World Youth Trials 2010

[James Coleman]

Speaking of Richmond you can catch a glimpse of Jasper competing last Sunday at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGT1uzS4zp8

I would also like to wish Jasper the best for the World's. I've known him almost since he started playing chess and his improvement has indeed been remarkable.

[David Sedgwick]

When I was a junior, I remember GM Neil McDonald making a quantum leap like Jasper has done.

Thus was born the expression "Neil McDonald effect", used in arbiting circles to describe the phenomenon whereby a player's FIDE rating can exceed his or her best ever tournament performance.

Of course this is extremely unlikely to happen again now that FIDE rating lists are published every two months rather than every six.

[J T Melsom]

Jasper

Well done and good luck. There is lots of well intentioned advice on this thread, but you have clearly made considerable progress so far doing what you think is right. I've not met you and nor have some of the more strident posters. If you have a coach/mentor stick with them as it's generally best to stick with those who know you best - Surrey at Easter may be weaker but it may be more accessible/cheaper, than Southend and those who know you best will know the financial constraints that you may be under. If you don't have a coach then you should be even more pleased with your achievements and even though some sort of mentor would obviously help with the next step, you have the freedom to consider and accept or reject the advice which is posted.

Good luck.

[Leonard Barden]

I read on the Fide website that the 2011 World Youth championships are likely to be held in Rio de Janeiro, close to Copacabana Beach. Quite apart from what may be its prohibitive costs, this is a site with a melancholy association for English junior chess, being where Ian Wells drowned in 1982.

[Nigel Short]

Still, that is hardly reason in itself for not holding the event in Rio. The converse argument would be that Europe is prohibitively expensive for South Americans. I don't see why they should be disadvantaged all the time...

[matt_ward]

Yes Jasper I wish good luck also, He is a remarkable player.

Matt.

[Matthew Turner]

Next year the junior budget will go down from £13,500 to £8,000 Wow - tell this to the DCMS

"• The Junior Chess budget will decrease from £13,500 to £8,000. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, all Junior events for 2010-11 are European based; and secondly the Board has taken the decision to only provide support for those Juniors who are considered to have a chance of obtaining a good result"

How will this effect things?

My predictions
1. Peter Purland will resign (as he should)
2. DCMS will reveiw the grant

[Alex Holowczak]

If they only support "Juniors who are considered to have a chance of obtaining a good result", how do they define a "good result"? I reckon that very few U14+ players in England presently will be in the top half of their group at the World Youth, for instance. Given their ability, they would achieve a "good result", but relative to the rest of the world...

This is similar, though, to what BUCS does for the University events. If a BUCS team playing in a FISU event, they provide more support financially to a group of players who are competing for medals than they would a "development" sport.

[Sean Hewitt]

Isn't it similar for BOC funding? They give more money to those competitors judged most likely to win a medal?

If this is combined with opening up the competitions to anyone who wants to play and can afford it, this could actually be a good thing.

[David Sedgwick]

Next year the junior budget will go down from £13,500 to £8,000 Wow - tell this to the DCMS

"• The Junior Chess budget will decrease from £13,500 to £8,000. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, all Junior events for 2010-11 are European based; and secondly the Board has taken the decision to only provide support for those Juniors who are considered to have a chance of obtaining a good result"

How will this effect things?

My predictions
1. Peter Purland will resign (as he should)
2. DCMS will reveiw the grant

With pedantry being the order of the day, I'll begin by saying that I think you mean "affect" not "effect" and "review" not "reveiw".

Moving on to more important matters, hitherto the practice has generally been to send one person in each age group. I imagine that in 2010-11 we'll either be sending smaller squads or some players will be going if and only if their parents can afford to pay the full cost of sending them. A change of policy will be necessary for the latter group to go at all - please see my comments earlier in the thread (and Sean's comments above).

Regarding the DCMS grant, it's important to remember that this was restored last autumn on the basis of a recovery plan agreed with them. That hasn't been published - I understand that some of the information is rather sensitive - but I can't believe that the Board would be so foolish as to do anything other than act in accordance with what was then agreed with the DCMS.

Hence, I don't see the DCMS Grant as being at any extra risk as a result of this decision. We always have to be mindful of the fact that it could be withdrawn at any time.

With the ECF having lost £20000 in 2008-09, it's clear that income and expenditure had got wholly out of kilter and it's not surprising that some hard decisions are having to be taken.

I've written the above before I've had the chance to peruse the documents which have appeared on the ECF website this morning. My thanks to those who've alerted us that they contain information which shouldn't be there. I've made a point of saving the current documents in case that material disappears.

[Carl Hibbard]

My thanks to those who've alerted us that they contain information which shouldn't be there. I've made a point of saving the current documents in case that material disappears.

As have I, it's very poor that those revisions should have been included

[Rob Thompson]

Next year the junior budget will go down from £13,500 to £8,000 Wow - tell this to the DCMS

"• The Junior Chess budget will decrease from £13,500 to £8,000. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, all Junior events for 2010-11 are European based; and secondly the Board has taken the decision to only provide support for those Juniors who are considered to have a chance of obtaining a good result"

How will this effect things?

My predictions
1. Peter Purland will resign (as he should)
2. DCMS will reveiw the grant

Personally, i think that the first of those predictions is not something that should be looked forward to, as imho he has done a very good job overall with regards to junior chess in Britian, especially with the national junior squad. I am aware that you organised teams for international events in the past, but the selection for those always seemed far, far more dubious that the selection done by Peter et al for the Junior squad events.

[Alex Holowczak]

I think Matthew was suggesting that he should resign in protest at the dramatic cut in the Junior Chess budget, rather than his ability in the job.

At least, that was my interpretation...

[Matthew Turner]

Rob,
I am not seeking to express any opinion on Peter Purland, or the job he has done as junior Director, but it appears to me that

1. When my father was Juior Director the budget was £17,500, in 2010-11 it will be £7,000
2. The Board has decided that the ECF will only "provide support for those Juniors who are considered to have a chance of obtaining a good result".

It would seem to me that the ECF Board are seriously limitting Peter Purland's ability to do his job. Surely this will eventually reach a point when his position is untenable. I think it might have reached that point already.

[Rob Thompson]

Sorry, i misunderstood, i thought you were suggesting that he should resign because he is poor at doing what he does, not (as it appears you did actually mean) that the job becomes untenable with such a small budget. My mistake