CEO Report

[Alex Holowczak]

Membership schemes don't spoil governing bodies - a lack of money for professionals does.

That's the ECF stuffed then, FIDE as well probably.

Except of course, the ECF isn't a governing body.

[Roger de Coverly]

Except of course, the ECF isn't a governing body.

???

Someone better edit wiki then

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Chess_Federation

The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organisation in England and is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 and was effectively a re-constitution of the extant governing body, the British Chess Federation (BCF), an organisation founded in 1904. The BCF had been set up to replace the non-functioning British Chess Association (BCA) and initially, not only governed chess in England, but also included Wales and Northern Ireland in its region of activities. Nowadays however, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands are all governed by their own chess federations and English chess administrators agreed in 2004 that it would be appropriate to replace the BCF with the ECF, the change to be effective from the start of the 2005/6 season.

For that matter the DCMS seemed to think the ECF was in charge of chess in England when they gave it money.

[John Philpott]

Roger de Coverly wrote

Someone better edit wiki then

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Chess_Federation

Indeed, I think that keeping this page under regular review is something that should be on the Board's agenda (possibly a task for the Marketing Director), not only to ensure that it is up to date (anybody reading it could be excused for thinking that CJ de Mooi was still the President), but to ensure that nothing inappropriate has been included as a result of editing being open to all. There have been times when I have been sorely tempted to edit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Giddins

[Alex Holowczak]

Except of course, the ECF isn't a governing body.

???

Someone better edit wiki then

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Chess_Federation

Be my guest!

[Ian Thompson]

... some European countries are jettisoning their national lists in favour of internationally rating everything.

Presumably only those where most of their games are played at time limits eligible for FIDE rating. Very few, if any, English evening leagues would meet that requirement for higher rated players, so it's a non-starter in England.

[Alex Holowczak]

... some European countries are jettisoning their national lists in favour of internationally rating everything.

Presumably only those where most of their games are played at time limits eligible for FIDE rating. Very few, if any, English evening leagues would meet that requirement for higher rated players, so it's a non-starter in England.

Agreed. (Unless leagues restrict themselves to being U2200.)

The point remains that it could be possible for England not to have a grading list at all, charge nothing for players to play in local league chess, and only charge for FIDE-rated chess. I wouldn't want that to happen, but if people want to get rid of charges for it, that's the way of doing it.

[Roger de Coverly]

The point remains that it could be possible for England not to have a grading list at all, charge nothing for players to play in local league chess

The two aren't connected. You could demand membership or an equivalent levy or registration payment from counties and leagues and not supply a grading service. That's where the BCF was before the mid 1950s and later for players "not good enough" to get a grade.

You could give grading services away for free, arguably that was what the BCF did before Game Fee was introduced. So county associations (plus government and sponsorship) paid for the BCF, whilst independent leagues and Congresses didn't, or not to any material extent.

[A Goodall]

The PDC World Championship had a £1,000,000 prize fund in 2012, with £200,000 to the winner

That's not a prize fund - this is a prize fund

http://twitter.com/MagicAntonio/status/ ... 8680394752