Paul Cooksey wrote:@harrylamb I would welcome as much information as you have time to share.
Thanks for your interest I was worried that I was writing to much.
Paul Cooksey wrote: I'm interested if this is a long standing structure? I see the sports affiliation in 2000 - do you know if that was a revolutionary moment?
I do not know much about that. I started playing in tournaments in France in 1996 and have played 2-3 a year since. While I was a tournament player I did not take too much interest in French chess organisation etc. In 2004 I started playing for my French chess club and through my club members I became more interested in French organisation
Paul Cooksey wrote:France have produced more strong GMs in recent years than I recall in the 80's and 90's. I had assumed it was to do with generous sponsorship of their professional chess by some individuals. But reading this, I suspect that is only a contributing factor.
If you are doing this comparison you ought to compare the English chess explosion of the 1970's with the French chess explosion of the noughties and the continual decline of English chess starting from the nineties. The 1970 English chess explosion happened because chess organisations encouraged change and encouraged chess playing. New chess counties were born. Up to ten were born. Some were easy births and some had strong birth pains. Most of the effects were very positive. The Lancashire congress became the Bolton congress, because its organisers supported Greater Manchester. Lancashire on the congress front retaliated in the right way setting up Congresses at Blackpool and promoting other congresses in Preston and Rochdale. Cheshire was hurt by the loss of territory to Greater Manchester, but it still supported the foundation of GM. Richard Furness got Cheshire back onto its feet by running new Cheshire congresses. New congresses and new chess happened all over the country all the number of players mushroomed. British international chess flourished. Tony Miles became our first GM and the next generation including Nigel Short and Michael Adams were in the top ten in the world. Indeed Nigel played Kasparov for the world championship. The BCF was part of all this. It was and active organisation. Its AGMs were important, attendances of 70-80 people were common. Because it was very democratic and made important decisions.
The same thing has happened in France in the last 15 years. Its tournaments have expanded dramatically. In July there are about 40 international tournaments in France. In England we have four weekend tournaments and the start of the British Championship. The French Grandmasters have flourished in this atmosphere. Our Grandmasters have declined. At the ECF Council meeting last October only 32 people attended and most of them were officers/directors and other payroll voters. I would have quoted April’s council meeting attendance but the web link to it does not seem to work (sic)
I believe that you can only have strong energetic national chess. If your national chess organisation is strong energetic and believes in promoting chess
Mick Norris somewhere along this thread said that the ECF used to be crap but now we have got a good new set of directors including Adam Raoof, Loz Cooper, CJ and one other who I cannot remember. Well I see a problem. Take Adam Raoof I remember when he used to run international tournaments. At York in 1999 He ran three tournaments.
A tournament you could get a GM norm
A tournament you could get a IM norm
A tournament you could get a Fide rating
And not just York. He ran them all over the country. He dedicated himself to getting English players FIDE ratings. Adam is a tremendously hard worker for chess and for whom I have every respect. But what is he doing this weekend. He is going through the list of about 2,600 ENG players on the FIDE rating list deciding who to throw off. Adam I want you to succeed in your very difficult job as Home chess director. I like you, want to increase the quantity and quality of English chess. So may I give you some advice that I hope will both make you smile and make you think. Throw away your black list and read Animal Farm instead. It will do you and English chess much more good.
