ECF Elections 2015

[Jonathan Bryant]

I was born in Germany, how much would a transfer cost?!

Because your rating is over 2300 and you are not resident in Germany the German federation would have to pay the ECF €2,000 plus €250 administration fee to FIDE. Hang on a moment. You're also an IM. That ups the transfer fee to €4,000 .You don't come cheap!

I do - and I feel exactly the same as Simon does. Can anybody suggest a good country to approach?

[Richard Bates]

Phil Ehr's ban on Directors and Strategic Advisers posting here leaves this forum a relative ocean of peace and serenity.

Apparently the commentary set up was the same as at Aberystwyth. Perhaps the commentators had updated their machines to a lower video and audio specification, or was it that a deal with chess24 meant a higher standard was demanded? That does seem to be the sticking point in the dispute between Commercial and Home Directors.

Seems to be some issue about it directly resulting in the loss of a "potential sponsor". And an implied suggestion that the Home director should have resigned. One gets the sense that the detail is being held back pending the appeal against the suspension, at which point the opposing faction is going to 'reveal all' in the expectation that electoral support will melt away from the incumbent. It's the only obvious explanation for John Foley standing IMO.

[Brian Towers]

Apparently the commentary set up was the same as at Aberystwyth. Perhaps the commentators had updated their machines to a lower video and audio specification, or was it that a deal with chess24 meant a higher standard was demanded? That does seem to be the sticking point in the dispute between Commercial and Home Directors.

To understand all the issues you would probably either have to listen to all the commentary or get feedback from somebody who had.

In the meantime a good place to start would be that for the last day. During the first portion it sounds like somebody next to the broadcaster is listening to the live feed which is coming through with several seconds delay and appearing on the main broadcast. The result is what sounds like a 5 second echo. This makes it unwatchable. Unless there is another explanation I would have thought this was a problem generated by the presenters.

[Roger de Coverly]

During the first portion it sounds like somebody next to the broadcaster is listening to the live feed which is coming through with several seconds delay and appearing on the main broadcast.

It's complete rubbish and an indictment of the management of the Congress that it was allowed to happen. Perhaps not this year, but the management of the Congress has not usually been a day by day responsibility of the Home Director. Rather the ECF Board on the advice of the Home Director appointed manager(s) to run the Congress.

There are hints that there were tensions in the team running the Congress between those who were happy with pairing cards and manual pairings and those who would delegate the legwork to software.

[Roger de Coverly]

Candidate statements are now published at
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/about/ec ... and-board/

I don't see the John Foley statement as any more than confrontational waffle.
For example

I would like to introduce electronic pairing systems according to international practice

It's an excellent idea, but you would have to fire the existing senior arbiters to get it implemented.

[IM Jack Rudd]

It also happens to be an aim shared by the incumbent.

[Angus French]

Candidate statements are now published at
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/about/ec ... and-board/

A couple of statements are missing.

I see there are references in several statements to conflict within the outgoing Board. Malcolm Pein's statement has this:

I have also been concerned at the actions of the incumbent at Board level. Most recently he tabled what was effectively a vote of no confidence in the Chief Executive and after lengthy debate withdrew it. The meeting achieved little as a consequence and I feel that in that circumstance he should have resigned. This was the culmination of many months of conflict which he has instigated and which has limited the effectiveness of the board.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Mine is missing because I never wrote it. I don't know whether Dominic Lawson or Dave Thomas wrote ones.

[Richard Bates]

Candidate statements are now published at
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/about/ec ... and-board/

I don't see the John Foley statement as any more than confrontational waffle.

It does rather read as just a list of things that people have complained about in recent months re-packaged as "priorities", without any particular indication of solutions and/or how he would go about delivering them differently to the incumbent, or even whether they share different priorities. Perhaps the incumbent thought the Judicial Review was a waste of time...

[JustinHorton]

I was born in Germany, how much would a transfer cost?!

Because your rating is over 2300 and you are not resident in Germany the German federation would have to pay the ECF €2,000 plus €250 administration fee to FIDE. Hang on a moment. You're also an IM. That ups the transfer fee to €4,000 .You don't come cheap!

I do - and I feel exactly the same as Simon does. Can anybody suggest a good country to approach?

I've perhaps unsurprisingly pondered the option myself now and then. It is however something I would really rather not do.

[MartinCarpenter]

Well, like Simon said, Yorkshire is almost independent You can, with the 4NCL as a rather major exception!, definitely play lots of chess without ECF membership. Evening leagues not even ECF graded by and large. Yorkshire league is so you'd need to cover the 'fines' somehow.

In general I'd think its surely sanest to try and ignore whatever nonsense the time localised incarnation of the ECF is getting up to and view membership as supporting the overall idea of a country wide chess entity? It seems to change so fast anyway.

Although my brother has been refusing to join the ECF on the grounds they even talk to FIDE

[Jonathan Bryant]

... my brother has been refusing to join the ECF on the grounds they even talk to FIDE

That’s not an entirely unsound position, although it wouldn’t be on my list of reasons.

[Mick Norris]

Candidate statements are now published at
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/about/ec ... and-board/

A couple of statements are missing.

I see there are references in several statements to conflict within the outgoing Board. Malcolm Pein's statement has this:

I have also been concerned at the actions of the incumbent at Board level. Most recently he tabled what was effectively a vote of no confidence in the Chief Executive and after lengthy debate withdrew it. The meeting achieved little as a consequence and I feel that in that circumstance he should have resigned. This was the culmination of many months of conflict which he has instigated and which has limited the effectiveness of the board.

David Openshaw's statement includes

Seniors Chess: Further outside help (of approximately £12000) have allowed us to field strong teams and support individuals in World and European Individual and Team Championships with good results (World Seniors Team Championship 2015 bronze medal, Keith Arkell European Seniors Champion 2014).

Am I missing something here? Wasn't the ECF support in both cases nil, Keith raised funds from this very Forum, and Terry Chapman paid the Team money?

[Matthew Carr]

And it might be interesting to see what John says about the policies he'd like to pursue. Maybe he can trump Alex's radical idea to turn the grading system upside down.

Unless I've misread Johns election address he already has. Alex wants to propose looking into the system, John wants to implement something like Alex's idea by 2017.

[Roger de Coverly]

A bit off topic, but anyone thinking debates here or at the ECF official forum can get a bit heated and some of the ECF's actions or those of its directors leave something to be desired, should take a look at http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=417

It's a general Irish discussion site which has a dedicated chess area. Naturally enough the insiders in the ICU don't like it very much.