Congresses not passing on game fee discount to entrants?

[Adam Raoof]

It mystifies me why some people snipe at arbiters as if they are actions are not well intentioned. Arbiters make mistakes, just like players do - so what?

To all our arbiters - thankyou for facilitating me to play chess. I am grateful.

Thanks Nick

[Matthew Turner]

Organisers do not need to 'pass on' game fee discounts to players, nor do they need to 'pass on' increases in hall rents to players. They simply set the entrance fee to hopefully meet whatever budget targets they have. If the players like it they can play if they don't they don't have to. The issue that we are talking about amounts to two or three pounds.
However, if you do well in a FIDE rated event (whilst registered for England) and get yourself a FIDE rating you will be required to pay Gold membership for the rest of your life otherwise the ECF policy is to make you look like a cheat to the rest of the World. So, if you do well, the entrance fee at Leicester might be closer to £1,500.

[JustinHorton]

if you do well in a FIDE rated event (whilst registered for England) and get yourself a FIDE rating you will be required to pay Gold membership for the rest of your life

Not sure I follow this. Is there an implicit "provided you want to play any FIDE-related events in the next year"?

[Roger de Coverly]

However, if you do well in a FIDE rated event (whilst registered for England) and get yourself a FIDE rating you will be required to pay Gold membership for the rest of your life otherwise the ECF policy is to make you look like a cheat to the rest of the World. So, if you do well, the entrance fee at Leicester might be closer to £1,500.

Whilst this is correct, there is an escape clause. You give up chess, or at least that part of chess which involves playing in Internationally rated events. Whether the lifetime sentence still applies if you only play International Rapid or Blitz has yet to be established.

It's a shame that no Council members are prepared to put forward proposals that would water down or abolish this requirement. A diluted version would make Gold membership compulsory only if you played in an English event. Even with that, there's still the anomaly that both the 4NCL and ECF rules say that you can play in the 4NCL in limited circumstances without being Gold member. The ECF will still brand you as a cheat.

[Roger de Coverly]

Not sure I follow this. Is there an implicit "provided you want to play any FIDE-related events in the next year"?

Yes there is. A resident of Spain playing only in Spain would have to meet whatever membership requirements were required for local FIDE rated competitions as well as being a Gold member of the ECF on peril of the ECF asking FIDE to remove their rating.

By contrast a player with a Spanish FIDE designation could play in English domestic competitions, provided they stuck to the FIDE rated ones, without either the player, club or event organiser paying any fee whatsoever to the ECF.

[JustinHorton]

Ta. I thought I was missing something. (For the record, I have Bronze membership because I can't be absolutely sure I'll play any chess in the year 2012-13. If I do, as I hope to, I'll upgrade.)

[Roger de Coverly]

Ta. I thought I was missing something. (For the record, I have Bronze membership because I can't be absolutely sure I'll play any chess in the year 2012-13. If I do, as I hope to, I'll upgrade.)

On the face of it, you are breaking the ECF's rules for being on the International rating list as active ENG by only being a Bronze member. I agree you didn't play in an English rated tournament (Penarth being Welsh), but it wasn't the message that Bronze was enough that was given to other ex-patriates. Matthew believes you need Gold to play anywhere in the world.

[JustinHorton]

I did ask the office if this was OK when I renewed. Possibly they may have got it wrong. (I imagine being ENG-registered while living abroad, not actually playing currently abroad and still wanting to be an ECF member may be an unusual situation in itself.)

[Graham Borrowdale]

Just so that I have got this clear: my ECF membership expired on 31st March 2012, I have not got round to rejoining, which I will probably need to do if I want to play for my local club and county this season. MY FIDE rating (acquired by playing a few 4NCL games 2-3 years ago) still seems to be intact. If I now join ECF at Bronze level, to enable me to play league chess, will the FIDE rating disappear? If it disappears and I play FIDE events again will it be recalculated, and if so will it be from scratch, or from where it left off? Will I need to join ECF at Gold level, and maintain that subscription even if I stop playing for a couple of years, in order to maintain a FIDE rating. Would I be more useful to 4NCL teams as an unrated player?

So many questions, and I try to follow this stuff. It does seem more complicated than it needsto be. I should obviously just rejoin.

[IM Jack Rudd]

MY FIDE rating (acquired by playing a few 4NCL games 2-3 years ago) still seems to be intact. If I now join ECF at Bronze level, to enable me to play league chess, will the FIDE rating disappear? If it disappears and I play FIDE events again will it be recalculated, and if so will it be from scratch, or from where it left off?

Your FIDE rating will remain at the level it was where it left off. The sanction in question hides one's rating; it doesn't destroy it altogether.

(Otherwise, it would be trivial to scam the system: throw lots of games in FIDE-rated events, refuse to rejoin until your rating was destroyed, and then come back and play properly.)

[Roger de Coverly]

MY FIDE rating (acquired by playing a few 4NCL games 2-3 years ago) still seems to be intact. If I now join ECF at Bronze level, to enable me to play league chess, will the FIDE rating disappear?

Having just checked, your FIDE rating now shows up as inactive. Provided you don't play any Internationally rated chess it will stay that way and the ECF will leave you alone. You don't need membership to play league chess, but your club or league may insist to avoid being charged £ 2 per game by the ECF. The 4NCL would permit you to play one weekend a season without being an ECF Gold member, but on past precedent, the ECF will use the resulting reactivation of your rating as an excuse to suspend it.

[Graham Borrowdale]

Jack, Roger,

Thanks for the comprehensive replies! Obviously these were pretty generic questions. My club/league will indeed insist on membership, as I imagine lots will, but it seems that my FIDE rating will just not wither on the vine! I am just not clear whether Gold membership will be required to retain the FIDE rating (ie not hide it), or whether Bronze will do.

[Adam Raoof]

Jack, Roger,

Thanks for the comprehensive replies! Obviously these were pretty generic questions. My club/league will indeed insist on membership, as I imagine lots will, but it seems that my FIDE rating will just not wither on the vine! I am just not clear whether Gold membership will be required to retain the FIDE rating (ie not hide it), or whether Bronze will do.

Gold membership or above is required to maintain a FIDE rating.

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/?page_id=18867

[Greg Breed]

Sorry, we seem to have hijacked this thread as so often happens, but as I believe the initial query has been satisfactorily answered I will proceed with my hypothetical question.

Lets say I emigrate to Canada and decide I'd like to continue playing chess. I want it graded by the Canadian Chess Association and may enter the odd FIDE rated tournament. Would the ECF be able to block my FIDE rated games because I am an ENG player?

[Adam Raoof]

Sorry, we seem to have hijacked this thread as so often happens, but as I believe the initial query has been satisfactorily answered I will proceed with my hypothetical question.

Lets say I emigrate to Canada and decide I'd like to continue playing chess. I want it graded by the Canadian Chess Association and may enter the odd FIDE rated tournament. Would the ECF be able to block my FIDE rated games because I am an ENG player?

Yes. You should register through the CFC (Canadian Chess Federation) as CAN, which is a relatively simple process.