An average of 10 people use this forum (if not less)

[Charles W. Wood]

It has become very interesting. I'm liking it. But it is a shock waking up (Not that I sleep much, around 20mins to a couple of hours) a night and 20+ posts to read. All with great energy and passion.

[Carl Hibbard]

I only found out about this forum a few days ago, and I think there are two things that could be done to make it more popular.

Firstly, it's a chess forum. But there seems to be no option to post chess diagrams or play-through game boards. If there was, you could have threads covering say live games in Baku and everyone kibitzing, analyzing, etc. You could have puzzle threads, best game threads, anything. We all really like chess, after all...

Secondly, the forum structure is weird. Whilst important and deserving their place, "Administration" and "Tournament Announcements" are unlikely to continuously attract long, chatty, engaging threads. If you want the forums to be more popular, these should not be the first thing that greets the eye on the "Index page".

(Some further ideas along these lines, of my second point. Instead something friendly like "Chess Chat Cafe" (i.e. "General Chat" renamed) should be at the top of the forum index. Also do a lot of beginners come to the ECF site looking for advice? I would guess so, and if I'm right, then there should also be near the top of the "Index page" a forum for beginners or people new to chess where they can post questions like "Where can I join a chess club?" and "This guy last night moved his king two squares and crossed it over with his castle! I have a fiver on this being against the rules, is this right?" - that sort of thing. I think also a separate "ECF Matters" forum would be useful - keep the general chat friendly, give heated debate its own arena.)

I agree with most of what you are suggesting and so am looking at what is possible

I will try moving sections about first to see what it looks like

I'm not liking it too much atm It's totally thrown me off balance, I keep scrolling down the page or refreshing it cos I think it's the wrong page Once I get used to it I'm sure I'll start liking it more...

It's hard work, I did feel at lower screen resolutions it might be easier if the topics were at the top - hence my agreement with Tom

[Nigel Wright]

Well it's certainly appreciated by me and I'm sure everybody else, just that I get confused easily...

[Charles W. Wood]

Well it's certainly appreciated by me and I'm sure everybody else, just that I get confused easily...

One of the posts call for board members to be posting on here. The closest we have is the ECF site, and a lot of people don't see that as an official area to gather information. Sadly we don't have a central point of information and we do not have enough members on here to be to call it the central point of information. We need all the members to encourage their friends onto the site.

We used to have a central point for information which was the BCM but even they do not want to cover English issues. Chess for schools project was offered to BCM as a story and their exact words were "its not the type of story we cover", "who would be interested?". I will never ever buy it then.

[Nigel Wright]

Yeah, that seems a bit retarded to me - the biggest thing to happen in English Chess in my lifetime, maybe even everybody else's, yet they don't give a crap? Morons...

[Carl Hibbard]

Well it's certainly appreciated by me and I'm sure everybody else, just that I get confused easily...

One of the posts call for board members to be posting on here. The closest we have is the ECF site, and a lot of people don't see that as an official area to gather information. Sadly we don't have a central point of information and we do not have enough members on here to be to call it the central point of information. We need all the members to encourage their friends onto the site.

We used to have a central point for information which was the BCM but even they do not want to cover English issues. Chess for schools project was offered to BCM as a story and their exact words were "its not the type of story we cover", "who would be interested?". I will never ever buy it then.

Feel free to advertise on your respective web sites - the more the merrier

The 'Links' section should be kicking in for most people and this should improve your actual web site lookups as the same time - especially if the link goes both ways that is!

[Greg Breed]

You know I haven't really noticed. The first thing I do when I log in is click "View New Posts". I then go from there...

[Charles W. Wood]

Yeah, that seems a bit retarded to me - the biggest thing to happen in English Chess in my lifetime, maybe even everybody else's, yet they don't give a crap? Morons...

See, mad world. BCM thinks that everyone else on the planet is all were are bothered about not whats going on in our own country, not a good situation for English chess.

[John Saunders]

Dear Mr Wood,

When precisely did you offer the Chess for schools project to BCM as a story? I can find no record of it or indeed of any communication with you. Nor of BCM's 'exact words' which you so liberally quote in this thread.

John Saunders
Editor, British Chess Magazine

[Charles W. Wood]

Dear Mr Wood,

When precisely did you offer the Chess for schools project to BCM as a story? I can find no record of it or indeed of any communication with you. Nor of BCM's 'exact words' which you so liberally quote in this thread.

John Saunders
Editor, British Chess Magazine

Hi John

Its Charles, not Mr Wood. I phoned at the end of January and talked to someone in the editorial team but not you. I'm not suprised no record was kept as I was rudely brushed off. So the question is why isn't the BCM interested in a huge England effecting story like Chess for Schools?

You can call me I'm on the accredited coaches list on the ECF web site.

[John Saunders]

Ah, so you talked to "someone in the editorial team", did you? It may interest you to know that I am the sum total of the "editorial team" and am rarely in the shop to answer telephone calls. And you have total recall of the "exact words" used. Sorry if I sound a bit sceptical...

[Charles W. Wood]

Ah, so you talked to "someone in the editorial team", did you? It may interest you to know that I am the sum total of the "editorial team" and am rarely in the shop to answer telephone calls. And you have total recall of the "exact words" used. Sorry if I sound a bit sceptical...

So do I and thats how remember it, and stand by that. But needless to say you still haven't covered it even though its been on the ECF web site for 3 months, The Telegragh chess page over a month ago, TV a month ago and all over the internet dating back 3 months too. So regardless of our conversation your actions prove your not interested. So the question still stands why haven't you covered it?

[John Saunders]

Well, for all your previous blatherings, we have established that you have not been in contact with BCM editorial - until now.

I read some amazing stuff you wrote here a while back saying how "chess retailers are rubbing their hands with glee at the moment" at the thought of all the new customers the free chess equipment would bring in. Well, right now, no, actually. BCM's Chess Shop sells lots of chess sets to schools and this project threatens to torpedo this whole area of our business. Maybe, one day, with a bit of luck and a following wind, if all these wonderful things you've been telling us about come to pass, we might have a few more customers, but it is a very long way off as far as I can see. I'll believe it when I see it.

I fail to see how a lot of loudly-trumpeted promises and plans, plus 10 chess sets handed by a smiling MP to a South Coast school, amounts to much of a story at the moment. It's not enough to deliver chess sets. You've got to deliver new chessplayers - and, hopefully, customers for chess businesses.

"Hillary and Tenzing Conquer Everest!" is a story. "Hillary and Tenzing Plan to Climb Everest!" is just a press release.

Another thing on which you are singularly ill-informed... "We used to have a central point for information which was the BCM". Nonsense. BCM is an independent, privately-owned magazine which covers chess internationally as well as in Britain and that has been its brief for 128 years. It is not answerable to any federation. We are of course answerable to our paying subscribers and readers but they come from abroad as well as from Britain.

[Charles W. Wood]

Well, for all your previous blatherings, we have established that you have not been in contact with BCM editorial - until now.

I read some amazing stuff you wrote here a while back saying how "chess retailers are rubbing their hands with glee at the moment" at the thought of all the new customers the free chess equipment would bring in. Well, right now, no, actually. BCM's Chess Shop sells lots of chess sets to schools and this project threatens to torpedo this whole area of our business. Maybe, one day, with a bit of luck and a following wind, if all these wonderful things you've been telling us about come to pass, we might have a few more customers, but it is a very long way off as far as I can see. I'll believe it when I see it.

I fail to see how a lot of loudly-trumpeted promises and plans, plus 10 chess sets handed by a smiling MP to a South Coast school, amounts to much of a story at the moment. It's not enough to deliver chess sets. You've got to deliver new chessplayers - and, hopefully, customers for chess businesses.

"Hillary and Tenzing Conquer Everest!" is a story. "Hillary and Tenzing Plan to Climb Everest!" is just a press release.

Another thing on which you are singularly ill-informed... "We used to have a central point for information which was the BCM". Nonsense. BCM is an independent, privately-owned magazine which covers chess internationally as well as in Britain and that has been its brief for 128 years. It is not answerable to any federation. We are of course answerable to our paying subscribers and readers but they come from abroad as well as from Britain.

So why haven't you covered the story again, because you don't cover stories that effects your shop! So if you said to any salesperson theres 25,000 potental customers all with kit that needs clocks, display boards, books, mags, training aids, etc, and you knew every address of each of them. WOW sales chances go through the roof. And you even got warning.

As for a story of 250,000 free chess sets is NOT a story to you guys? That amazes me. The BCM's independancy has always been a great benefit and something I do support, but as for it only being an English story, well, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Holland (Europe etc) and the US, Far Eastern countries, African Countries have all shown interest (Even Susan Polgar's Web site had the story on). But my point is we don't get support from many of our home grown chess media; the ones that are building the story are exempt.

So when does it become a story to you? After the event? Middle of the event? or right now just before it starts?

And as for not being in touch, you got the first media phone call back in January, I remember it well as even after not showing any interest the bloke I was talking to asked me to write up the story and send it in (As though I was a Journo, you can tell I'm not by my incredibly back spelling). Talk about about not bothered.

N.B.: there are a few Chess Media bodies that are covering the story, some in great detail. Watch this space.

[Nigel Wright]

To quote Harry Hill, "There's only one way to settle this -- FIGHT!!!"

Perhaps BCM is waiting for your inevitable success Charles, and will only publicise Chess for Schools after it is successful, just so they can get their hands on the bounty and aren't publicising it at the minute because they aren't confident enough of your abilities? Or maybe I'm talking out of my backside?