25-06-2023, 08:32 PM
totally disagree with absolutely everything you say Alan, at 90 + entrants with a week to go before the entry date approaches, it is proving to be popular. I would also like to know who I am pampering to. If the 64 player ceiling for the championship is reached this week, we will probably not allow any late entries.
I was thinking that maybe a free entry to a 9 day norm tournament for the top 10 players for next year's weekend congress could be an idea but thats a decision for next year. I'm not implementing this year but I considered putting the idea forward to the management board this year but as you know from management board meetings (if you attended I can remember if you were there) I only took this on at the very last meeting.
You will be pleased Alan that this will be my last rodeo regarding the Scottish, I'm totally fed up with cheap comments given the very limited resources we had for this and previous years and I totally resent the Pandering comment. you say pandering and I say listening. My mandate was to run the Scottish without a loss and I've done that already. I have one sponsor in place and I'm hoping to have a second in place for this year's and subsequent events. Listening to what the majority wants is working well and detractors are just showing themselves up.
Edinburgh Chess Club was a good fit last year although you yourself didn't enter. We were coming out of Covid restrictions but we still had issues and one or more players had to withdraw because of Covid. Venues were impossible to source and Edinburgh Chess Club were having their bicentenary celebrations so it made absolute sense to hold it there with their generous support and I'll always be grateful for that. yes I could have done that this year again with ECC's help and support but the feedback indicated more people wanted to play rather than watch from a distance therefor ECC as you call it wasnt ideal. Again this was discussed in detail at the management board meeting as other options were discussed before my direct involvement this year. We have also had the rapid progress of some of our juniors (grateful thanks to the Junior Bard and both our junior directors) and participation in the Scottish must be an aspiration for them.
I was thinking that maybe a free entry to a 9 day norm tournament for the top 10 players for next year's weekend congress could be an idea but thats a decision for next year. I'm not implementing this year but I considered putting the idea forward to the management board this year but as you know from management board meetings (if you attended I can remember if you were there) I only took this on at the very last meeting.
You will be pleased Alan that this will be my last rodeo regarding the Scottish, I'm totally fed up with cheap comments given the very limited resources we had for this and previous years and I totally resent the Pandering comment. you say pandering and I say listening. My mandate was to run the Scottish without a loss and I've done that already. I have one sponsor in place and I'm hoping to have a second in place for this year's and subsequent events. Listening to what the majority wants is working well and detractors are just showing themselves up.
Edinburgh Chess Club was a good fit last year although you yourself didn't enter. We were coming out of Covid restrictions but we still had issues and one or more players had to withdraw because of Covid. Venues were impossible to source and Edinburgh Chess Club were having their bicentenary celebrations so it made absolute sense to hold it there with their generous support and I'll always be grateful for that. yes I could have done that this year again with ECC's help and support but the feedback indicated more people wanted to play rather than watch from a distance therefor ECC as you call it wasnt ideal. Again this was discussed in detail at the management board meeting as other options were discussed before my direct involvement this year. We have also had the rapid progress of some of our juniors (grateful thanks to the Junior Bard and both our junior directors) and participation in the Scottish must be an aspiration for them.