English Chess Forum

I've unearthed this comment from the resignation thread

The player base is ageing

Up to a point that's an opportunity. Back in 1972, there was a large player base under 25 both in absolute numbers and relative percentage.

My point is that as these players approach or exceed 60 and retire, they may well have time on their hands that they haven't had since their school or student days.
What can the chess world do to entice them back as full time players? Perhaps they would find nothing has changed - we still don't really know whether the Dragon is sound and whilst the BCF is now the ECF, the old arguments continue. The recent ECF senior championship attracted a large entry and demonstrated with its winner that the standard of senior chess would increase as the generation of IMs and GMs from the seventies become eligible.

Roger de Coverly wrote:I've unearthed this comment from the resignation thread

The player base is ageing

Up to a point that's an opportunity. Back in 1972, there was a large player base under 25 both in absolute numbers and relative percentage.

My point is that as these players approach or exceed 60 and retire, they may well have time on their hands that they haven't had since their school or student days.
What can the chess world do to entice them back as full time players? Perhaps they would find nothing has changed - we still don't really know whether the Dragon is sound and whilst the BCF is now the ECF, the old arguments continue. The recent ECF senior championship attracted a large entry and demonstrated with its winner that the standard of senior chess would increase as the generation of IMs and GMs from the seventies become eligible.

Most people I know who leave chess is because of the argueing and this camp and that camp stuff. And many still say the BCF doesn't do anything. Well the world has moved on, I do hope that they do come back but its normally a case of going through a team phone book of a captain long sinse dead.