Certificate of Merit

[andrew martin]

A lot will hinge on the marketing of the scheme; basically letting as many people know that resources are available. I am sure the Board is working hard on this

Syllabus booklets for Levels Two and Three will be ready soon. Exams at those levels will follow


Andrew

[John Upham]

I have uploaded another thirty practise (free) questions and answers. I would appreciate any feedback!

[Carl Hibbard]

Nothing so far

Good, I will keep an eye on it to see what the domain properly transfers the registrant name then

Keep watching. Check every five minutes.

Still not changed the registrant then I see, are we going to??

[Alex Holowczak]

I have uploaded another thirty practise (free) questions and answers. I would appreciate any feedback!

I got 20/20, which is more than I got last time, so I'm very happy with them.

The one where you play 0-0+ escaped me until I saw the suggestions.

[John Upham]

Thanks Alex : your support is much appreciated. That was four days work!

[Matthew Turner]

Yesterday I had a go at the CoM practise level and it was really rather good. The questions were much more varied than last time I tried and there were a good range of topics covered. I have concerns about the financial side of this project and I don't see it raising money for the ECF. However, the content is very good.

[John Upham]

Yesterday I had a go at the CoM practise level and it was really rather good. The questions were much more varied than last time I tried and there were a good range of topics covered. I have concerns about the financial side of this project and I don't see it raising money for the ECF. However, the content is very good.

Matthew,
The CoM team very much appreciates your feedback and is working hard to make CoM a great offering. I had half a day off yesterday from re-writing Q&As, correcting the English, checking them and uploading them as I'd been doing it solidly 7am to midnight for four days.

A decision will be made this weekend as to who will produce the Level 2 and Level 3 booklets. I am hoping we will stick with Bob Long as he has done a great job.

I shall be more closely involved at the proof reading stage this time.

As soon as the L2 and L3 booklets are available the Q&As can be made available.

Behind the scenes I am working closely with the office to complete the admin side.

We have agreed a list of 30 odd enhancements including improving the feedback to students : I am going to tell them which Q&As they got wrong and where in the DVD to look.

All the best!

[John Upham]

Still not changed the registrant then I see, are we going to??

Who is "we" : you and I?

[Carl Hibbard]

Still not changed the registrant then I see, are we going to??

Who is "we" : you and I?

Has to be you, I would have fixed it by now

[John Upham]

Has to be you, I would have fixed it by now

I have bigger fish to fry than trivial admin.

I will give it to my PA to attend to when I have nothing better to do.

[Matthew Turner]

I wonder how the Certificate of Merit fits in with the National Chess Syllabus

http://www.charliechess.com/charliestorey_1.html

I notice the website is advertised on the ECF website and the 'Teaching System' is developed by the England's U16 Coach.

[Steve Rooney]

I wonder how the Certificate of Merit fits in with the National Chess Syllabus

http://www.charliechess.com/charliestorey_1.html

I notice the website is advertised on the ECF website and the 'Teaching System' is developed by the England's U16 Coach.

It is very difficult to make any proper assessment of the National Chess Syllabus and the bandana exams since there is no data on the website about how many children are involved in the training programme and how successful it has been. There is a mention of having a network in "every county", but this looks more like an aspiration than reality, as is the rather grandiose associated "World Chess Association". This may be unfair criticism but without any real facts beyond the qualifications of the principal behind the scheme, it is difficult to think otherwise.

[Sean Hewitt]

It was interesting to me that Stewart Reuben has agreed to take on the role of Manager of CoM, whilst passing on the still vacant Manager of CfS.

Very wise, it seems to me.

[Michele Clack]

I'm really hopeful that the CoM scheme can do really well and hopefully make plenty of money to plough back into junior chess. I was helping at the Worcestershire Megafinal of the Schools Chess Challenge yesterday and it was great to see so many kids enjoying themselves. There is so much that could be done to carry all this interest forward with more funding. So I'm glad to hear that Stewart Reuben is at the helm of this project.

It says in the FAQ section of the CoM website that there are no limits on age when it comes to taking the tests. I would like to see a bit more guidance on this. Basically would it be too hard for 7-9 year olds?

[Adam Raoof]

It says in the FAQ section of the CoM website that there are no limits on age when it comes to taking the tests. I would like to see a bit more guidance on this. Basically would it be too hard for 7-9 year olds?

Having taken the test (and scored 19/20 at level one) I would say that it is suitable for any age of beginner. The workbooks are more aimed at younger kids, but the DVD and Stewart's excellent book could be used by starters of all ages.