English Chess Forum

I am not usually in the habit of engaging in back-and-forth arguments on this forum, and I do not intend to on this occasion either. But it seems I have to spell out the obvious that some people may have missed: No one outside the Board of Directors knew that Traci Whitfield had decided to step down...

Tomorrow's ECF Board of Directors meeting will have the first opportunity since the Finance Council in April to properly discuss the still unresolved governance concerns I and others have raised about the sudden resignation of Traci Whitfield as Junior Director last year and the subsequent appointme...

My report on the ECF Finance Council meeting, 27 April, 2019 This is the report I sent out to NCCU Counties and committee members of Durham County Chess Association, and Northumbria Junior Chess Association, who I was representing at the meeting: "Firstly, I put forward the NCCU resolution on membe...

At the ECF Finance Council on Saturday, 27th April, CEO Mike Truran answered my question about where the ECF's new members are expected to come from (and what gives the Board confidence that its projections for a growth in membership can be met) with pretty much the exact same ideas that I put forwa...

Basically, yes. Myself and other Academy coaches have been working with England juniors in Turkey for the last 10 days. The Academy tender decision was announced 2 weeks ago, and a couple of days after that UK Chess Challenge announced unilaterally it was selecting the Academy coaches for the remain...

Actually, there is also a very important 6th question about the Academy: 6) Why was the Accelerator Programme created to replace the top tier of the Academy without any consultation with the coaches? And why are there no reports available about the activities of the Accelerator programme & its crite...

Hi Roger, Two points: 1) The Chess Trust's 2 most active Trustees are ECF Board nominees: David Eustance as Finance Director and Mike Truran as CEO. So actually they have huge influence. 2) Most of the national chess federations I cited have online chess magazines as part of their membership package...

I'm not going to apologise for raising important issues today that have just come to light (the ECF Academy Tender and excessive charges on parents of England juniors abroad). As for the membership fees issue, there was proper notice of the resolution - and everyone has had months to form a view abo...

David, I'm a little confused - I think you're mixing up the two issues. Where does the NCCU resolution mention the international teams? What we are saying is use the £1 million plus in the Chess Trust, John Robinson Youth Chess Trust and the old BCF PIFs to fund the development of junior chess BEFOR...

Nick, please don't try to make this all about FIDE. In the ECF's invoice to parents (presented via Bridge Overseas) even that 100 euros for the ripoff hotel-airport transfer magically became £100.

5 Questions about the ECF Academy Tender that need answers 1. Will the Tender Bids for the ECF Academy, and their respective point scores awarded under the Tender procedure, be published? At the latest Academy weekend 2 weeks ago, UK Chess Challenge did not appear to have a) a business plan; b) a s...

As a coach in Turkey on the just-finished World Schools Individual Championship, I am extremely concerned about the extra currency transfer fee charged by the ECF. Instead of charging 1:1.15 in its GBP to EUR conversion, the ECF fixed a rate of 1:1 - in effect a 15% markup. This was justified by the...

Hi Michael, the resolution was posted in the usual way on the Agenda. It is very concise, clear in its intention and everyone is well aware of the issues involved. I am merely posting here a longer version of my contribution this afternoon (almost certainly longer than I will actually give verbally)...

ECF Council meeting April 27th 2019-WOR & TW.pdf Ahead of today’s ECF Finance Council meeting in Birmingham, in order to facilitate a full and informed discussion, I am circulating the presentation prepared by the NCCU on the following resolution (Item 8 on the Agenda): ‘(a) Increases in ECF me...

Hi everyone, just a quick note to say there are announcements up on the London Chess Classic website: London Chess Classic (lineup, schedule and pairings): https://www.londonchessclassic.com/press/lcc18_pr4.htm British Knockout Championship (lineup, schedule and pairings): https://www.londonchesscla...