English Chess Forum

I'm currently trying to find a thread or official page that will give a bit of a run-down on the history of the forum.

I've managed to work out that it used to be an official ECF Forum but is not any longer (hence the name change), but it would be nice if there was some "about" page detailing the history of the forums, such as when it started and why, and why changes were made, and how activity levels have varied, and so forth (the "FAQ" and the "Rules and Registration" forum didn't really have what I was looking for, though the site statistics helped a little bit to give an idea of the relative size and activities of the forum).

On more specific matters, I'm mostly finding what I want on past topics from the search function, but the danger there is that I will find something that is out-of-date. The past discussions are interesting though! Might it be best, to get a run-down on the forum history, to start a thread on this in the "General Chat" forum?

The ECF cracked down and requested the removal of the official status after becoming concerned about criticism of in particular the CFS project, the actual discussion is shrouded in secrecy but some nonsense regarding the loss of a sponsor was the reason given

Since then all the criticism has come true and virtually everyone involved with the project has run for the hills....

Carl Hibbard wrote:The ECF cracked down and requested the removal of the official status after becoming concerned about criticism of in particular the CFS project, the actual discussion is shrouded in secrecy but some nonsense regarding the loss of a sponsor was the reason given

Since then all the criticism has come true and virtually everyone involved with the project has run for the hills....

Oh, OK. I had guessed it was something like that...

Is it possible to move this thread to the "General Chat" forum? That seems a better place for it.

And what year did the forum start? I've found some posts from 2008, but those seem the earliest. And some people have "joined in 2006" (such as you - member number two after the scary sounding administrator), so obviously I'm not digging deep enough!

I

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:And what year did the forum start? I've found some posts from 2008, but those seem the earliest. And some people have "joined in 2006" (such as you - member number two after the scary sounding administrator), so obviously I'm not digging deep enough!

If you go back in time into "General Chat" one of the first posts is this one from 2006

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2

A prototype of this forum was the atticus forum still at http://www.atticuschess.org.uk/forum/phpBB2/index.php

Posts to the atticus forum are now infrequent.

Roger de Coverly wrote:I

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:And what year did the forum start? I've found some posts from 2008, but those seem the earliest. And some people have "joined in 2006" (such as you - member number two after the scary sounding administrator), so obviously I'm not digging deep enough!

If you go back in time into "General Chat" one of the first posts is this one from 2006

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2

A prototype of this forum was the atticus forum still at http://www.atticuschess.org.uk/forum/phpBB2/index.php

Posts to the atticus forum are now infrequent.

Ah, OK. Thanks for some of the background.

I suspect that newcomers to the forums, like me, can find it a bit disorientating without a page or thread that can act as an introduction (both to the forum and to new members). I'm still reading a lot of threads to try and get a feel for how things work around here, but I have to keep checking the date to see whether I'm reading a thread from years ago or more recently, and whether the people posting in the threads are still posting here or not. I guess I'll pick it up as I read and lurk a bit more (the level of posting will decrease during the week - less time then to do anything more than read threads).

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:And what year did the forum start? I've found some posts from 2008, but those seem the earliest. And some people have "joined in 2006" (such as you - member number two after the scary sounding administrator), so obviously I'm not digging deep enough!

The Administrator is of course me as well...

The forum started on Fri Dec 08, 2006 at 8:45 pm

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:I'm currently trying to find a thread or official page that will give a bit of a run-down on the history of the forum.

I've managed to work out that it used to be an official ECF Forum but is not any longer

I hadn't intended to post, but I'm doing so in response to your request in another thread.

The Forum was originally established for discussion of grading issues, but it soon became apparent that it could have a much broader value. The successful establishment of the Forum was mentioned in the ECF's 2008 Annual Achievement Report to the DCMS, which was submitted for approval to the October 2008 ECF Council Meeting.

However, in the run up to that meeting the then ECF Board took against the Forum (see Carl's post up thread) and sprang on an unsuspecting Council a motion to sever all connection with it.

So, at one and the same meeting, the ECF both trumpeted the establishment of the Forum and totally disowned it!

However, the reason I was reluctant to post is that things have improved markedly since that time. Adam Raoof and Lawrence Cooper, two excellent ECF Directors elected for the first time in October 2009, both post regularly and frequently to explain what is happening. Andrew Farthing, whose candidature for the position of ECF Chief Executive has been universally welcomed, also posts from time to time.

Hence I want to look forward, not back.

Edit: Apologies to Stewart Reuben - see Sean's post below. Apologies also to CJ de Mooi, whom I should certainly have mentioned.

David Sedgwick wrote:However, the reason I was reluctant to post is that things have improved markedly since that time. Adam Raoof and Lawrence Cooper, two excellent ECF Directors elected for the first time in October 2009, both post regularly and frequently to explain what is happening. Andrew Farthing, whose candidature for the position of ECF Chief Executive has been universally welcomed, also posts from time to time.

As does Marketing Director Stewart Reuben.

Sean Hewitt wrote:

David Sedgwick wrote:However, the reason I was reluctant to post is that things have improved markedly since that time. Adam Raoof and Lawrence Cooper, two excellent ECF Directors elected for the first time in October 2009, both post regularly and frequently to explain what is happening. Andrew Farthing, whose candidature for the position of ECF Chief Executive has been universally welcomed, also posts from time to time.

As does Marketing Director Stewart Reuben.

Thanks. I've seen other people as well - someone with a publicity role, and the ECF Governance Committee chairman as well. It is helpful that most (all?) of them post with something in their signature indicating that (and the list posted in another thread helped put a few more posts to a few more names). I'm just a chess player who is a member of the ECF and a member of some clubs affiliated either directly or indirectly to the ECF, so I don't have to put anything in my signature! (or indeed have a signature at all)