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Roger de Coverly
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:41 pm 
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Alan Burke wrote:
There is already a situation where a congress this February issued its entry form last year and someone with a certain grade and who normally works weekends has taken a few days' holiday in order to play in it. However, when the new gradings have been issued in January, that player has discovered that they are now above the grading limit for playing in the event because the congress is using the new grading list to determine its sections, yet the entry form stated it would use "the current grading list". However, by that, it apparently meant the list in force at the time of the tournament and not the one when the entry forms were originally issued.


I'm trying to figure out the Congress involved.

Kidlington this weekend is under 225 and Frodsham the weekend after is under 210, but both entry forms say the August 2011 grading list will be used for eligibility.

They are the exception in not having an unlimited top section. I'd agree that it's disappointing not to be among the top seeds for a grade limited section, but that's not the same as being prevented from playing.
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Ian Stephens
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:15 pm 
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Alan Burke wrote:
(ie A player is towards the top of one section but now finds themselves towards the bottom of the higher section and without much chance of any prizemoney.)


What!!... there is actually prize money involved?!! :o Alan I thought we just turned up placed =17th and then return to our respective homes. :)

On a serious note Alan, you do make a valid point which could be eradicated if congresses were to adopt the system used in some of the E2-E4 events, of Banded sections, no one should be discouraged from playing chess based on their grade.

What say ye organisers?

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Neil Graham
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:28 pm 
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I have a suggestion.

The present system of A-E grades works well and is understood by just about everyone. It replaced a coding system that included all sorts of random letters (Q, Y and N grades spring to mind).

Why then has the new grade of 30 games plus in the last grading period been given an "X" categorisation? Surely it would be far better to call it A* or A+ or AA? It would then fit in nicely with the current categories and players would know precisely where it stood in the heirarchy.
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Roger de Coverly
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:37 pm 
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Neil Graham wrote:
Why then has the new grade of 30 games plus in the last grading period been given an "X" categorisation? Surely it would be far better to call it A* or A+ or AA? It would then fit in nicely with the current categories and players would know precisely where it stood in the heirarchy.


They've being using that as a category for a while in the rapid-play list. Most, if not all, of what's been implemented was first prototyped on the rapid-play grades. some of the design goes back over fifteen years. The count-back idea is probably twenty years old.At one time there was a short-lived "R" grade as well. This applied to junior players where the published grade was based only on their 30 most recent, even though they had played more than that over a 12 month period. Look at 1999 for this player http://www.ecfgrading.org.uk/?ref=163068E
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Alex Holowczak
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:42 pm 
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Neil Graham wrote:
Why then has the new grade of 30 games plus in the last grading period been given an "X" categorisation? Surely it would be far better to call it A* or A+ or AA? It would then fit in nicely with the current categories and players would know precisely where it stood in the heirarchy.


I think the idea was to use only one character. Given we can't use * (that's used for estimates), X seems the most logical extension to me.

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Neil Graham
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:05 pm 
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Alex Holowczak wrote:
Neil Graham wrote:
Why then has the new grade of 30 games plus in the last grading period been given an "X" categorisation? Surely it would be far better to call it A* or A+ or AA? It would then fit in nicely with the current categories and players would know precisely where it stood in the heirarchy.


I think the idea was to use only one character. Given we can't use * (that's used for estimates), X seems the most logical extension to me.


Y? Just as logical as X.

The idea might have been to use only one letter but "AA" seems to me to be a simple and good idea. Do we really have to use one letter?

The grade referred to by Roger with the "R" in the middle would look so much better on the list with an "AA" rather than an "X" as the latest grade.
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Adam Raoof
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:11 pm 
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Neil Graham wrote:
Alex Holowczak wrote:
Neil Graham wrote:
Why then has the new grade of 30 games plus in the last grading period been given an "X" categorisation? Surely it would be far better to call it A* or A+ or AA? It would then fit in nicely with the current categories and players would know precisely where it stood in the heirarchy.


I think the idea was to use only one character. Given we can't use * (that's used for estimates), X seems the most logical extension to me.


Y? Just as logical as X.

The idea might have been to use only one letter but "AA" seems to me to be a simple and good idea. Do we really have to use one letter?

The grade referred to by Roger with the "R" in the middle would look so much better on the list with an "AA" rather than an "X" as the latest grade.


I don't understand X - it has negative connotations for me. I would scrap all the grading categories completely.

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Ian Stephens
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:33 pm 
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Adam Raoof wrote:
I don't understand X - it has negative connotations for me. I would scrap all the grading categories completely.


Adam I agree, if the idea of a code is to inform how active a player is, then surely this has been superceded once you enter the "Standard Games" section. It does seem somewhat archaic to have a code at all considering the number of games played is already adequately displayed in a players profile.

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Michael Jones
 Post subject: Re: New grades are out
PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:15 pm 
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Thanks to everyone involved in updating the system - now I need to find out who the grader was for the BCF Schools Championship in 2002-03, who misattributed to a 86 a game which I actually played against a 208. I'm sure that must have affected my grade terribly :lol:
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