English Chess Forum

Paul Bielby wrote: What has happened to the suggestion that the ECF should become a charity that was discussed last year? I have heard nothing of it recently. Has it been quietly shelved?

In considering the current state of the proposals for converting the ECF into a Charity, the ECF Board has concluded that a number of areas needed wider discussion and clarification:
1. The relationship between the various chess bodies in England and FIDE. The current proposal has the “International Director and the FIDE Delegate transferred to the “professional body” (i.e. Chess England) which would fund the international teams. However, it was felt that the ECF was the appropriate body to affiliate to FIDE because the ECF would the body with individual membership and this seemed to lead to an anomaly
2. Whether Chess England provided a sufficiently robust framework to ensure the continuation of the British Championships and international teams in the possible combined circumstances of a lack of sponsorship and financially unsuccessful championships.
3. Continuing uncertainty about the financial benefits of becoming a charity, i.e. whether all or part of the individual membership subscription could be gift aided. In this respect it could be beneficial.to wait and learn from the experience of other bodies contemplating a change to charitable status, e.g. the Hastings Chess Club.

Paul Bielby wrote:It is lovely sunshine, but surely it's too cold to be sowing seed just yet - certainly far too cold here in the North.

Should the ECF fund all juniors in full who are picked to play for England? No, it cannot afford to unless it's prepared drastically to reduce the number of juniors picked to take part. Phil Ehr's policy of selecting a large number of juniors is an excellent one, but it is obviously very expensive. The ECF is not yet a charity. The Northumberland Junior Chess Association is a charity and had, since it's formation in 1995, supported our local juniors who are selected to play for national teams. In the current year it has spent the entire profit from running last season's Megafinal (over £1000) on supporting local juniors. This is still only a tiny fraction of what the parents have to pay, but we haven't yet had parents turn down the opportunity for their children to take part.

What has happened to the suggestion that the ECF should become a charity that was discussed last year? I have heard nothing of it recently. Has it been quietly shelved?

Peter D Williams wrote: I doubt the ECF could fund all juniors who are picked to play for England maybe the first 2 in each age group? But would adult members of the ECF want juniors supported in this way?

Roger de Coverly wrote:
If you have a 100 Congresses a year, each attracting 100 entrants, then a £ 5 levy per Congress per player would raise £ 50,000. I doubt Congress organisers would support this or how far £ 50,000 would go.