English Chess Forum

Are any taking place in the south east of England in the next few months? Is there a published timetable somewhere?

Paul McKeown wrote:Are any taking place in the south east of England in the next few months? Is there a published timetable somewhere?

ECF or FIDE?

I'm hoping to arrange a FIDE Arbiters' Seminar in England some time later this year, but there are no firm plans as yet.

I can't say anything about ECF Arbiter training.

David Sedgwick wrote:I can't say anything about ECF Arbiter training

We understand. You can never be too careful. Walls have ears.

David Robertson wrote:

David Sedgwick wrote:I can't say anything about ECF Arbiter training

We understand. You can never be too careful. Walls have ears.

....but Lyons Maid have Mivvi.




(or maybe not http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22350928)

There have been attempts to run ECF arbiter courses chaired by David Welch at Wellington College in recent times but take-up was poor and they did not take place.

Prior to that a couple did take place.

I would welcome FIDE arbiters courses and would attend but would not attend ECF arbiters courses.

Some 30 or so years ago I had run (and arbited) several congresses and thought it would be a good idea to try to become an official arbiter. I approached a number of friends here in the North-East and assembled a group of a dozen of us who wanted to take the course. We invited Stewrt Reuben to come up North to run it for us over a weekend. This he did and after a day of talking about the rules we all sat the exam. Fortunately about 7 of us passed. The top mark was scored by a schoolboy, Paul Dargan, now a regular contributor to this forum! (I don't know if he ever got round actually arbiting at a tournament - I think he just did it for fun!). Anyway, if you want to become an arbiter, the important point seems to be to get a group of people together to make it worth the while of somebody to run the course. Nowadays it would be from the Chess Arbiters Association. (See their website). Whilst the course and the exam are valuable, far more important is having the experience of doing the job practically at a number of tournaments.

As i understand it, at present, it is much easier to become a FIDE arbiter - you simply need to pay FIDE a fee to become a 'National Arbiter'. Harder, of course, to become an International Arbiter, something I have never attempted (Knowledge of languages other than english would be my stumbling block)

Paul Bielby wrote:
As i understand it, at present, it is much easier to become a FIDE arbiter - you simply need to pay FIDE a fee to become a 'National Arbiter'. Harder, of course, to become an International Arbiter, something I have never attempted (Knowledge of languages other than english would be my stumbling block)

FA (FIDE Arbiter) and IA (International Arbiter) still require norms and sitting an exam. National Arbiter is a money making initiative of FIDE where every arbiter in a FIDE rated event (blitz, rapid or standard) has to have paid €20+ to be called a "National Arbiter" without demonstrating any level of competence. For norm events you need an FA or IA for other events a National Arbiter will suffice.

I understand Geoff Jones ran a course in Yorkshire last year that was very well attended; it is apparently quite an intensive course and takes place over a whole weekend. From the last YCA Committee meeting I think we're looking to organise another that Alex McFarlane will run.

David Welch was going to do one for the MCCU

Paul McKeown wrote:Are any taking place in the south east of England in the next few months? Is there a published timetable somewhere?

I'm in the process of reviewing arbiter training, with a view to publishing the new regulations fairly soon. They'll be going to the CAA AGM at the Hinckley 4NCL, then the Board soon thereafter, and should come into force to co-incide with the new Laws of Chess on 1st July, 2013. (Assuming FIDE get around to actually publishing them, but that's a separate issue.)

Arbiters courses have been traditionally arranged on an ad hoc basis, sometimes without the ECF even knowing. I've taken steps to ensure that such courses are communicated with me in future already, so that I can publish a list of them on the ECF website.

None are planned at the moment for several reasons, a few of which are above.

Paul Bielby wrote:As i understand it, at present, it is much easier to become a FIDE arbiter - you simply need to pay FIDE a fee to become a 'National Arbiter'.

As Lawrence has pointed out, that statement is completely wrong.

Paying the fee to which you refer doesn't make you a FIDE Arbiter. It makes you a FIDE licensed arbiter, which is not the same thing at all.

David Sedgwick wrote: It makes you a FIDE licensed arbiter, which is not the same thing at all.

Agreed, but you can see the problem.

To most people just seeing the titles FIDE National Arbiter sounds like a more impressive title than ECF Arbiter.
Scotland and Wales seem to have insisted that only qualified arbiters could be put forward for the FIDE NA title, in England that was not the case.

It is no secret that some CAA senior officials are not happy with the situation. It is hoped that new regulations (as indicated by David) will rectify the situation.

In order to clarify Alex McF's comment above, I'm taking the liberty of repeating my post in another thread.

David Sedgwick wrote:

Roger de Coverly wrote:

LawrenceCooper wrote: Any FIDE rated event in England or elsewhere has to have an arbiter with a FIDE Arbiter's licence

Does the ECF impose any standards or is it just a matter of paying FIDE the appropriate fee or bribe?

All applications have to go through me as ECF Manager of Arbiters (International). Whether there should be more specific requirements is similarly under review.

Alex Holowczak wrote:I'm in the process of reviewing arbiter training, with a view to publishing the new regulations fairly soon.

Have you, or will you be, consulting players to see if any common themes appear for where players think arbiters need to improve?