English Chess Forum

I presume members on here want Juniors to keep on playing chess? so what positive actions would the members recommend to the ECF to enable more juniors to keep on playing chess?

I don't think the junior drop-out rate is anything different from any other sport, but I've not done the statistics. As people get older, players drop out of it preferring to do other things.

Alex Holowczak wrote:I don't think the junior drop-out rate is anything different from any other sport, but I've not done the statistics. As people get older, players drop out of it preferring to do other things.

So no need for the ECF to do anything to encourage more juniors to keep on playing chess?

Peter D Williams wrote:So no need for the ECF to do anything to encourage more juniors to keep on playing chess?

No, not at all. I think we should find out what other sports do when it comes to this, and see if any of their ideas are worthy of implementation within chess.

I'm just keen to point out that this isn't just a chess problem. We might just as easily ask "What can society do to keep teenagers and young people involved in sport and cultural activities?"

Firstly the brutal truth. In the past decade there has been a massive decline in the number of teenagers/ twenties playing chess. That age group is a critically endangered species. Anybody who disputes that isn't living in the real world.

To be 100% fair to the ECF I often feel that junior organisers are among the worst for squabbling amongst themselves and criticising attempts to do things differently. There is also a tendancy to concentrate on quantity over quality and focus on primary school age players. It's hard to say what the ECF could do differently from an administrative point of view.

What I would like to see is better networking between secondary schools with a junior chess club and local chess clubs that are willing to accept young players. As a club secretary I would rather have two teenagers who we can coach and invest in rather than ten hyperactive eight year olds. Chess needs to be marketed better to the teens/ twenties generation - at present it's seen as a children's game or an old people's game.

I still think there is a market for a punchy magazine dedicated to teenage players.

The ECF seem to be behind the Chess in Schools and Communities project although I have been told that they are concentrating their activities on urban areas - which just shows what might be achieved in more obviously chess friendly schools.

Alex Holowczak wrote:

Peter D Williams wrote:So no need for the ECF to do anything to encourage more juniors to keep on playing chess?

No, not at all. I think we should find out what other sports do when it comes to this, and see if any of their ideas are worthy of implementation within chess.?"

Other sports such as football have more money to invest in juniors to keep them playing.

I can not see many Adult members of the ECF wanting memberships fees used on juniors to keep them playing ?

Of course its not all about money other issues come into it as well.I know football clubs do a lot of work with in the community to encourage good links with the club and this in turn bring in more juniors to play football.I think cricket also appears to have a good track record with young players.

Lets see if any one on here comes up with a good idea that the ECF good use to keep juniors playing chess.

I be back tomorrow to see what progress been made.

Andrew Zigmond wrote:Firstly the brutal truth. In the past decade there has been a massive decline in the number of teenagers/ twenties playing chess. That age group is a critically endangered species. Anybody who disputes that isn't living in the real world.

To be 100% fair to the ECF I often feel that junior organisers are among the worst for squabbling amongst themselves and criticising attempts to do things differently. There is also a tendancy to concentrate on quantity over quality and focus on primary school age players. It's hard to say what the ECF could do differently from an administrative point of view.

What I would like to see is better networking between secondary schools with a junior chess club and local chess clubs that are willing to accept young players. As a club secretary I would rather have two teenagers who we can coach and invest in rather than ten hyperactive eight year olds. Chess needs to be marketed better to the teens/ twenties generation - at present it's seen as a children's game or an old people's game.

I still think there is a market for a punchy magazine dedicated to teenage players.

The ECF seem to be behind the Chess in Schools and Communities project although I have been told that they are concentrating their activities on urban areas - which just shows what might be achieved in more obviously chess friendly schools.

Those are very good ideas.

Andrew Zigmond wrote:Firstly the brutal truth. In the past decade there has been a massive decline in the number of teenagers/ twenties playing chess. That age group is a critically endangered species. Anybody who disputes that isn't living in the real world.

Agreed, but not something apparent worldwide or even in our near European neighbours.

Andrew Zigmond wrote: The ECF seem to be behind the Chess in Schools and Communities project although I have been told that they are concentrating their activities on urban areas - which just shows what might be achieved in more obviously chess friendly schools.

CSC are also concentrating on Primary Schools.

Roger de Coverly wrote:

Andrew Zigmond wrote:Firstly the brutal truth. In the past decade there has been a massive decline in the number of teenagers/ twenties playing chess. That age group is a critically endangered species. Anybody who disputes that isn't living in the real world.

Agreed, but not something apparent worldwide or even in our near European neighbours.

Probably because our academic system pushes teenagers so hard they don't have time for hobbies. A national culture of stupidity (Big Brother, X factor etc) doesn't help but I'll get off my soapbox now.

Andrew Zigmond wrote:To be 100% fair to the ECF I often feel that junior organisers are among the worst for squabbling amongst themselves and criticising attempts to do things differently.

Which is why we have NYCA, EPSCA, NCJS, UKCC, all attempting to do the same sort of thing.

Andrew Zigmond wrote:What I would like to see is better networking between secondary schools with a junior chess club and local chess clubs that are willing to accept young players.

Cricket's "Chance to Shine" project does something similar to this, and I gather it works well. If something similar could be replicated in chess, I think that would be a positive step.

Speaking as a non ECF person, juniors giving up at 14,15,16,17,18 etc is probably the single biggest frustration to me in chess. It's so depressing to watch previously enthusiastic and talented juniors not fulfill their potential and drift away from chess and feeling powerless to stop it.

Alex Holowczak wrote:

Andrew Zigmond wrote:To be 100% fair to the ECF I often feel that junior organisers are among the worst for squabbling amongst themselves and criticising attempts to do things differently.

Which is why we have NYCA, EPSCA, NCJS, UKCC, all attempting to do the same sort of thing.



On the contrary, it seems to me that these organisations do very different things. The UKCC, for example, is a profit-making organisation, whereas some of the others seem to provide organisers with expenses but not a lot more.

A distinction needs to be drawn between coaches and organisers who make their living from the game, and those who give up their time for nothing (sometimes even subsidising activities out of their own pockets).

The ECF would do well to listen to the views of both groups, and should do rather more to retain the services of the latter, including active organisers like Neill Cooper.

LawrenceCooper wrote:Speaking as a non ECF person, juniors giving up at 14,15,16,17,18 etc is probably the single biggest frustration to me in chess. It's so depressing to watch previously enthusiastic and talented juniors not fulfill their potential and drift away from chess and feeling powerless to stop it.

Agreed - and it's an argument for trying to increase the `base` - teenage boys tend to be pack animals and if their mates all play chess they might be less inclined to drop out for peer pressure reasons.

Peter D Williams wrote:I presume members on here want Juniors to keep on playing chess? so what positive actions would the members recommend to the ECF to enable more juniors to keep on playing chess?

1. Ask Richard James
2. Do what he says

chances of achieving 2, even if they do 1, are close to nil I fear

Mick Norris wrote:

Peter D Williams wrote:I presume members on here want Juniors to keep on playing chess? so what positive actions would the members recommend to the ECF to enable more juniors to keep on playing chess?

1. Ask Richard James
2. Do what he says

chances of achieving 2, even if they do 1, are close to nil I fear

Will get back to you later when I've thought of what to say!