FIDE Arbiter Sought

[Paul McKeown]

The information is in the FIDE Handbook. The two relevant regulations are:
(i) All arbiters of a FIDE rated tournament shall be licensed otherwise the tournament shall not be rated. (Ref 1, para 0.3).
(ii) The Chief Arbiter of a title tournament shall be an International Arbiter (IA) or FIDE Arbiter (FA). He may appoint a temporary deputy. An IA or FA must always be in the playing venue. (Ref 2, para 1.16).

References
1. FIDE Rating Regulations effective from 1 July 2017: https://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html ... ew=article
2. FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 July 2017: https://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html ... ew=article

Thank you.

There used to be a page on the ECF website which summarised everything for ECF graded and FIDE rated competitions, but I no longer seem to be able to find it.

"Licensed arbiter" - what is that?

I think I have been through this before, and I found out that to be a FIDE licensed arbiter, I needed to be registered as a "national arbiter" with Ireland, which I promptly arranged. However, I would like to confirm my understanding.

[Roger de Coverly]

"Licensed arbiter" - what is that?

It means FIDE have collected a fee from your national federation for your name to be added to a list of arbiters allowed to be included on rating submissions. The ECF will only do this where someone has satisfied their standards. Not every Federation including Ireland, it would seem, are bothered.

Does the ECF recognise "national arbiters" who are not ENG? Presumably FIDE would, so you may already have the answer for rating your rapidplays provided the ECF doesn't object.

[Adam Raoof]

Paul - my wife is a 'licensed arbiter' for Jersey. Nevertheless the ECF told me to remove her from a tournament registration as she was not an ECF arbiter as well! So I would be careful with the definition of 'licensed'.

[David Sedgwick]

The list of FIDE licensed arbiters may be found at http://arbiters.fide.com/images/stories ... biters.pdf.

Anyone on that list is acceptable to FIDE as an arbiter for a FIDE rated event. National Federations may impose additional criteria within their jurisdiction if they so wish.

Paul, you are a Level 1 ECF Arbiter. Had you been English, that would have sufficed for the ECF to license you with FIDE as an "Arbiter at National Levels". As you are Irish (in the all Ireland sense) that could only be done by the Irish Chess Union. As you say, this duly happened.

Paul - my wife is a 'licensed arbiter' for Jersey. Nevertheless the ECF told me to remove her from a tournament registration as she was not an ECF arbiter as well! So I would be careful with the definition of 'licensed'.

Your wife does not appear on the list at the link above.

You told me a couple of years or so ago that Jersey would be licensing her. I said that she could not officiate at a FIDE rated event until they had done so.

I resigned as ECF Manager of Arbiters (International) just over a year ago, so I may not be completely up to date.

[Adam Raoof]

Thanks David - can you give me simple instructions for the JCI IRO on how Jersey should get someone registered?

[LawrenceCooper]

Thanks David - can you give me simple instructions for the JCI IRO on how Jersey should get someone registered?

Sadly not simple but item 6 in the link hopefully covers what you need: http://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html? ... w=category

[David Sedgwick]

Thanks David - can you give me simple instructions for the JCI IRO on how Jersey should get someone registered?

I'll send you an email.

[Tim Harding]

"Licensed arbiter" - what is that?

It means FIDE have collected a fee from your national federation for your name to be added to a list of arbiters allowed to be included on rating submissions. The ECF will only do this where someone has satisfied their standards. Not every Federation including Ireland, it would seem, are bothered.

Does the ECF recognise "national arbiters" who are not ENG? Presumably FIDE would, so you may already have the answer for rating your rapidplays provided the ECF doesn't object.

I would like to take mild issue with Roger's sentence about Ireland that I have emboldened.

I cannot speak for how things were done in the past but the Irish Chess Union held a weekend arbiter training seminar in April which was led by the two Irish International Arbiters (Gerry Graham and Ted Jennings) and attended by about 16 would-be NAs. At least some of us passed the exam and have been busy since fulfilling the other qualifications to be an NA (running two tournaments each under the supervision of an FA or IA).

We are a bit concerned that the latest list of licensed arbiters published today by FIDE still doesn't include our names but this is probably a bureaucratic matter that our people on the spot in Batumi can sort out.

My understanding is that once our names appear on the list of licensed NAs we can indeed act as arbiters in any country for FIDE-rated events, but in events where there are FIDE titles it must be under the supervision of an IA or FA. Such work as an assistant arbiter would count as a norm towards FA.

I hope to work towards FA next year (I already have one norm for that) after I finish the book I am currently writing.

Paul is on the list of licensed NAs for Ireland so I expect the ICU accepted that he met the standard when acting in ECF events and didn't require him to sit the exam over here?

Anyway as Paul is a licensed NA, I think he can run his tournaments and get them FIDE-rated without needing an FA, though it is probably a good idea (especially if it's a big event) to ensure ECF will process the rating of the event and if someone like Jack or Stewart can be there too to help with training that's even better.

BTW, I rather resent the comment somebody made above that all an arbiter does is to set the clocks and tell the computer to make the draw.

[Nick Burrows]

BTW, I rather resent the comment somebody made above that all an arbiter does is to set the clocks and tell the computer to make the draw.

Absolutely. They tidy up afterwards also.





JOKE!

[Roger de Coverly]

BTW, I rather resent the comment somebody made above that all an arbiter does is to set the clocks and tell the computer to make the draw.

There's much less pure arbiter skill needed when you don't have to apply manual pairing rules and make "unable to win" judgements. A younger generation of arbiters has rectified this, but many arbiters used to be almost totally clueless on how to use computer programs.

[Paul McKeown]

The list of FIDE licensed arbiters may be found at http://arbiters.fide.com/images/stories ... biters.pdf.

Anyone on that list is acceptable to FIDE as an arbiter for a FIDE rated event. National Federations may impose additional criteria within their jurisdiction if they so wish.

Paul, you are a Level 1 ECF Arbiter. Had you been English, that would have sufficed for the ECF to license you with FIDE as an "Arbiter at National Levels". As you are Irish (in the all Ireland sense) that could only be done by the Irish Chess Union. As you say, this duly happened.

Thank you, David. I will PM a query to you later.

[Paul McKeown]

I would like to take mild issue with Roger's sentence about Ireland that I have emboldened.

Tim, Roger's endless whine is about anybody having to pay for anything in chess. Once you have grasped that, then you will be able to evaluate anything he writes or says in a sensible fashion.

[Paul McKeown]

Paul is on the list of licensed NAs for Ireland so I expect the ICU accepted that he met the standard when acting in ECF events and didn't require him to sit the exam over here?

Anyway as Paul is a licensed NA, I think he can run his tournaments and get them FIDE-rated without needing an FA, though it is probably a good idea (especially if it's a big event) to ensure ECF will process the rating of the event and if someone like Jack or Stewart can be there too to help with training that's even better.

The ICU's Chief Arbiter accepted my ECF Level 1 Certificate as a atisfactory proof of competence as an equivalent certification obtained directly through the ICU. I hope that also satisfies you, too? I have been running (many scores) of ECF graded and FIDE rated events, with entries up to 300, for a number of years, now, with few complaints.

[Tim Harding]

I have absolutely no problem with you being an NA for Ireland; maybe we'll see you over here occasionally because we don't have enough active arbiters. Personally I have minimal interest, at my age, in running weekend Swisses (though I did some big ones in the 1970s!) but want to be able to help out with team events (we host the Glorney next summer) and maybe later, if I get the FA, some international tournaments.

[Paul McKeown]

Personally I have minimal interest, at my age, in running weekend Swisses (though I did some big ones in the 1970s!) but want to be able to help out with team events (we host the Glorney next summer) and maybe later, if I get the FA, some international tournaments.

My motivation is entirely concerned (at this time) with enabling Richmond Junior Chess Club's activities.

We regularly hold FIDE rated rapidplays and blitz tournaments for adults and juniors, and many FIDE and ECF rated rapidplays exclusively for juniors. Until now, we had held only a few ECF graded junior standard play events and never held a FIDE rated standard play, due to my misapprehension concerning the necessary arbiting experience needed. We also regularly host junior team tournaments (both primary and secondary ages), but none to this date have been FIDE rated, and the ECF grading is usually carried out by the organisations in whose names these events are being held. It is possible we could hold a few "friendly" FIDE rated junior team events in the future.

Three other members of staff at Richmond Juniors have now achieved the ECF Level 1 standard, which I am delighted with, as it will gradually enable me to pass events over to them to arbit, and free up some of my time.

I think it unlikely that we will hold norm tournaments, or grand international team events or anything of the like in the foreseeable future, they don't really mesh with our normal work. Nor do I think it particularly likely that I will see myself helping at general events external to Richmond Juniors - we are just too busy with our normal day to day work, so that there is precious little free time.

It would be nice to progress through the ECF's and FIDE's arbiting levels (or even the ICU's structure), beyond my current ECF Arbiter Level 1, but I just don't see it happening at this stage, as my work is fully wrapped up with Richmond Juniors, and my contact with the ECF and FIDE is limited to calendaring events, getting them rated and graded and paying the appropriate fees (which are always much higher than anticipated...)

Good luck with your own endeavours for the ICU, TIm!