Election Addresses for 2018 AGM

[Roger de Coverly]

I believe I read something to the effect that Chris Fegan would not be looking to stay for long as Director of Women's chess and wished to mentor a female candidate for the position. Does anyone else recall this and if they do can they point to where it's stated?

I saw that somewhere as well. It was when the initial bad publicity was at its height.

Google for "chris fegan womens director" finds amongst similar stories

https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/01/english- ... n-7674762/

Mike Truran, the CEO at ECF, said Mr Fegan’s ‘chess-related experience’ got him the role, and that part of his job is finding a suitable female replacement.

Worth asking, before electing him, how the search for a replacement is going. Is it a three year term, if he is confirmed in post?

[Angus French]

Thanks Roger. That's useful.

[Bob Kane]

IM Jovi Houska seems to approve of the new director


face book today
9 hrs ·
"As you may know, it's election time at the ECF!
I would like to publicly add my support for one of the candidates Chris Fegan, who is standing for re-election as the director of Women's chess. I am extremely pleased with the job Chris Fegan has done since his inception.
On a personal level, I found his support for the English Olympiad women's team in Batumi to be invaluable.
I would urge all ECF Council members to vote for his election at the ECF AGM in Birmingham on the 13th October."
You can read Chris Fegan's election address here:
ENGLISHCHESS.ORG.UK
www.englishchess.org.uk

[Bob Kane]

Another Olympiad international voices support for Mr Fegan
via facebook..
Sue Maroroa Jones I would also like to add my support for Chris Fegan. I’ve met Chris several times since his appointment as director of Women’s Chess and Ive been impressed with his passion and the amount of effort he’s put into the role. Hope you’ll be able to continue and I look forward to seeing and being apart of all your exciting plans for the future of women’s chess in England.

[Angus French]

So Chris is supported by two of England's leading women players - which is good! And I can see - for example in Chris's election address - that lots of things are happening. But what I don't yet get a feel of is specific measures which have a decent chance of increasing the total number of women playing competitive chess. What I'm especially keen to see is initiatives which operate at the grassroots level - perhaps, for example, something akin to what Amanda Ross and the Casual Chess group do.

[David Sedgwick]

Reverting to the original rationale for this thread, I have just emailed the following questions to the two candidates in the election for ECF Director of Home Chess:

If you are elected as ECF Director of Home Chess, will you:

1. Restore the ECF Senior Arbiter title.

2. Revert to the previous arrangements for holding FIDE Arbiters' Seminars in England. I fail to discern any actual or potential benefit to the changes which Alex H made.

3. Abolish the misconceived ECF Master Points Scheme.

4. Publish the current BICC Agreement immediately.

5. Clarify where the right to award "British" events is vested and the status of the British Rapidplay Championships.

6. Modify the new British Championship Qualifying Regulations to remove damaging consequences and introduce beneficial ones. In particular it would be helpful if seven round events had a BCQ place, as more such events would increase the opportunities for arbiters to qualify for the FIDE Arbiter title.

[J T Melsom]

David, you are of course right to raise any issues you wish with prospective candidates, but very few of these strike me as strategic nor indeed I suspect readily understood by the majority of members of council. Are these really priorities for an incoming Home Director given that I can't recall too much debate on most of them before.

[Brian Towers]

But what I don't yet get a feel of is specific measures which have a decent chance of increasing the total number of women playing competitive chess. What I'm especially keen to see is initiatives which operate at the grassroots level - perhaps, for example, something akin to what Amanda Ross and the Casual Chess group do.

Out of curiosity how many new female ECF members are there as a result of Amanda Ross and the Casual Chess group's efforts?
Or am I misunderstanding the meaning of "increasing the total number of women playing competitive chess"?

[Angus French]

But what I don't yet get a feel of is specific measures which have a decent chance of increasing the total number of women playing competitive chess. What I'm especially keen to see is initiatives which operate at the grassroots level - perhaps, for example, something akin to what Amanda Ross and the Casual Chess group do.

Out of curiosity how many new female ECF members are there as a result of Amanda Ross and the Casual Chess group's efforts?
Or am I misunderstanding the meaning of "increasing the total number of women playing competitive chess"?

I don't know - does anyone else? I did think that what they were doing - providing training for female players (I think mostly at beginner level) and a welcoming and free central London venue - were steps in the right direction. I think Amanda had plans to enter teams in local leagues but I'm guessing that hasn't happened yet.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"David, you are of course right to raise any issues you wish with prospective candidates, but very few of these strike me as strategic nor indeed I suspect readily understood by the majority of members of council. Are these really priorities for an incoming Home Director given that I can't recall too much debate on most of them before."

Who cares if they are "strategic"?

We know the council members may not understand everything, but sometimes they are not correctly informed.

The Home Director will have a number of priorities.

[Paul Cooksey]

Who cares if they are "strategic"?

Me, mainly because of my long standing position ECF strategy is extremely important. But specifically because:

The Home Director will have a number of priorities.

and strategy should help set priorities

I'd say it is a bit surprising nothing in the strategy statement on arbiters, given how prominently it features in the home directors responsibilities in reg=2. I think the Home Director should update the strategy statement rather than disregard it.

[J T Melsom]

There used to be a management tool that identified high, low, medium priority tasks, and also whether they were small, medium or large in terms of time required to achieve them. It was helpful to some people. I seriously couldn't form a view on the relative importance of David's list though its a good marker of how up to speed any prospective candidate needs to be, and a reminder of the breadth of the portfolio. I can't help feel its like one of those Christmas lists that get produced, and the relatives look at the impressive sounding toys, don't understand what the item is and you get vouchers or a pair of socks.

[Paul Cooksey]

benefit/ cost quadrant analysis is still quite fashionable, but I don't think the ECF strategy in formulated in that way. The statement reads a bit more like a manifesto than a strategy document.

[Alex Holowczak]

There used to be a management tool that identified high, low, medium priority tasks, and also whether they were small, medium or large in terms of time required to achieve them. It was helpful to some people. I seriously couldn't form a view on the relative importance of David's list though its a good marker of how up to speed any prospective candidate needs to be, and a reminder of the breadth of the portfolio. I can't help feel its like one of those Christmas lists that get produced, and the relatives look at the impressive sounding toys, don't understand what the item is and you get vouchers or a pair of socks.

I think you're giving David's list of questions undue credit as to the nobility of their intentions on determining which candidate has a better grasp of the Directorship.

Several of them are just a list of changes I made that David didn't like, and he wants to know how many of them the new Director will change back to the way he likes it.

[J T Melsom]

I think you're giving David's list of questions undue credit as to the nobility of their intentions on determining which candidate has a better grasp of the Directorship.

Several of them are just a list of changes I made that David didn't like, and he wants to know how many of them the new Director will change back to the way he likes it.
[/quote]