Continuing Leagues & Established Events Online

[Paul McKeown]

As manager of Richmond Junior Chess Club and of the Richmond Rapidplays, I need to find creative ways to continue our activities, whilst the population is put into quarantine. Naturally, I have been seeking ways to continue our teaching online via various servers.

One general suggestion I would like to put forward is that the English Chess Federation helps leagues, clubs, counties and tournaments to continue by allowing ECF graded events to continue, in the interim, as server based events, running at the times and using the time controls that the events would normally take place. Naturally, all participants would be required to accept that anti-cheating measures would be put in place, and that suspect games would not be graded.

The understanding would naturally be that this is only a measure ad interim, which would be abandoned as soon as normality resumed.

Is this a suggestion that a sufficient number in the chess community could get behind?

[Brian Valentine]

This facility is, or will be very soon, in place. It is/will be available for teams who are all ECF members. While I understand there is nothing to stop matches taking place, we are still settling any special playing rules and how to handle standard play grading (internet results will not be intermingled with OTB).

[Paul McKeown]

Hi Brian, thank you for your helpful response.

What date is "very soon"?

Could "intermingling" not be a temporary solution for the interim in these extraordinary circumstances?

[John Moore]

This sounds like very good news. Well done to all concerned.

[NickFaulks]

Naturally, all participants would be required to accept that anti-cheating measures would be put in place

This must be the crucial point. What might those be?

[Paul McKeown]

Naturally, all participants would be required to accept that anti-cheating measures would be put in place

This must be the crucial point. What might those be?

Participants would have to accept FIDE and ECF Anti-Cheating guidelines:

• https://handbook.fide.com/files/handboo ... elines.pdf
• https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... cument.pdf

That ought not to be a problem, because all participants in FIDE and ECF events accept these implicitly.

Further, they would have to accept the anti-cheating policy of the server chosen by the league or by ECF.

I would suggest that the ECF has the muscle to modify a server's anti-cheating policy, so that no one received a ban or for having their rating/grade suspended for participating in an ECF event, without the agreement of an ECF anti-cheating unit, and without the possibility of an appeal to an ad hoc panel consisting of ECF arbiters and senior lay people.

[Nick Burrows]

May I suggest preemtively banning Justin Horton just as a sensible precaution.










JOKE

[Paul McKeown]

[Paul McKeown]

One further suggestion is that the ECF could modify a server's policy, so that an ECF anti-cheating unit could ask a player not to participate further, without necessarily having their online login badged as a computer cheat. The server could also prevent any player from taking part in any non-ECF games.

[Nick Grey]

Our club is closed. WE are looking at A social chess platform.

[Richard Bates]

Whilst I understand the potential for the ECF to facilitate chess activities on a social level, I really don't see how you could try to replicate existing over-the-board events, simply on the back of taking "anti-cheating" measures. And I would think certainly not anything involving money. Maybe online servers can use computer analysis for blitz chess, but extend to slower limits and it just becomes a minefield. It's surely too easy to "semi cheat" when you have a computer next to you constantly in real time. And even if not using a computer, what about other things like opening theory books or endgame manuals?

But if people want to try that's up to them - I would be sceptical about whether there would be huge enthusiasm for it. Although if we really are all locked down maybe people's need to fill the time would change their perspective.

[Adam Raoof]

Whilst I understand the potential for the ECF to facilitate chess activities on a social level, I really don't see how you could try to replicate existing over-the-board events, simply on the back of taking "anti-cheating" measures. And I would think certainly not anything involving money. Maybe online servers can use computer analysis for blitz chess, but extend to slower limits and it just becomes a minefield. It's surely too easy to "semi cheat" when you have a computer next to you constantly in real time. And even if not using a computer, what about other things like opening theory books or endgame manuals?

But if people want to try that's up to them - I would be sceptical about whether there would be huge enthusiasm for it. Although if we really are all locked down maybe people's need to fill the time would change their perspective.

I have sponsorship for a chess 960 blitz event, and we are thinking of doing this online, with entry fees and prizes. To combat possible cheating we would expect entrants to use real names, and they might have to register separately with an ECF grading code.

Do you think this would work? I need something to do...

[Kevin Thurlow]

"May I suggest preemtively banning Justin Horton just as a sensible precaution."

Brilliant!

On a serious note, you could use what I understand the youth of today call "Skype", to reduce the chances of cheating. But then you don't know if they have an earpiece. Oh well. Perhaps Richard is right. But with no chess, and no cricket on Sky, what do we do?

[Kevin Thurlow]

"I have sponsorship for a chess 960 blitz event, and we are thinking of doing this online, with entry fees and prizes. To combat possible cheating we would expect entrants to use real names, and they might have to register separately with an ECF grading code.

Do you think this would work? I need something to do..."

Sounds good...

[Ian Thompson]

On a serious note, you could use what I understand the youth of today call "Skype", to reduce the chances of cheating. But then you don't know if they have an earpiece. Oh well. Perhaps Richard is right.

It would be interesting to know how AWS satisfy themselves that no cheating is occurring when their exams are taken at home, given the stringent procedures they have at their test centres. If it's good enough for them, maybe it would be good enough for chess matches.