How tight are you?

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Gavin Strachan
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Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:06 am

How tight are you?

Post by Gavin Strachan » Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:25 pm

How many people pay petrol money or even petrol money relevant to the journey distance (ie long journey bit more than a £1 to designated driver)? And then there is the refreshments. Obviously if a venue is able to supply a tea/coffee, do you make it or is it left to someone else (some maybe lucky to have a drinks bod to do the chores. If there is bar - do you offer to buy a drink? Finally there is the setting up and packing away of equipment - bewildering watching people stand around as the proverbial porters put the sets out.

My experience - 110 mile round trip taking 2 people got £1 and a £10.
An opposition player, whom I was not playing, ask me for a drink after I offered my opponent a 2nd cuppa.
12 boards playing at a club 2 home players setting up and packing away.

Just waiting for the please input my games into the database request.

Kevin Thurlow
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Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: How tight are you?

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Feb 02, 2017 10:24 am

I think a lot of us will sympathise! When I was captain of Redhill 30+ years ago, I was regularly moaning that I turned up 20 minutes early, unlocked the venue, switched the tea urn on, got the tables, sets, clocks, score sheets out and set them up, waited for somebody else to turn up, (usually after the official start time), play the match, then realise everyone had left so did all the above in reverse.

Then one evening we were home to Kingston. I found myself joined by two Kingston players who immediately offered to help set up the equipment. I thanked them and pointed out they didn't have to as they were visitors. They helped anyway. When we finished, we were talking and moaning that matches always started late. I said we were at the start time and if they knew what boards they were on, we could start... They readily agreed, we sat down on our three boards and waited. After about ten minutes, we heard voices and then a stream of people walked in, looked thunderstruck and rushed to their boards and played. They were all on time the next match.

I don't think it's a chess problem that people don't offer drinks or petrol money. It's probably frequently thoughtlessness rather than meanness. But there are notable exceptions. In the Civil Service League, (which started at 6.30 pm, so people came straight from work), we introduced a rule that the home side should provide light refreshments (e.g. tea/coffee & biscuits). Somebody who had been on the Committee for a couple of millennia was outraged when he didn't get a cup of tea one night.

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Michael Farthing
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Location: Morecambe, Europe

Re: How tight are you?

Post by Michael Farthing » Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:09 pm

I think it's more about setting the rules (or, rather, the informal traditions). Our club has for many years had the tradition that for away games the driver is given a standard £2 per passenger and because of the custom that generally happens. During a recent petrol price hype there was a move to up this to £3, but then the petrol went down again and I have to confess that has rather muddied the waters! We don't have the tea and coffee problem because we have an attached bar - there are those that get out and put away sets more often than others, but sufficient engage for it not to be a big gripe. We get much more cross when the darts lot or the job seekers club leave "our" room in a mess.

MartinCarpenter
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Re: How tight are you?

Post by MartinCarpenter » Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:41 pm

Definitely best with petrol money to make it explicit like that - this is England after all so plenty of people, and especially chess players, won't want to proactively ask!

Some clubs fund the drivers directly via subs and things, some drivers are rich enough to not be at all bothered or just don't care anyway etc.

Niall Doran
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Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:36 pm

Re: How tight are you?

Post by Niall Doran » Fri Feb 03, 2017 1:36 pm

I'm generally the one who does the driving. No-one has ever offered me petrol money, but then again, that's probably my fault for not asking for it! To be honest, there are so many other things that annoy me about my club mates, that chasing them up for petrol money would just be another hassle, so I tend to let it slide.

Luckily I'm rich enough that it doesn't make any difference to me, beyond the principle of the thing.