What would you pay for a title?

[MSoszynski]

"What would you pay for a title?"

It depends on the title. Zero for zero.

Remember, though, that even the award of a university degree is conditional on fees (and fines) being paid; never mind that you've passed the exams; never mind whether the university course actually helped you to pass them.

[Roger de Coverly]

Users of both Arena and the ECF's official forum are rare.

There's a satisfied user's testimony on Arena at the official forum.

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/Forum/vi ... ?f=7&t=246

It's not a problem unique to Arena, but whatever spyware they install or sophisticated engine matching they use, you can never be confident that an anonymous or unknown on-line opponent isn't using another computer, checking a book, asking a friend etc. Perhaps if seeing your opponent through SkYPE became commonplace, that attitude might change.

[Jon Mahony]

Yes I certainly won’t be bothering to send the ECF a tenner for the little certificate proclaiming me to be a “Team Master” or whatever it is I qualify for these days. Though will I feel the same way if by some miracle I ever get the grade up to 200 and qualify for the National Master title? Which almost sounds real - Well that won’t be happening, so no point worrying too much!

To be fair I know several people on the relatively small “Chess Maestro” List and know they just sent off for it for the laugh. One Miss Goldsmith though I suspect is deadly serious

[Brian Towers]

What do people think, then, of those of us with honours degrees from Oxford University who sent off a tenner 21 terms after matriculation for an MA? Is it OK if we only did it for a laugh?

[Roger de Coverly]

What do people think, then, of those of us with honours degrees from Oxford University who sent off a tenner 21 terms after matriculation for an MA?

It's been suggested that the FIDE FM title stands for "found money". But a 2300 rating is needed to qualify for the offer thus raising the bar in the same way that an Oxford or Cambridge honours degree is needed for an MA.

FIDE are awarding (selling) titles for the accomplishment of achieving a 1100 rating on a chess server.

[Jon Mahony]

What do people think, then, of those of us with honours degrees from Oxford University who sent off a tenner 21 terms after matriculation for an MA? Is it OK if we only did it for a laugh?

I would certainly be disappointed if the holder of such a degree, made such a bad analogy the two things are clearly very different

[Dewi Jones]

Well, I was going to join the arena for a slightly more "serious" place to play online chess.

But whilst my FIDE ID tells me I'm Welsh

http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=1803280

That is not one of the options in the Nationality tab when signing up!

[Dewi Jones]

Neither is English, Scottish, British or UK by the look of it, not that I would want to declare myself either of the last two.

So, as there's not many of them left I guess I'll go with Manx.

[Dewi Jones]

corr, Java too, what a mess.

[Brian Towers]

What do people think, then, of those of us with honours degrees from Oxford University who sent off a tenner 21 terms after matriculation for an MA? Is it OK if we only did it for a laugh?

I would certainly be disappointed if the holder of such a degree, made such a bad analogy the two things are clearly very different

You are quite right, of course. The approach of FIDE and the ECF is much more in keeping with the modern, progressive ethos of prizes for all and nobody finishing last than the archaic, elitist one of the older English and Scottish universities. Although the Scottish universities do at least require 4 years of study for an MA.

[AustinElliott]

What do people think, then, of those of us with honours degrees from Oxford University who sent off a tenner 21 terms after matriculation for an MA? Is it OK if we only did it for a laugh?

I would certainly be disappointed if the holder of such a degree, made such a bad analogy the two things are clearly very different

You are quite right, of course. The approach of FIDE and the ECF is much more in keeping with the modern, progressive ethos of prizes for all and nobody finishing last than the archaic, elitist one of the older English and Scottish universities. Although the Scottish universities do at least require 4 years of study for an MA.

Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, I believe, offer the 'MA for a tenner, guv' degree.

It would be fair to say, I think, that this custom is regarded as something of a joke in academic circles - certainly outside Oxbridge. Most people would assume an MA, like other Master's degrees, was something you had to work for, rather than being "conferred by right" (of having a Bachelor degree), as the University of Cambridge website puts it.

Incidentally, to allude to another ongoing thread, one notes that the multi-title-winning Times chess correspondent is also the proud possessor of an "MA (Cantab)".

[Michael Farthing]

Well in defence I would say that the MA was invented by the older universities and marked the stage at which academic experience plus years of maturity conferred the right to teach. The fact that other places chose to change the basis on which it was awarded is hardly the fault of the originators of the title!

[Matt Mackenzie]

How much did "grandmaster" A Crisan pay for his "title"? Anyone know??

[JustinHorton]

It would be fair to say, I think, that this custom is regarded as something of a joke in academic circles - certainly outside Oxbridge.

Good Lord yes.

When I was working in the library of Oxford's other university, one of my colleagues was unwise enough to say she was sending her cheque for her Oxford MA, something she regretted after a week or so of being asked if she could pick me up a couple of A Levels for a fiver.

[David Blower]

BTW how many titles are there and what is the rank of the titles and what ratings do you have to get to get them?