Martin Crichton wrote:If the ECF and USCF do it why should other federations not want to follow suit?
It would help to get the facts right. The USCF certainly discourages foreign participation in its domestic tournaments. The ECF however does not. If it's FIDE rated, the ECF gets only the mark up on the FIDE rating fee, if it's ECF graded only the ECF gets £ 6 per head paid by the tournament organiser.
Martin Crichton wrote:After all its a whopping 20 Euros or £15 sterling at the current exchange rates.
35 Euros for adults according to the ICU website. As I noted earlier, that's about the same as the Bunratty entry fee.
https://www.icu.ie/icu/membership_byelaws
A Capitation Fee shall be payable by each player to the ICU at a rate of €35 per Subscription Year, this fee to be called the "standard fee", except for players 65 and over on the following 1 January who shall pay a fee of €20, players not earming an income who shall pay a fee of €20, players under 18 on the following 1 January who shall pay a fee of €20 and players under 12 on the following 1 January who shall pay a fee of €15 (or sterling equivalents).
Whether the membership bye-laws are current is another matter as they go on to say:-
Foreign players whose ordinary residence is outside the island of Ireland shall not be subject to payment of any fee or subscription to the ICU for participating in Irish tournaments (other than the Irish Chess Championships), upon production of proof that they are affiliated to another national body which is a member of FIDE.