BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

National developments, strategies and ideas.
Sabrina Chevannes
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:53 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Sabrina Chevannes » Fri Feb 10, 2012 3:44 pm

Thanks Tom. Yes, I can see the potential conflict of interest. I just wanted to know why there was in my case and not in his, that's all. I believe everyone should be treated fairly.

Simon, thank you for your comments. I have approached the ECF personally about the issue with their accreditation system many times and they have not done anything about it. Can employees of an organisation not say when something is done badly? So even if I was saying it in my role as an ECF Official, then I would still stand by my thoughts.

The remarks I made about it is all true. People can refer to the thread from last summer when it was known that despite me having several current CRBs which the ECF office had seen, my name was removed from the ECF list. I also contacted Andrew Martin about this personally and he said that he would sort it and there should be no reason why I wasn't on the list, but it wasn't done so. I received a lot of grief and hassle about all of this, as well as Jovanka Houska and Keith Arkell. There was also talk about how these accredited coaches should be the only ones that coach in an official ECF capacity (even though it was not an ECF capacity) but yet Andrew was choosing non-accredited coaches to go on World and European trips.

Therefore, nothing I had written on that post had not already been addressed. My ECF role is that of promoting women's chess and I believe I have been doing that role. However, as an official of the ECF, I would like to be working for an organisation that I am happy with and happy with the way things are run, so if I need to speak publicly about it, I will, since doing it privately hasn't worked.

Since David Levens has now stated that he WILL indeed be doing something about this, I believe that my post has actually caused something good to come out of it. And it's about time too!

User avatar
Peter D Williams
Posts: 839
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:15 pm
Location: Hampshire

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Peter D Williams » Fri Feb 10, 2012 7:14 pm

Sabrina Chevannes wrote:Thanks Tom. Yes, I can see the potential conflict of interest. I just wanted to know why there was in my case and not in his, that's all. I believe everyone should be treated fairly.

Simon, thank you for your comments. I have approached the ECF personally about the issue with their accreditation system many times and they have not done anything about it. Can employees of an organisation not say when something is done badly? So even if I was saying it in my role as an ECF Official, then I would still stand by my thoughts.

The remarks I made about it is all true. People can refer to the thread from last summer when it was known that despite me having several current CRBs which the ECF office had seen, my name was removed from the ECF list. I also contacted Andrew Martin about this personally and he said that he would sort it and there should be no reason why I wasn't on the list, but it wasn't done so. I received a lot of grief and hassle about all of this, as well as Jovanka Houska and Keith Arkell. There was also talk about how these accredited coaches should be the only ones that coach in an official ECF capacity (even though it was not an ECF capacity) but yet Andrew was choosing non-accredited coaches to go on World and European trips.

Therefore, nothing I had written on that post had not already been addressed. My ECF role is that of promoting women's chess and I believe I have been doing that role. However, as an official of the ECF, I would like to be working for an organisation that I am happy with and happy with the way things are run, so if I need to speak publicly about it, I will, since doing it privately hasn't worked.

Since David Levens has now stated that he WILL indeed be doing something about this, I believe that my post has actually caused something good to come out of it. And it's about time too!
Sabrina thoughts and her post make prefect sense to me.
when you are successful many losers bark at you.

User avatar
Gareth Harley-Yeo
Posts: 307
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:58 pm
Location: Wales
Contact:

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Gareth Harley-Yeo » Fri Feb 10, 2012 11:16 pm

I'm totally behind Sabrina on this. The thought of some imposter teaching my daughter how not to play good chess would infuriate me. If a school wants to promote chess then I feel we all have a duty to help them get the right person in there.

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire
Contact:

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Alex Holowczak » Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:19 am

Gareth Harley-Yeo wrote:The thought of some imposter teaching my daughter how not to play good chess would infuriate me.
Indeed. Surely teaching your daughter how not to play good chess is your job? :lol:

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:11 am

Sabrina Chevannes wrote:I have approached the ECF personally about the issue with their accreditation system many times and they have not done anything about it. Can employees of an organisation not say when something is done badly? So even if I was saying it in my role as an ECF Official, then I would still stand by my thoughts.
This goes to the heart of several recent disagreements within the ECF that have spilled out into adverse publicity. What should someone who is an ECF official, director, manager, volunteer, or whatever, do if they want to raise concern about something? The obvious answer is to raise concerns within the ECF, first, but if that fails what then? What is not ideal (and I'm talking in general here about several of the disagreements that have happened over the past year or so) is for people to end up going to the press, making statements on Twitter, making blog posts, or getting into public disagreements on a forum like this.

I had thought the answer was some code of conduct for ECF volunteers. I may be mis-remembering, but wasn't that one of the things that was meant to be being worked on? Such a document should make clear to each volunteer who they should go to in the first instance if they have a grievance, and then a second option. Such a document should also recognise that volunteers may feel the need to take further action, or go public, but the potential consequences of such action should also be made clear. The ECF doesn't have to be heavy-handed about this, but it does have to at least purport to have some control over these issues.

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:57 am

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: What is not ideal (and I'm talking in general here about several of the disagreements that have happened over the past year or so) is for people to end up going to the press, making statements on Twitter, making blog posts, or getting into public disagreements on a forum like this.
One of the more obvious recent examples of this being the reporting of the supposed issues between the President and the organising team at the British. That's publicity with a big P. Given that as the standard, voicing concerns on a specialist forum is the "tick X on the box for no publicity" option.

User avatar
Peter D Williams
Posts: 839
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:15 pm
Location: Hampshire

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Peter D Williams » Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:31 pm

Krishna Shiatis wrote:
andrew martin wrote:Carl, I would be grateful if you would disable my account on this forum. I understand you will retain the posts I've made.

Thanks.
Sabrina has raised a fair question and she deserves an answer (as do we all, who are wondering the same thing).
Yes why can we not have an answer from A Martin IM ?
when you are successful many losers bark at you.

J T Melsom
Posts: 1294
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:12 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by J T Melsom » Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:05 pm

I don't find Andrew Martin's silence at all strange, and it should not be read as an admission of guilt or impropriety. There is an increasing tendency for people to see this forum as the channel for pursuing issues, often in a scattergun manner, when it is a poor substitute for direct communication. Are chess administrators accountable to the forum or are they answerable in other places? They may choose to take account of keyboard warriors, but are not obliged to do so and should not be criticised for opting out. That said a more efficient and responsive ECF would help allay many concerns, but then the President has been largely silent in recent months (apart from the odd tweet from Gibraltar)

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sat Feb 11, 2012 8:12 pm

J T Melsom wrote: Are chess administrators accountable to the forum or are they answerable in other places?
Apart from the odd blog and the SCCU website in earlier days, I cannot think of anywhere else that chess administrators are asked the difficult questions. Like Sabrina, I think that if an E Chess F is going to accredit coaches, it ought to have something to say about their chess knowledge or experience.

Alex McFarlane
Posts: 1757
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:52 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Alex McFarlane » Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:02 pm

Without comment I draw your attention to an ECF accredited coach's web page.

http://www.charliechess.com/CharlieStorey.html

I didn't know that he had Scottish residence at the time of his Scottish Championship win!!!!

Jon D'Souza-Eva

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Jon D'Souza-Eva » Tue Feb 14, 2012 6:51 pm

670 opens won? That's astonishing, though apparently not the World Record.

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Feb 14, 2012 6:56 pm

Alex McFarlane wrote: I didn't know that he had Scottish residence at the time of his Scottish Championship win!!!!

(edit) Whilst having no opinions about Scottish Blitz (/edit) I struggle with this claim as well
Opens won: 670
I could just about believe that's a count of games won in Opens, but the context implies tournament victories.

Also claimed
County Titles Won: 30
I'd imagine like a well known chess correspondent and his British titles, that includes team events. Once you include team events, many players could claim a multitude of "titles won".
Last edited by Roger de Coverly on Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:08 pm

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote:70 opens won? That's astonishing, though apparently not the World Record.
From the wiki page
As of August 2009, Curdo had won 830 tournaments over the course of his career, a number believed to be a world record by a wide margin.[3] By December 2011, he had extended this to 865 tournament wins.[
Americans are quite keen on what they call quads, that is mini all-play-alls of 4 players, so only 3 games. At that sort of pace, 35 over two years and a bit, would the wins have been in a series of local events?

It's an illustration of Sabrina's point, that coaches mix genuine achievements like an FM title and IM norm at Great Yarmouth with potential exaggerations such as an implausible high count of "tournament" victories.

E Michael White
Posts: 1420
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 6:31 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by E Michael White » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:18 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Alex McFarlane wrote: I didn't know that he had Scottish residence at the time of his Scottish Championship win!!!!
I struggle with this one as well
I wouldn’t want to argue with a Scotsman about his own championships especially as Alex probably wrote the rules, but usually national championships have alternative eligibility rules such as, birth in the country, playing in the event at any time within the last N years etc.

Alex McFarlane
Posts: 1757
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:52 pm

Re: BEWARE – Chess Coaching Scams

Post by Alex McFarlane » Tue Feb 14, 2012 11:03 pm

There are other routes to qualifying for a Scottish title but the only one Charlie would have had any chance of satisfying was residency.
He is not born in Scotland nor had he been eligibly at any point in the past for it to 'carry over'. I do remember him tying for first place in the blitz once but that didn't give him such a title.

Post Reply