Chess Scotland Adult Selection Criteria

[andyburnett]

Chess Scotland Adult Selection Criteria
for international team events
(excluding senior events)
update to take effect from October 1st 2017

Scottish Adult team selections will be determined by the Chess Scotland Adult Selectors – a panel chosen by the International Director - using the following criteria:

• A player’s eligibility to represent Chess Scotland at international events.
• Pertinent criteria for selection: standard of play, activity and eligibility (gender, nationality, membership).

- Quantity and quality of activity are key inputs to ensure the reliability of grading. To be considered for selection a player must have completed a minimum of 15 (standard length) graded games over the 6 months prior to the selection deadline date, at least 8 of these to be FIDE-rated.


Andy Burnett
(CS International Director)

announcement on home page...
https://www.chessscotland.com/news-post/...-criteria/

[amuir]

This will penalise those players who don't have an income. I am currently unemployed and have been for 18 months and will find it financially difficult to play the amount of FIDE games required as well as fund playing for Scotland itself. Also the selection deadline date is unknown. A player may spend £1000 to enter a FIDE rated tournament abroad, believing he has played in the 6 month period then find he is outwith the period by a few days. There is a large apartheid at the moment in pension arrangements in Scotland where public sector workers get far too much of the cake. A teacher e.g. can get a pension of £20,000 p.a. while someone in private sector, having saved up £100,000 might only get £3000 p.a. due to penal annuity rates.

[robin moore]

Alternatively, you could enter a couple of Fide rated Scottish weekenders.

[WBuchanan]

Chess Scotland Adult Selection Criteria
for international team events
(excluding senior events)
update to take effect from October 1st 2017

Scottish Adult team selections will be determined by the Chess Scotland Adult Selectors – a panel chosen by the International Director - using the following criteria:

• A player’s eligibility to represent Chess Scotland at international events.
• Pertinent criteria for selection: standard of play, activity and eligibility (gender, nationality, membership).

- Quantity and quality of activity are key inputs to ensure the reliability of grading. To be considered for selection a player must have completed a minimum of 15 (standard length) graded games over the 6 months prior to the selection deadline date, at least 8 of these to be FIDE-rated.


Andy Burnett
(CS International Director)

announcement on home page...
https://www.chessscotland.com/news-post/...-criteria/

Hi Andy B
Does this mean (presumably it does) that a top player who is slightly short of the 15 games in six months will not be considered, even if the next highest player who meets the requirement was much lower rated, eg 2000?
You could say "well, we've got to be sensible about it" and select the top player anyway, but it's there in black and white - are you perhaps boxing yourselves into a corner?
Cheers

[Matthew Turner]

I think what Andy is trying to do is correct, but I agree with Walter that there should be the ability to have some flexibility, one can imagine all sorts of reasons why a player might genuinely be unable to play 8 FIDE rated games in a six month period. I would suggest that you write the selection criteria in more general terms

A player must be actively competing in the year prior to selection
In general the selectors would expect to see candidates have at least 15 graded games in the last six months with at least 8 being FIDE rated.
It basically says the same thing, but you have wiggle room.

[WBuchanan]

I think your imagination is a bit overactive in that post Walter - yes it's plausible that the highest rated player is not eligible, but the next highest rated player being 2000 is a bit far fetched.

"Selection deadline date" probably is a bit unclear - should be published well in advance if the wording is to remain as it stands.

The next highest rated player that has played 15 games, 8 of them Fide - but anyway it was just an example Hamish...it doesn't matter if it's 2000, 2100 or 2200 when there are 2400 players available.

It's worded as an invariable rule. Will it be varied - that might be tough on 2200s who go to great effort to play enough games.

I can see where the selectors are coming from in wanting players who play to have been more active to strengthen the team- but worded as an absolute requirement, it could have the opposite effect.

[andyburnett]

Hi all, Thanks for the responses - I'll try to answer them in order and as best I can.

'This will penalise those players who don't have an income'. (Andy Muir)

Hi Andy, Having been in this position myself I understand your concern, but chess is one of the cheapest 'hobbies' out there in financial terms. The 15 game requirement translates to a league commitment and 2 FIDE-rated weekenders, for example: the '8 FIDE-rated games' rather than 9 was chosen to allow for Friday night byes, There may also be funds available for those in need through Friends of Chess, which I myself accessed and which paid for a 9-round FIDE-rated event. Others I know have also been granted funds in this way. I also worked 3 jobs in the run-up to my 'FM travels' in order to fund it. Not easy, but if chess is important to you, you'll find a way.

'Also the selection deadline date is unknown' (Andy Muir)

Andy, It is not unknown - it just hasn't been published yet. There will be at least 6 clear months between publishing it and the deadline'

'Does this mean (presumably it does) that a top player who is slightly short of the 15 games in six months will not be considered, even if the next highest player who meets the requirement was much lower rated, eg 2000?' - (Walter Buchanan)

Hi Walter, the number is 15 (not 11 or 14) for a number of reasons: a) It means everyone knows in advance what is required b) It is half of the 30 games required for ratings to be statistically worthwhile, c) There is no need for selectors to judge whether a player has played regularly enough or not to be selected and d) Hamish answered that one I think

'One can imagine all sorts of reasons why a player might genuinely be unable to play 8 FIDE rated games in a six month period. I would suggest that you write the selection criteria in more general terms' (Matt Turner)

Hi Matt, This is true. Money troubles, health problems, new child, etc etc. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of chess sometimes - but it is no different to any other pursuit. I would say to this that the person should then focus on the next 'cycle'.

[Andrew Greet]

One of the worst scenarios that may arise under this rule would be if Jonathan Rowson decides, say a month before the selection deadline, that he'd like to play in the 2018 Olympiad (or some other future event). Even if he's rusty, he's still Scotland's strongest player and would be a huge asset to the national team, but under these rules he would be excluded. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

There should be at least a bit of wiggle room, to use Matthew's term. The rule as it stands is, to put it mildly, not in the best interests of Scottish chess.

(Post edited as a few other issues came to mind - see below)

There could be other knock-on effects. For example, as Colin McNab said to me earlier, he makes every effort to play in the Scottish Championship most years, which requires taking at least a week off work. However, with the Scottish taking place in the summer, it's unlikely to fall into the six-month window for the games to count. That could lead to him and potentially other players saving their annual leave and playing in some other international event which takes place at a suitable time to qualify. Not a good outcome for the national championship.

Also, thinking about the women's team, Elaine Bamber had a baby earlier this year and is unlikely to be playing any tournaments for a while; but for all I know, she might feel ready to play some chess by this time next year. Presumably in that scenario she will also be ineligible for the Olympiad, with her place on the team going to a vastly weaker player.

[George Neave]

I vote against. It's clear there are a few players with the time, money and inclination to play much more than some other, stronger, players. Generally for representing Scotland, playing strength should trump all other factors.

That being said, I have always liked the idea that the current Scottish Champ should get a spot in the Olympiad team. This has been debated at length before. Personally, I think that is enough on topic of rewards for participation and would leave it at that.

[robin moore]

If ChessScotland's members are funding a part of Olympiad and similar events financing then surely it's fair to expect the players selected to support active Scottish chess? One of the best ways would be to play Fide rated weekend congresses, national league or a national club event like the Richardson. Eight Fide rated games is far from unreasonable to ask to be considered to represent your country. If they are unprepared to do so, don't consider them for selection.