Grade only ECF Members

I have been trying to post a comment on Ihor's site and am sick of going round in circles so here is my comment.

Most Yorkshire players are happy with just a chessnuts grade. Those who want an ECF grade shoiuld join ECF direct  submit their own results and let the YCA save whatever monies they pay to the ECF.

I suggest this is done immediately. The ECF would then get a better idea of the effects of democracy.

To a degree I have sympathy with your point but I am disgusted with the government's decision to stop funding (£60,000?) chess in this country and with the ECF's ability to argue their case and make the game a "sport".

Are the YCA results submitted for ECF grading at the moment? The East Lancs grades aren't...

I've just come to accept all these different grades from different bodies, as annoying as it is, and I just submit the appropriate grade to the appropriate organisation or when asked by an opponent.

As far as I know Jon subbmits results and the ECF sorts which it wants, my suggestion would cut out the middle-man.

I doubt that the Government withdrawing funding affects the ECF's philosophy of getting everyone to fund them, just accelerating the process.

I know Bradford games are not included in ECF gradings, but the problem with different grading factions is how do you sort out the gradings for the different groups? You need a system where every game is used for gradings across the entire playing field, and I mean world wide. There is such a system in place, isn't it called FIDE?

That is what EVERY country and EVERY league and EVERY congress and EVERY game of chess should be using. No more disparity no more bullshit.

No, there is no such a system where all results are included. The majority of players (in my opinion) are quite happy with chessnuts and don't care one way or the other about the ECF.

The success of chessnuts has presented the ECF with a bigger problem than withdrawing Government funding( if chessnuts catches on all over, Jon could be rich).

The biggest issue with what the ECF are proposing to force upon us relates to playing in congresses. Those Congresses which are ECF rated will only be allowed to accept an ECF grade - so our (more accurate) YCA grades will count for nought... Naturally the same will apply to County & 4NCL matches. So how does that encourage new chess players? Potential new player - 'yes, I fancy giving that a go'... Club Secretary - 'great, give me your money now or you don't get a game'! (because this is a closed shop) - ridiculous...

John, I agree with you that the ECF are putting unfair pressure on those who run Congresses but these are a once a year events.

Many associations elected not to affiliate to the ECF, to my knowledge Bradford was one, Calderdale is definitely still one. It seems the ECF are trying to bully associations into forcing players to enlist.

Over 50 years ago I played both chess and football, if a youngster now was in the same position, what would the position be.

For football, I needed more kit(but teams were more organised). Now chess will price itself out of the market.

Calderdale isnt affiliated.  Our evening league results do go via YCA to the ECF for grading. So the results count in the database but will only be reflected in the players published ECF grade if that player is individually an ECF member. Otherwise only Yorkshire league games and other ECF affiliated events will be used i.e. where some organisation has paid the fee.  Personally I am OK with a YCA grade and I would use it to enter congresses. I suppose that the congress fees will increase to pay the fees to ECF but the discount for ECF members would be bigger also.  For info we (Calderdale Chess League)pay approx 200 pounds a year to YCA for our participation in the Saturday leagues - most of this is for grading fees. The ECF grader calculated that Calderdale would have to pay ~365 a year to ECF for direct affiliation. Therefore my advice to Calderdale players who are interested in their ECF grade is to join individually.

I checked the ECF site to see how many members they had. If they want 85% of chess players to be members, how big is the target? Will it be as fruitful as giving sets to schools?

3121, That's how many they've got. Not exactly a majority.

I wanted to play in the Leeds league, when informed I had to be an ECF member I changed my mind. Checking the ECF list I noticed many Leeds players weren't on the list( including my only opponent in that League) . So what is the Leeds Association's position?

I have played in Leeds previously without being an ECF member, maybe I was subsidised by the club (West Leeds)?

Maybe it's the policy of individual clubs. Though why I don't know . Surely if an individual makes themself a ECF member their games will be graded when submitted by Jon.

It is a simple matter of economics.  ECF has lost 60,000 pounds of government funding.  They want to replace this income by obtaining extra membership fees from chess players. the question is what is this money currently spent on? What would our money be used for?  I am quite a sceptical person but I doubt very much if Yorkshire chess players will see any benefit from the money or suffer in any way by ECF losing it. 

I agree Dave, and I'm sure most of Yorkshire thinks the same - just look at the Olympics... It may be time to think differently, aligning our YCA grades to ECF has been troublesome in the past and it seems this will continue in the near future.

Dave, John- The worry is that the ECF want to increase membership and will put pressure on the YCA to do this. Will we lose chessnuts? Will Calderdale and Huddersfield go back to doing their own grades?

I think we are going to have to wait to see what Jon(an ECF member does) does.

I have already discussed such with Ihor... I've stressed that Bradford (officially) want a presence at the next YCA meeting to discuss the matter at club level upwards and the implications. I also suggested that Presidents & Chairmen from each area are present, and a general consencus formed for a proper way forward - so we are all 'singing from the same hymn sheet' (not that I've done that for a while - just weddings, births & funerals for me thanks! - that 'holy water' burns...).

In my opinion it doesn't matter about Ihor or any other President or Chairman's actions.

Just the Vice-President Jon. Chessnuts is the only thing like it in Britain(maybe the World). Will pressure be put on Jon? Has a hitman been hired?

Hence the support needed behind him from every corner of the county... Jon has a powerful role and we can't see him bullied into anything.

John, COUNTRY!

Country... quite right Dennis; but my reach is barely Yorkshire at the minute (not without trying); you know how this system operates - a titanium fist is required to break the system sometimes.