24-07-2012, 05:44 AM
In an ideal world we would have our top 10 GMs playing in an all play all Championship with our other GMs playing in the Open tournament below it.
We don't live in an ideal world so some compromises have to be made.
I can easily understand why people would want only those registered as SCO being able to win the title. Unfortunately FIDE regulations mean that it can be a costly exercise to change Fecerations, and the stronger the player the more expensive it is. Also, having non-SCO players can make it easier for others to achieve titles.
Let us suppose that GM Angus McCarlson has been living in Scotland for several years and is a regular competitor on the congress scene. He has also helped younger players obtain norms by being one of the needed foreign players in norm events held here and has perhaps even offered coaching sessions.
Would it be fair to prevent this player from winning the Championship until they had (a) paid FIDE several hundred (perhaps thousand) euros to change federation and (b) made it more difficult for organisers to run title norm events for up and coming SCO players as they will now have to import another foreign player to their event.
Such a player, if they existed, would be more of an advantage to the Scottish Chess playing community as NOR than they would as SCO.
Simply, if there is to be a regulation put in place to allow only SCO players to win the title it must be worded in such a way as to allow for exceptions. I do not see the sense in regulations which mean that you cut off your nose to spite your face.
As ludicrous as it sounds there are cases where you could be considered more Scottish by not being Scottish!!
We don't live in an ideal world so some compromises have to be made.
I can easily understand why people would want only those registered as SCO being able to win the title. Unfortunately FIDE regulations mean that it can be a costly exercise to change Fecerations, and the stronger the player the more expensive it is. Also, having non-SCO players can make it easier for others to achieve titles.
Let us suppose that GM Angus McCarlson has been living in Scotland for several years and is a regular competitor on the congress scene. He has also helped younger players obtain norms by being one of the needed foreign players in norm events held here and has perhaps even offered coaching sessions.
Would it be fair to prevent this player from winning the Championship until they had (a) paid FIDE several hundred (perhaps thousand) euros to change federation and (b) made it more difficult for organisers to run title norm events for up and coming SCO players as they will now have to import another foreign player to their event.
Such a player, if they existed, would be more of an advantage to the Scottish Chess playing community as NOR than they would as SCO.
Simply, if there is to be a regulation put in place to allow only SCO players to win the title it must be worded in such a way as to allow for exceptions. I do not see the sense in regulations which mean that you cut off your nose to spite your face.
As ludicrous as it sounds there are cases where you could be considered more Scottish by not being Scottish!!