Board Meeting : Saturday, January 10th 2009

[andrew martin]

The opportunity is still there. It has not disappeared.

[Sean Hewitt]

Therefore what was said at Saturdays board meeting is compeltely irrelevant and we are now into another process - when was that authorised?

It would have been authorised at the board meeting I guess. That's why you have a board.

[Steve Henderson]

Here are my thoughts on what Chris wrote

I had decided to make no further postings on this forum because frankly I was and am disgusted by the vitriol that is allowed.

Oh dear, have you forgotten that this was once the ECF Forum, and tell me again who it was that severed that link? Very bad move, ill thought out and done by the back door, so what do you expect?!

I will however make this single statement.
Subsequent to the Board meeting, I spoke with Holloid and they confirmed their commitment to the project.

What exactly is there commitment - 250,000 FREE chess sets?

Discussions resulted in the statement released. Holloid remain committed to the project and have promised further financial support.

Have you got this in writing & signed by Holloid?

So contrary to what is being said this is a positive development.

What, you kidding now aren't you?

I have a further meeting lined up with Holloid next week and a meeting, as was mentioned at the Board meeting, to explore sponsorship. I will release further statements on the ECF website, in due course as things clarify.

Not sure why you are doing all the running around, where's PW & GW, you know them two, they were there at the beginning?

I have a day job that pays me and have to fit the not inconsiderable ECF stuff round that. In particular I am investing a lot of my personal time including days from my annual leave day resolving the issues on CfS. I find the personal attacks on my integrity particularly galling. I consider that people that walked out on their commitments to the Federation really have no right to call for the resignation of those that bailed out the Federation.

Again your having a laugh. It is most admirable of you to do this, giving up your time to sort this mess out, however, if I may suggest something here

SEND PW & GW - they have lots of spare time on their hands, they should go and sort this out!

But Chris - thanks for stepping in to bail out the ECF

Have a nice day now

[Matthew Turner]

I actually find Chris Majer's last posting a little strange. Whilst some individuals have come in for repeated critcism, it seems Chris has a good deal of support here. He is clearly trying his best to resolve a very difficult situation for which he is in no way responsible.
However, it seems to me that the statement on the ECF website really invites continuing criticism. It is really simply a statement of what happened at the December 17th meeting with Holloid and as far as I can see there is really no good reason why it should have taken a month to get something out.
I am also concerned that it frames things very much as a partnership between the ECF and Holloid, thereby leaving both parties open to criticism if things don't go as hoped. Whilst I would have preferred the ECF to bite the bullet and use JRT monies to purchase the sets (not from Holloid) the route the ECF are going down seems to me to be perfectly logical. Schools that have expressed the desire to have chess sets will be offered ten sets for £35, this is considerably cheaper than is commercially available and should be seen as a positive step from the ECF. However, I would suggest that the ECF statement should read something more like.

The ECF would like to thank Holloid Plastics for their commitment to English Chess, they have kindly donated 500 sets and boards and these will be distributed free of charge to 50 lucky schools. However, due to the current economic climate Holloid are unable to produce any more free sets. The ECF are overwhelming by the enthusiasm demonstrated from Schools and we would like to assist them in any way possible. The ECF have been able to negotiate with an international supplier and is able to offer schools 10 sets and boards for £35. These are accompanied by a comprehensive support package funded via the ECF John Robinson Trust to help schools in establishing chess clubs.

I am sure that people will be able to refine this statement, but I'm sure this would portray the ECF and the ECF Officials involved in a much more favourable (and accurate!)light. This would be in the interests of Chris Majer, the ECF and chess in general.

[Carl Hibbard]

The ECF would like to thank Holloid Plastics for their commitment to English Chess, they have kindly donated 500 sets and boards and these will be distributed free of charge to 50 lucky schools. However, due to the current economic climate Holloid are unable to produce any more free sets. The ECF are overwhelming by the enthusiasm demonstrated from Schools and we would like to assist them in any way possible. The ECF have been able to negotiate with an international supplier and is able to offer schools 10 sets and boards for £35. These are accompanied by a comprehensive support package funded via the ECF John Robinson Trust to help schools in establishing chess clubs.

A perfect statement Matthew however not sure the £35 is going to cover all the costs - you have to purchase 10,000 to get the £29 and then you have to include distribution and the costs of the support package

Not clear what the price has to be to be honest?

[Matthew Turner]

Carl,
You make a valid point, but I was suggesting that the JRT fund the support package. I hope that £25,000 should cover this. Remember in the medium term it will be revenue raising for the ECF as more people take the Certificate of Excellence or Certificate of Merit.
Distribution has always been an issue and posting sets to schools will be very expensive. However, I am not sure that this is what is being suggested. There are issues to deal with, but I can get a minibus from school and Andrew Martin/John Rawlinson can get a minibus from Wellington, so it should be relatively simple to get a significant quantity of sets to these 'hubs'. Schools would then be able to collect them, although this would again involve some cost on their part. It's not perfect, but it seems to be a perfectly sensible way out of an impasse.

[David Sedgwick]

I've not posted anything on this thread since the Joint Statement was issued and I'm still too taken aback to post very much.

However, may I make it clear that the state of affairs outlined in the Joint Statement is very different from that presented at the Board Meeting, on the basis of which George Horne and I wrote our reports.

In the interim there must have been intensive further negotiations with Holloid, which no doubt explains why the Joint Statement was delayed by a day. The outcome is that Holloid have agreed to invest further resources. In return, for the present at least, the ECF appear to have dropped the idea of supplementing Holloid production with the bulk purchase of sets from elsewhere.

Chris Majer says that this is a positive move. The rest of us can't judge until we see the terms of the proposed contract with Holloid. There is going to be a written contract now - isn't there????

[David Sedgwick]

If you look at David Sedgwick's posting he said

"It may indeed be improbable that £300K will be raised as a result. However, I think it is plausible, for example, that a number of local businesses may each be prepared to contribute £3K-£5K"

I would assume the 'sponsor' we are talking about is something like Rotary International, where something might happen at a local level. I would not expect a huge amount of financial support, but if a small amount were forthcoming it would be much appreciated.

You're on the right lines here, Matthew, although I think we're talking about small scale local commercial sponsorships rathet than the kind of quasi charitable approach which you're suggesting.

I'm afraid that talk of a rich individual is wide of the mark. I'm acquainted with very few rich people. Those whom I have met have shown no interest in sponsoring the Chess for Schools Project or any other ECF activity.

[David Sedgwick]

I said it last year but I will say it again. All the good news outed so publically came at a time when the President was under a cloud due to Press comments and comments in a national chess magazine. All the bad stuff suddenly dissappeared overnight.

Ernie, you did indeed say this before, and I remember being puzzled then.

Two statements in particular have been criticised:

1.The original announcement of the project by Peter Wilson, issued in February 2008.

2. The email to schools by Gerry Walsh stating that "production of the sets is now in full swing", sent in August 2008.

Neither of these statements is close in time to the period when Martin Regan and his colleagues resigned and Regan made his (leaked) statement demanding Walsh's resignation. Those events occurred at the end of April 2008.

Hence the first of the relevant missives was sent well before then, the second well after.

Both of the communications in question may perhaps have been premature and unwise. However, I see no reason to doubt that each was issued in good faith at the time it was made. The charge that they formed part of some kind of PR exercise seems to me to be without foundation.

[Peter Sowray]

2. The email to schools by Gerry Walsh stating that "production of the sets is now in full swing", sent in August 2008.

David,

I don't see how you can say that this statement was issued in good faith. It just wasn't true.

Like you, I don't believe this conspiracy theory doing the rounds about GW needing the good publicity.

Best regards,

Peter

[Roger de Coverly]

As also commented by David S, I recall the time line as follows:-

February 2008

the good news about the 250000 free sets

As announced by Claire on this forum

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=219

and the thread started by Andrew Martin here

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=202

May/June 2008 after the resignations

Bad news in the Telegraph and Malcolm Peins editorial in chess Magazine. In particular comments about the Chess centre Limited and GW in particular

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/ches ... e-top.html

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=338

June 2008

Presentation in GW's backyard

http://www.bcf.org.uk/chess4schools/st-peters_jun08.htm

Gerry Walsh said “This national programme is picking up pace

Perhaps this is the prestige boosting report that Eddie refers to.

August/September 2008

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=414

> Production of the sets is now in full swing and delivery is scheduled to
> commence in September/October 2008. The delivery will take place from
> central distribution points and this may take up to a year.
>
> You will be notified nearer to the time when you may expect delivery of
> your sets.
>
> This is just an update to keep you informed.
>
> Gerry Walsh
> President English Chess Federation

I cannot claim to be an expert in the economics of chess set manufacture, but one presumes that the retail price of a chess set delivered to a front door could be broken down into costs of manufacture and costs of distribution. The Holloid sponsorship only ever covered the manufacturing bit leaving the ECF to find or fund the distribution half. In retrospect perhaps it would have been better to announce that the sets were only "free" if collected from the factory gate in Basingstoke. Otherwise charge for distribution and use the established processes of Chess & Bridge and other retail chess suppliers to deliver to school front doors.