How Come This Player Has Joined English Fed?

[Joey Stewart]

Since it's only just happened I'll reserve judgement as to how committed he is to being an English player until he's had chance to play some events here, and if he stays on after Putin is deposed.

[Roger de Coverly]

he's had chance to play some events here

He's on the ECF rating database
http://www.ecfrating.org.uk/v2/new/list ... de=293875D

This reveals that he played Mickey, Luke and Gawain in the 2021 England v RoW match, as well as FIDE's Grand Swiss in the IOM and several appearances in Gibraltar.

[Mark Howitt]

Still no explanation from ECF.

[Roger de Coverly]

Still no explanation from ECF.

It's not from the ECF, but Leonard Barden in his Guardian column
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/ ... is-settled

Vitiugov used to reside in St Petersburg but moved to Spain with his wife, and his young son was born there. Now he has rented a flat in East Anglia and is making arrangements for his family to join him.

His transfer was aided by the English Chess Federation’s international director, Malcolm Pein, and it is likely that he will become a leading teacher at training camps for the England open and women’s teams, plus young talents, planned to be set up with the help of the new £250,000 annual government grant for top chess

[Mark Howitt]

The tax rebate should have a large focus on reducing costs on club players- I don't mind if some is spent on developing English/British juniors.

[Mark Howitt]

Not sure many GMs would get in the Chinese/Indian teams by saying they planned/were going to rent a place in their country despite playing for another country...

[Roger de Coverly]

The tax rebate should have a large focus on reducing costs on club players-

Given that membership fees currently finance much of the expenses of the ENG international teams, you might expect the ECF to consider replacing some or all of this financing with the new Government grant. I'm not holding my breath this will happen, nor am I really expecting any of the voting membership at the AGM to raise the issue. But perhaps they will?

[Mark Howitt]

Yeah that's a key point- normal players basically seem to pay for international team plus staff admin...

More def doesn't need to be spent by club players on international team.

Personally I wish in Yorkshire it was back where they didn't demand a fee... who knows it may go back...

[Ian Thompson]

Given that membership fees currently finance much of the expenses of the ENG international teams, you might expect the ECF to consider replacing some or all of this financing with the new Government grant.

They might, but that's unlikely to result in a reduction in membership fees.

I expect the ECF will be required to tell the Government what they spent the money on and to show that something worthwhile resulted. Spending some of it on reducing the membership fees of amateur players who play chess as a hobby would be unlikely to be seen as money well spent.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Personally I wish in Yorkshire it was back where they didn't demand a fee... who knows it may go back...

It won't and is not a topic.

[Mark Howitt]

Definitely could go back... all it would need is a grader to do it really... depends if enough people want it...

[Mark Howitt]

And tbh part of the reason I think Sunak gave the rebate is to win some votes... as it's looking like Tories won't win atm...

A lot of people play chess at least casually. Could firm up some support by having less money coming from tax payers to pay for chess. I'm sure he's timed it like this etc... remember chessplayers are taxpayers and voters...

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Definitely could go back... all it would need is a grader to do it really... depends if enough people want it...

Apologies for any typos as I am at my son's cricket ..

I was one of those pushing for a return to ECF grading a few years back. Especially when we realised the difficulty in running the old grading system.

Your biggest stumbling block is that players want grading. The County teams are ECF rated and I cannot see the Yorkshire league going back. There is also the problem of myself, who is completely against such a decision and presently sits on the YCA as Deputy President. So over my dead body.

Decisions not to do grading locally are made by local associations. Some Yorkshire leagues went ECF anyway, when we still had the YCA grading. A problem in going back to YCA with the Huddersfield & District CA is that I am the currently President and such a move will be done over my... You get the idea and I am not alone on this. There is no appetite to change this anyway.

If you look at the Calderdale league, they are not interested either and members may be hostile (guess who is Chair next year?).

In summary, please just pay up.

[Roger de Coverly]

I expect the ECF will be required to tell the Government what they spent the money on and to show that something worthwhile resulted. Spending some of it on reducing the membership fees of amateur players who play chess as a hobby would be unlikely to be seen as money well spent.

It would be spending the money on supporting the England international teams. The difference would be that it would no longer be requiring the funds raised by memberhip charges to be spent in this manner. At the very least, the ECF should be asked whether it will cap the ever increasing demands made on membership funds by the International Director.

[Ian Jamieson]

Not sure many GMs would get in the Chinese/Indian teams by saying they planned/were going to rent a place in their country despite playing for another country...

Yes but India have something like twice the number of GMs as England. The number of Chinese GMs is closer to the number of English GMs but China is a more closed country than England (and the number of Chinese GMs may now take-off, in the way the number of Indian GMs has taken off, now that the world champion is Chinese.