UKCC Megafinal Dates

[Alex Holowczak]

Recently, I've asked eight of the strongest Warwickshire juniors between the ages of about 14 and 18 "Would you prefer the Warwickshire Megafinal to be earlier in May (or in April) in future years, so that it doesn't fall in the middle of the exams?" All eight of them said yes, or words to that effect. In some cases, when they found out the Worcestershire Megafinal was on April 18 (as opposed to May 22 for Warwickshire), they have entered that one instead of the Warwickshire Megafinal. Some have stated that due to the increased burden of travel, they might not play at all.

I'm aware from discussing this locally that 95% of the entries for a Megafinal are under 12, so from the organisers' point of view, this is a minor issue, they'd rather give the under 12s more time to get the money in. Most schools/clubs will run their tournament to qualify for them either in the Spring term (January - March) or even before Christmas (September - December). That would leave a month to get the entry forms in. Surely if they're planning to enter, this is long enough?

I contacted Mike Basman about this while I was still playing, and got something back saying how the chess was more important because it showed a more rounded educational benefit. Generally, it missed the point completely.

The UKCC website doesn't appear to be working at the moment, but I remember historically it had a list of all the Megafinals and their dates, and nearly all of them ended up on the last weekend in May. As long as it avoided a 4NCL date, I can't see a specific reason why it can't be held earlier. Of course venue availability is an issue; I can't comment on how tough it is to organise venues locally.

I'm confident that if Megafinal organisers ask the 14-18 year olds nationally whether they would like the Megafinal earlier, they'll get an almost unanimous "yes". In the hope that some Megafinal organisers use this forum, would any of them be willing to comment on their choice of date, and the potential problems with holding it just four weeks earlier?

While none of the strongest players will probably pull out as a result of the date choice, surely it will help PR if it's held at a more sensible time? Given how many players in that age range give up chess, ensuring they continue to play is surely of importance. Indeed, I noticed that it's the next tier of players who don't bother to turn up, i.e. the club players of the future who are good players, but know they won't win because there just so happens to be a really strong player in their section. I don't see the point of getting 500 under 12s in, if by the time they get to 16, they stop playing in it due to the choice of date.

[Neill Cooper]

I agree that late May is awkward for many secondary school pupils, not only those in years 11 to 13, all of whom have important public exams but by now those in year 10 and sometimes 9 can have GCSE modules. But very few over 14s play in the Megafinal even when it is in early May (as has been the case for many years in Surrey).

See Google cached version of UKCC website for dates:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... 2010.shtml
I think the date and venue is down to the local organiser - for Warwickshire it is Malcolm Hunt.

[Steve Rooney]

Alex, I am not sure that the Megafinal dates are that critical. Those facing exams will always have to make choices about whether they can fit in extra-curricular work and it's not only chess that competes for their time. If it is moved into April then it will clash with Easter holidays which will cause its own problems. In the end teenagers will make the choice (assuming their parents support them) and find the time to play in the Megafinal if they are keen.

I am sure you are not suggesting that the Megafinal date has an impact on drop-out rates for juniors? There would not be so many to drop out if Mike Basman didn't do such a fantastic job capturing their enthusiasm in the first place. It's up to the rest of us to try and harness that, and keep as many playing actively through their teenage years and into adulthood.

[Alex Holowczak]

Neill, Malcolm is one of the local organisers I had spoken to, and I know that the date is up to him. If you ask those over 14s you get in Surrey whether they'd prefer it to be a few weeks earlier, I'd be surprised if you didn't get an overwhelming 'yea' vote.

Steve, I am suggesting that the selection of Megafinal dates does not encourage what few older juniors there are to participate in it. Mike Basman has, I agree, done a great job in running the UKCC, and has brought many players in, undoubtedly. But what use is that if players can't enter Megafinals? Most juniors will only play junior events (including the UKCC Megafinals), so by making their already limited participation awkward, it isn't going to help.

If an organiser had taken it upon themselves to organise a local junior tournament, May would be the last month you'd choose to hold it in. This begs the question, why does this principle go out of the window for the scheduling of the Megafinals?

[Steve Rooney]

"Most juniors will only play junior events"

This is the problem. I think secondary school pupils should be much more integrated into adult chess leagues and congresses. (And for that matter coaching should not be confined to juniors but available to keen adults as well.) Inevitably attention is paid to the few 'stars' amongst each generation, but the health of the game demands more focus on the mass of players.

[Neill Cooper]

If you ask those over 14s you get in Surrey whether they'd prefer it to be a few weeks earlier, I'd be surprised if you didn't get an overwhelming 'yea' vote.

I agree that late May is not good, but early May (Surrey) is not too bad. In Surrey the drop off, though, is not at over 14s but at over 9s! Last year the number of (boy) entries was: 59 Under 7s, 90 U8s, 110 U9s, 101 U10s, 68 U11s, [end of primary] 31 U12s, 16 U13s, 10 U14s, 6U15s, 3U16s, 2U17s and 4U18s. So less secondary boys took part than one year of primary.

None of my year 11 qualifiers took part last year. But I doubt that they would play at any other time of the year.

[Neill Cooper]

I think secondary school pupils should be much more integrated into adult chess leagues and congresses.

That is one reason why I entered our junior club into local inter-club leagues. 14 of the 20 members who have played inter-club chess this season are secondary school pupils. Also of the 6 adult team members three had not played inter-club chess until last season.

[Alex Holowczak]

Solihull Checkmates did something similar with their club in the Leamington League. They're fourth in Division One now!

You're right that early May is not too bad, but still not ideal. The ideal time is somewhere between Easter and the start of May.

[raycollett]

I think secondary school pupils should be much more integrated into adult chess leagues and congresses. (And for that matter coaching should not be confined to juniors but available to keen adults as well.) Inevitably attention is paid to the few 'stars' amongst each generation, but the health of the game demands more focus on the mass of players.

I could not agree more. Organisers of the 'adult' game should do much more to help junior organisers and provide within league structures or congresses opportunities for junior players. ECF delegates should press for increasing our capacity to develop the game by (1) organising CRB clearance for any player willing to set a venue up for playing, captaining a team, coaching, or helping at a school chess club. (2) providing opportunities for good players to earn money by coaching or organising rather than sponsoring star players to attend congresses outwith the UK.