New ECF Master Points System Title

[Adam Raoof]

Why Become an ECF Master?

We have introduced a new category - (f) National Master: A player must achieve a standard play A grade of at least 200 in two successive seasons on ECF official grading lists.

You can find an up-to-date list of the benefits and an application form on our website http://www.ecfchessmaster.tk with a list of titleholders. We are working on other benefits for all titleholders.

All holders of the National Master title get one year's free membership to http://www.chessworld.net (worth £20). They just need to sign up for a guest membership and email [email protected] their nickname and email address for an upgrade to full member.

Please send your payment (just £5) with the completed form to:
ECF Master Points, ECF Office, The Watch Oak, Chain Lane, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0YD or [email protected] and good luck!

http://www.ecfchessmaster.tk/

[Paul McKeown]

Adam,

Dare I ask, was this the right thing to do?

British Federations (England, Scotland, Wales) formerly had a process for awarding the British Master title, which was mutually recognised. Titles formerly awarded have not been revoked and there are still a number of living holders of this title. The standard was set at a much higher level than 200 ECF (in fact the FIDE International Master title was viewed as being of similar, perhaps even lower standard than the BM title). This surely was a National Master title, and as such it should be changed only with a great deal of forethought, and with the agreement of the Welsh and the Scots?

I know, Adam, that you and the ECF are only trying to encourage chess players to set targets, and it is easy to criticise from the sidelines, but I would politely suggest a rethink on naming this title...

Best Regards,
Paul McKeown

[Joey Stewart]

I dont think this is such a bad idea as paul is making it out to be - what would be the point of a national master title which was harder to get and only applicable in one country when one could have a fide master title and be recognised worldwide?? It had to be low enough for people who are never going to get to 2300 but are good players nevertheless to have something to aspire towards.

One reservation I would have is that there will be quite a few 'false' 200 rated players for the next three or four years until the grading points boost is diluted somewhat - would this be taken into account?

[Paul McKeown]

What I am saying is that some people have earned the British Master title when it was very difficult to do so, why should their achievements be forgotten in this way, or reduced in value by the introduction of a new national master title at a much lower standard?

[David Sedgwick]

What I am saying is that some people have earned the British Master title when it was very difficult to do so, why should their achievements be forgotten in this way, or reduced in value by the introduction of a new national master title at a much lower standard?

I sympathise.

The title is at the same sort of level as the old (British) Candidate Master title and the current FIDE Candidate Master title, so my first thought was that Candidate Master would be appropriate.

Unfortunately it would be hard to explain that Candidate Master is above Regional Master.

Premier Regional Master is a possibility. In bridge that's the title above Regional Master and below National Master.

The simple Premier Master might be an alternative. In bridge that's below National Master, but that may not matter.

[Ian Thompson]

The title is at the same sort of level as the old (British) Candidate Master title and the current FIDE Candidate Master title, so my first thought was that Candidate Master would be appropriate.

Really? I thought that one of the criteria for getting the BCF Candidate Master title was having a grade of 213 or higher in 2 grading lists in a 4 year period, and for the BCF Master title being graded 213 or higher 4 times in 6 years, amongst other criteria such as individual tournament performances at a much higher grading performance. Both are at a much higher level than the proposed new title.

[David Sedgwick]

The title is at the same sort of level as the old (British) Candidate Master title and the current FIDE Candidate Master title, so my first thought was that Candidate Master would be appropriate.

Really? I thought that one of the criteria for getting the BCF Candidate Master title was having a grade of 213 or higher in 2 grading lists in a 4 year period, and for the BCF Master title being graded 213 or higher 4 times in 6 years, amongst other criteria such as individual tournament performances at a much higher grading performance. Both are at a much higher level than the proposed new title.

I stand corrected. I was confusing the (BCF) Candidate Master Title with the British Expert title from the same era.

[Paul McKeown]

what would be the point of a national master title which was harder to get and only applicable in one country when one could have a fide master title and be recognised worldwide??

Hmmm, the Soviet Candidate Master/Master/Grandmaster titles were recognised well enough outside of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, he or she didn't need a title from FIDE for all to understand that the holder was going to be a hardcase, otbwise.

[Paul McKeown]

website http://www.ecfchessmaster.tk with a list of titleholders.

Hmmm, that page is so incredibly bollixed as to be next to useless in Opera 10.50. Guess I'll have to look at it later in Firefox...

Correction: Sorry, on pausing BBC iPlayer it seems to work. Guess it needs a certain minimum bandwidth or CPU time, does it run a load of js, perhaps needs fallback for accessibility? The list of columns might be better sorted in the order Club, County, Regional, which is the order of increasing merit.

[Joey Stewart]

Any of those old players who have achieved the hard version can console themselves that they can get a fide master title now and let the real british masters fight it out for a place below them.

[Paul McKeown]

Any of those old players who have achieved the hard version can console themselves that they can get a fide master title now and let the real british masters fight it out for a place below them.

Some of them don't have a FIDE Master title and are too old to stand a realistic chance of achieving it or have long withdrawn from active otb chess play. And anyway the FM title is one of rather lesser value.

[Adam Raoof]

Thanks to Carl for adding the link to the new ECF Master Points details on the ECF grading database!

I hope that a number of organisers will offer titleholders benefits to add to the Chessworld offer. I will kick off by inviting any titleholder at any level to Golders Green Rapidplays for the reduced price of £10.00 (usually £15.00) and no late fee (usually £20.00).

Our website is http://www.goldersgreenchess.tk and all you have to do is quote your title on the entry. I can easily check that from the ECF website now

[Alan Walton]

I think these "National" Master Titles are only useful if there is some reasonable benefit for achieving them

I presume this benefit would have to be a discount on future tournament entries (but would this discount be claimed back by the individual tournaments from the ECF), no disrespect that one year's subscription to chessworld isn't a great incentive

The cynical person would just see this as another way of making money out of the chess playing public, so if these benefits were ongoing (rather than just for 1 year), people might be willing to pay more for these titles and the title would become more meaningful

[E Michael White]

As a result of the scientifically unsound methods of grading juniors I think that the ECF master title should only be awarded to those with grading performances attained after the age of 18.

I believe that the ECF master title is well positioned at 200 and should, as it is, be lower than the BM tiltles. The numerical value of ECF grades years apart are not suitable for comparing the levels of the BM title and the new ECF title; it is ludicrous to attempt to use the grading system in that way. A better way of comparing recent and old titles is to see what relative position in the grading list a player was when first attaining a title. For example Peter Lee became a BM when he was 25th in the grading list (when graded 211).

The old British CM title was awarded automatically to any untitled outright winner of the Welsh and Scottish championships; this was a permanent feature and I do not think it has been revoked.

[Adam Raoof]

I think these "National" Master Titles are only useful if there is some reasonable benefit for achieving them

I presume this benefit would have to be a discount on future tournament entries (but would this discount be claimed back by the individual tournaments from the ECF), no disrespect that one year's subscription to chessworld isn't a great incentive

The cynical person would just see this as another way of making money out of the chess playing public, so if these benefits were ongoing (rather than just for 1 year), people might be willing to pay more for these titles and the title would become more meaningful

HI Alan! The ECF gave me the task of trying to revitalise this scheme, as it tended to get overlooked. As far as I am concerned as long as there are some benefits to having a title, that is a positive step. Chessworld is a great site, but it is not meant to be the only incentive to join. [On the other hand if the Webmaster is reading this, would he consider extending his offer to all levels of titleholder?!]

Your points; no, the discount would not be claimed back from the ECF. It's up to organisers what discount they give and to whom, but I would hope any organiser will commit to giving benefits for a year of the scheme and for all categories of titleholder; the benefits are already ongoing and has to be a discount on future entries as I don't think time travel has been invented yet.

I did suggest increasing the price to £10.00, but I was persuaded to keep it at a very reasonable £5.00. It does make a small profit for the ECF each year, but if we make a little effort to give people tangible benefits then it would be good for the Home Chess budget!