Have your say to the Chief Executive

[Andrew Farthing]

I promised to improve communications with and from the ECF and make myself accessible if elected as Chief Executive. To try to open as many channels of communication as possible, I'm starting this thread so that people can post comments and questions. I do keep an eye on most threads in this forum, but if you want to make sure I see something, this is a good place to use.

I've also set up a Chief Executive's blog on the ECF website http://englishchess.org.uk/farthing/. There are only three posts at the moment - best to start with the earliest one, "Surviving the first five minutes" - but I'll add things as often as I can.

The blog includes an invitation to get in touch using the contact details at http://www.englishchess.org.uk/?page_id=79. For now, the blog is closed to comments, because I'm having to manage my time during the busy early period of the CEO job and I'm not sure how demanding it would be, but I do hope to make it more interactive in due course.

Finally, I'll update the blog with news of any chess congresses I'm playing in. Not, I hasten to add, because there is anything remotely worthwhile about following my chess performances, but so that if you happen to be at the same congress and want to grab a word, you'll know to look out for me. (I'll be at Scarborough this weekend.)

If there's more I can do, you know how to contact me!

[Matthew Turner]

You've made an excellent start already!

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I can't resist asking, but is that you in the picture across the top, and does the moggie have a name?

[Mick Norris]

Andrew

Excellent - that's more info in less than a week than many ECF Directors managed while in office

Good luck with the funding review

[Andrew Farthing]

I can't resist asking, but is that you in the picture across the top, and does the moggie have a name?

The full horror of my appearance is to be seen in the earliest post, "Surviving the first five minutes". I have no idea who the bloke is across the top, and in the interests of full disclosure... I can't stand cats.

[Alex Holowczak]

I have no idea who the bloke is across the top, and in the interests of full disclosure... I can't stand cats.

Just don't get putting them in any recycling bins.

[Alex McFarlane]

... I can't stand cats.

Andrew,
It's not worth your while going to Scarborough. The organiser is a confirmed cat lover. So even as joint top seed in the Intermediate you may find yourself playing Open opponents in every round.

[Andrew Farthing]

... I can't stand cats.

Andrew,
It's not worth your while going to Scarborough. The organiser is a confirmed cat lover. So even as joint top seed in the Intermediate you may find yourself playing Open opponents in every round.

Duly noted! I won't be too shocked if I have 5 Blacks then.

[Carl Hibbard]

Should the main ECF web site not have a link into here or is that still not considered 'appropriate' given the history?

[Leonard Barden]

The ECF links section, which continues to deny mention of this valuable forum, still manages to include a link to a Greek (chess federation?) page.

This document is written in Greek, with no English version offered......

[Carl Hibbard]

The ECF links section, which continues to deny mention of this valuable forum, still manages to include a link to the Greek online grading database.

This document is written in Greek, with no English version offered......

We are considered pretty low priority here

[John Upham]

Should the main ECF web site not have a link into here or is that still not considered 'appropriate' given the history?

Carl,

I would imagine (but I would prefer to be wrong) that the Board would need to seek permission from the ECF Legal Adviser (and maybe the ECF Chief Arbiter?) before a link could be established.

There remain stern critics of this forum (blaming loss of sponsorship without being prepared to publicly substantiate that claim).

In reality, I suspect the word permission would be replaced by "advice" or endorsement. I get the impression that regardless of the wishes of the board in this matter that the ECFs legal adviser would make this decision.

I'd like to publicly ask AF that if he and the board want to see a link established, and if so, would he be prepared to forego seeking permission from the Legal Adviser to make the link?

[John Constable]

The ECF links section, which continues to deny mention of this valuable forum, still manages to include a link to the Greek online grading database.

This document is written in Greek, with no English version offered......

We are considered pretty low priority here

Ίσως πρέπει όλοι να αρχίσουμε στα ελληνικά!

[Carl Hibbard]

Got to start somewhere...

[Andrew Farthing]

Sorry for the delay in responding. I've only just now returned from Scarborough.

The situation re a link between the ECF site and the Forum is a little complicated, but I think Forum regulars already know most of the story.

I won't go into the whys and wherefores of the removal of the link, because I know from past experience that there are different versions, apparently held with equal conviction by those concerned. Last time I reported on the Forum the explanation given to me by my predecessor, I was accused - in effect - of being naive for believing a fairy tale. Naive or not, I don't have any evidence to support the alternative version of events, so I don't feel inclined to prefer it over any other.

In the end, the past is the past and what matters is what happens now. The decision to remove the link was made by Council following a vote. Regardless of whether people see this as misleading (i.e. "it's what the Board wanted, so Council did what they were told"), it does mean that the decision to restore a link has to be made by Council. The Board debated some months ago, in the time leading up to the April 2010 Council meeting if memory serves, whether to put forward a proposal from the Board to restore the link. This was very narrowly defeated. A proposal could have been put forward by Council members themselves, but this hasn't happened yet (I half-expected one at the AGM, because it had been mentioned a while back on the Forum, but nothing came of it).

Personally, I'm in favour of restoring the link, and I've said so before. I didn't have a vote the last time the Board debated this (and of course, the composition of the Board has changed a little since), so it may well be that the balance of opinion has shifted. I plan to ask the Board to consider this issue again, and if there is support, I'll put a proposal to the April 2011 Council meeting. I'll do this in sufficient time so that, if the Board is not in favour, others will still have the opportunity to put forward the proposal independently.

The comments about the role of the Legal Adviser are misplaced. There is no question of any "permission" being required. I am sure that any future link would need to have a reference to the fact that the Forum is independent of the ECF and any views expressed are not necessarily those of the ECF, etc., and advice might be sought as to a suitable wording. Such a statement would be particularly necessary because the similarity in names between Federation and Forum may cause the casual visitor to assume a connection. I would take some persuading that it was impossible to come up with a suitable warning (there are precedents all over the place), so this would not be an obstacle.

In the end, if Council members want the link restored, it will happen, whatever the Board prefers. I accept that it will be easier to achieve a favourable decision if the Board is supportive, but as you'll have gathered, I'm optimistic on that score.