It's been scholastic focused for quite a while now I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe even G/30 games affect your regular rating!
The copied account sounds like the worst of everything, and I'd blame the TD the most. There are bad mannered kids, but in my experience the great majority of them are respectful and well behaved.
It may be that in U1200 sections they've had no guidance. This seems especially likely to me if the parents aren't tournament players.
yes it has gone scholastic and the promised retention of keeping young players in the game has gone unrealized. chess as a sport is damaged as a consequence. Most kids start dropping out at about age 12. very few ever return. the problem with the scholastic system is that chess is being used as a tool to socialize the kids. It is not being treated as a competitive game. few coaches have the skill to raise up talented players and teach them properly.
I like children, have tutored children, and am pleased that many countries are integrating chess into their school curriculla, but I must admit that I avoid mixed adult/scholastic tournaments becuase of the noise and distraction that usually accompany large concentrated groups of children.
Even if the majority of children are well behaved, there are always some who are too agitated and either aimlessly run down the ailes between the chess tables, or loiter talking loudly just outside the main entrance to the tournament hall. If there are NOT a large number of children, as in a typical open non-scholastic tournament, then I don't at all mind playing child opponents.
In many cases its the parents of the children that are more of a problem than their kids are ... The events here always seem to also include scholastic sections so there is no escape for adult chess players , and then there are the kids that play in/with the adults sections too ... I am grateful that it wasnt this way when I started tourney chess in 73 , if it had been I would never have stuck with it long enough to get over 2000 .
" Soccer " is growing in popularity in the USA , mainly due to the success of the women's team ! Our men need to catch up and stop letting the women outshine them !
Just a bunch of cry baby old white men...lol No I'm kidding. I've never even thought about things like this happening. But I guess it's only bc you hear about the prodigy who quietly sits at the board staring. lol why would the event planners want the tournament to go so roughly and out of order? I'm a 24 year old and I'd be pissed to show up to a tournament eager and have to deal with all those play ground antics. How can I avoid this when I play ?
I regularly resort to ear plugs at tournaments (since I don't listed to music during games). And a baseball cap and hands placed at the sides of my face as blinders, if needed. But this doesn't save me from the distractions of having my chair bumped by kids speeding by, nor uncovered coughs spraying mucus. We must have lots of patience dealing with human beans in general, and little squirts in particular.
I run youth tournaments and do not tolerate running, bor players crowding around games still in progress.
Parents are not permitted in the playing room unless they are helping as judges. Then, they must stay away from their own children.
In USCF open events that I have played in, children are welcome and good behavior is expected. Helicopter parents will be warned, and then excluded from the playing room if their behavior persists.
Sounds like the cranky old guy is overreacting abit, I especially like the description When it becomes physically dangerous to go to a chess tournament it is time to spend my money elsewhere.
When you look at USCF membership data, you find that there are 56,000 active members, 43,000 of whom are juniors (I can find no breakdown between scholastic and "serious" junior members). The USCF caters to the kids because they constitute the bulk of their membership.
It's been my experience that the parents are more of a pain in the rear than the kids. Maybe I've been lucky because I have only played against one ill-mannered kid (Because of my Class D rating, I play against a lot of kids) and, usually, the scholastic section is played in a separate room.
Sounds like the cranky old guy is overreacting abit, I especially like the description When it becomes physically dangerous to go to a chess tournament it is time to spend my money elsewhere.
Dads can be extremely dangerous if they think they're protecting their children.
Sounds like the cranky old guy is overreacting abit, I especially like the description When it becomes physically dangerous to go to a chess tournament it is time to spend my money elsewhere.
Dads can be extremely dangerous if they think they're protecting their children.
This reminds me of an incident I witnessed at a USCF chess tournament (mixed scholastic/open) years ago. The father of one of the young competitors had been standing near his son's board for most of the game. The son's opponent (a middle-aged guy) finally objected because he thought the father was secretely signalling moves to his son. When the opponent confronted the boy, the father became furious and almost had to be restrained, outraged that someone would dare accuse him and his son of cheating. I really expected punches to be thrown, but hearing the shouting, the tournament director arrived quickly. The father was asked to stay away from his son's board, so he left, still fuming mad. I suspect this scenario has happened countless times. We need to be more strict about allowing non-competitors into the playing hall.
Sometimes adults present a risk of infection.
But Snot-Nosed Kids are Always a Health Hazard.
I wonder if entering FIDE tourneys in the states would render different results? I know they are few and far between, but I wonder if those venues are run the same?
I think it is very healthy that the USCF has been trying to get young kids interested in chess. Chess had been declining in popularity for years until they started up the various scholastic chess programs throughout the country.
Moreover, in my experience, most (albeit not all) of the kid chess players are very well mannered. In fact, I probably have seen just as many ill-behavied adults at chess tournaments as I have seen misbehaving juniors. I do think that some of the parents need to be restrained a bit.
While it is true that most junior chess players quit playing chess (or at least quit playing chess tournaments) when they reach adulthood, this does not mean scholastic chess is a failure. The skills and knowledge that these young chess players learn during their chess-playing years will have application in other areas of their lives/studies later. It is natural that when players reach a plateau and realize that they will not be able to play chess professionally, they will stop playing in tournaments and devote less time to chess (although I am sure they still play recreationally on occasion). As an analogy, just because the vast majority of Little League baseball players never make it into the major leagues doesn't mean that Little League is a waste of time or that we should eliminate Little League.
I commend the USCF on its efforts to promote chess among young students.
It is natural that when players reach a plateau and realize that they will not be able to play chess professionally, they will stop playing in tournaments and devote less time to chess (although I am sure they still play recreationally on occasion).
You're saying kids stop playing when they reached a plateau but that's not true. Alot of them have the potential to play professional, but chess just isn't a financially viable career for most. Often, while you can make semi decent income from coaching or tournaments (if you are an elite), the rewards doesn't justify the effort.
Most people who take up any game eventually drop it. The reasons are varied. Some find they aren't very good, some lose interest, some no longer have the time, etc. That's why there are a large number of active USCF junior members and a small number of active USCF adult members. Most people take up chess when they are young, and interest wanes as they grow older.
by markmenser on Mon Sep 07, 2015 1:59 pm #299348
Ok, first let's clear the deck. I am a 65 year old , cranky, old white guy. I was raised in an era where children were taught how to behave in public, where children were taught what a Kleenex is, and where helicopter parents were few and far between. Before you jump to conclusions, however, be advised that I spent 30 years coaching youth soccer and baseball, I am involved in mentoring and by no stretch of the imagination am I "anti-children". Now to the issue.
It is readily apparent that the USCF has become obsessed with children. An examination of the Tournament Life postings shows virtually nothing in the way of adult events and an overwhelming number of "scholastic" events. Why is this upsetting?
I just participated in a tournament that was supposed to be separate and apart from a simultaneous "scholastic" event. The tournament hall accommodated both regular and scholastic games. An examination of the hall revealed adult players seated at the tables, studying the boards. Meanwhile, the children were running around the hall as though it was recess at the elementary school. They were up-and-down, in and out of their chairs. As they ran up and down the rows they were constantly bumping, elbowing or kicking the chairs of other players. The majority of them seemed to have colds, since they were (grossly) making snot-sucking noises and sneezing (without handkerchiefs) , and the wiping their snot on the chess pieces. The kids formed little groups, and roamed around as such examining each others' games and whispering and pointing. One of my young opponents repeatedly left the board, only to have his pals sit down in the chair opposite me pending his return. He always returned with the correct move despite being rated under 1200 (playing "up").
The noise and disruptions finally reached a crescendo, so I got up, left the hall, and reported the problem to the TD. The TD asked the children into the hallway outside the playing room, at which time he and I were attacked by screaming "helicopter parents" who called me a liar, accused me of swearing at their children, and screamed that the purpose of t he tournament was to encourage children and not to accommodate "old white people". (A racist term I am frankly sick of hearing.) These same helicopter parents, of course, hogged the "pairings board" so players could not see their board assignments, actually photographing the board while charting their child and every other player in the section. The TD was besieged with irate parents who screamed at him and actually threatened lawsuits when their little darling was, in their opinion, matched with an "unfair" opponent or had the black pieces too many times. All of this clamor, again, surrounded kids age 7-12 playing in the oh-so-important U-1200 and U-1400 sections.
I was feeling threatened by some little-league dads who were angry at me for objecting, and I withdrew from the tournament . I went to play chess, not get screamed at, hit or clawed by some "chess mom", or assaulted by little-league dad. One person smiled wryly at me and said "It's kids, just accept it."
I will not . I am a dues paying USCF Member and I pay the same tournament entry fee (or more) than these children. Kids have rights but so do I. Too many adults refuse to speak up out of fear of ridicule or being branded. I am not afraid, but I am angry. I have written to Chess Life on this topic several times, but the letters are never published and there is no response.
Perhaps it is time for the USCF to change its name to the "UNITED STATES CHILDREN'S CHESS FEDERATION" and stop soliciting dues and contributions from anyone over the age of 30. When it becomes physically dangerous to go to a chess tournament it is time to spend my money elsewhere.
markmenser