 2013 BUCA Team Championship
April 20: 2013 British Blitz Championship
July 27-August 10: 100th British Chess Championships

Elizabeth II is Duke of Normandy but not Queen of Ireland

Excellent. I look forward to our grading games played in Australia then.

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http://westcountrychess.blogspot.com

A long way to go for a seven-dayer