14-03-2014, 05:43 PM
A few years ago, when I was taking my four offspring to both CFK and other events around the country, I argued that it was wrong to grade games of less than 30 minutes each as regular grades. I even got a motion to that effect passed at an AGM. This was overturned the following year due to the efforts of the then HJD. I was repeatedly informed by the people who run SJC, then as now, that it was vital to have a regular grade. Juniors and their parents valued it highly, as did the SJC personnel, but it would appear not highly enough to actually pay for it.
It is not correct that juniors are to be charged more for a 25 minute game than adults. The fee for grading an adult allegro result has for years been 18p, while for juniors it has been 9p. The rates proposed for next year are 20p and 10p respectively. The proposed 25p for juniors is for the game to be graded as regular, which will cost 50p+ for an adult game, which, incidentally, must exceed 60 minutes.
The idea that funds from junior chess are used to support Elite Adult Chess is risible. The projected budget for next season sees income from Juniors as being less than £2000, while expenditure on Junior Chess is over £6000. I believe that this has pretty much been the case since I became interested in chess,. I have looked at the accounts for the last 5 years, and, to my untrained eye, expenditure on, has always exceeded income from, junior chess.
The wringing of hands, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth in expectations of impending doom are hilarious. The entry fee is probably the smallest expenditure in relation to entering a junior event, unless you live literally next door to the venue.
I have never been able to understand why this valuable, nay essential item, the regular grade, which puts you on the same scale as Magnus Carlsen, (actually it was Kramnick when this argument was made) given away free in the first place. The English Chess Federation don't give grades away for free, neither will they grade anything that has a time of less than 60 minutes as 'regular'. Note that I am not saying that the English system is better, it is just that it is the only system that I can compare CS with.
It is not correct that juniors are to be charged more for a 25 minute game than adults. The fee for grading an adult allegro result has for years been 18p, while for juniors it has been 9p. The rates proposed for next year are 20p and 10p respectively. The proposed 25p for juniors is for the game to be graded as regular, which will cost 50p+ for an adult game, which, incidentally, must exceed 60 minutes.
The idea that funds from junior chess are used to support Elite Adult Chess is risible. The projected budget for next season sees income from Juniors as being less than £2000, while expenditure on Junior Chess is over £6000. I believe that this has pretty much been the case since I became interested in chess,. I have looked at the accounts for the last 5 years, and, to my untrained eye, expenditure on, has always exceeded income from, junior chess.
The wringing of hands, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth in expectations of impending doom are hilarious. The entry fee is probably the smallest expenditure in relation to entering a junior event, unless you live literally next door to the venue.
I have never been able to understand why this valuable, nay essential item, the regular grade, which puts you on the same scale as Magnus Carlsen, (actually it was Kramnick when this argument was made) given away free in the first place. The English Chess Federation don't give grades away for free, neither will they grade anything that has a time of less than 60 minutes as 'regular'. Note that I am not saying that the English system is better, it is just that it is the only system that I can compare CS with.