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on the emails so far
central venue - pretty much divided
incremental time controls slightly more in favour but more apathy here
digital clocks - most people want to use them but most people dont know how to use them. One potential home team would require the away team to set them up!
A pretty poor response so far. I will wait until the weekend and will then poll (by email) this year's team captains as well as interested member chess clubs.
As predicted by one wag , apathy is winning here, and as predicted by myself , there is confusion as to what a I mean by a central venue - which to be specific is a venue where a complete round is played. The central venue idea does not guarantee the same venue each round nor does it guarantee its geographic location. Most clubs have different ideas of a central geographic location which I find hilarious. It also takes away the flexibility of playing rounds weeks before the official playing date. I also appreciate the logistics of travelling for some clubs especially an eight man team.
Personally I dont see the innovations of either the central venue or incremental times being used unless there is overriding support for them which I simply dont see at the moment. Seperating the controls between the Spens Cup and the Richardson and the Spens would be difficult but not impossible. There is also the logistics of supplying CS clocks to clubs who do not have digital clocks as well as home teams being confident of setting them up. I also think we would have to indicate a specific manufacturer of clock.
I am also exploring the possibility of a jamboree day which would host training, fun events etc. Any ideas would be appreciated possibly the use of clocks or blitz events simuls etc
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1. Does your club have digital clocks? Yes
2. Do you or your club members know how to set them up for tournaments, and apply adjustments for penalties if required? No idea, but the Internet exists and so does Google.
3. Would you prefer to use digital or analogue clocks? Digital
4. Would you like to see the introduction of incremental time controls within these tournaments? Don't mind
5.Would you like to see team tournaments played at a central venue? Could be worth trying. Anything is better than the current format.
6. Are you happy or unhappy at the existing format of the team tournaments? See 5. Knockouts don't work with only 8 teams. Where is the tension? Getting to the last 8 should be an achievement in itself, not the start of the tournament!
7. Do you have any comments on any aspect of these CS Tournaments , if so please list them below and either post them here or send them to me by email
If people aren't responding then just take the initiative and do something (please).
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Digital clocks are, I think, definitely the way forward as they are simply more reliable technologically than old-style 'clockwork'. I also personally prefer increments, though this is perhaps less critical a change, certainly immediately.
Don't have a strong view on 'central venue' but I'm not sure that this can be discussed terribly meaningfully without some idea of where it/these may be and at what stages in the various events. It's also important to be clear whether there is any push for non-chess reasons in all this. E.g. lack of arbiters able to assure FIDE rating for events!? I'm not convinced that any such reasons (if any, please clearly specify) should settle what should be essentially 'competitive chess' reasons for change.
Would perhaps be good if we could somehow meaningfully 'regionalise' the events. Say with NE, Highlands & Islands, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Central, SW, SE 'champions' meeting in a final Scottish championship weekend ... I know the regions listed need an 8th, by the way ... but this is only to instal a thought in folks' minds. In all this, perhaps match play by internet might be allowable in event of long-distances in the regional events ... but not in the Scot Ch Final.
Hope helpful
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1. Does your club have digital clocks
Yes
2. Do you or your club members know how to set them up for tournaments, and apply adjustments for penalties if required
Yes. Increments might require some learning.
3. Would you prefer to use digital or analog clocks?
We don't have any analogue ones so definitely digital.
4. Would you like to see the introduction of incremental time controls within these tournaments
Not fussed, would help a time trouble addict like me but with my captain hat on I'm a bit uneasy about end times.
5.Would you like to see team tournaments played at a central venue?
Not by my definition of central (as I have made quite plain earlier so won't repeat myself).
Quite happy to help try and organise a venue in Dundee if people are happy with that (if I lived in Ayrshire like some of the current Spens teams I certainly wouldn't like that). Can certainly get a free venue that is big enough for 3 or 4 richardson matches, perhaps more (Alison's Bar & Function Suite). If it's big enough for 4 then we could decouple Richardson from other ones and have the Semi finals & Finals there. No idea how that would increase the appeal for anyone but this seems to be the big solution to our problems according to this forum.
6. Are you happy or unhappy at the existing format of the team tournaments?
Happy enough, finals day being in Grangemouth at 12 noon is a bit awkward for us but I understand why it is the way it is. (Would be much improved if it started at 2pm like it used to).
7. Do you have any comments on any aspect of these CS Tournaments , if so please list them below and either post them here or send them to me by email
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Regionalisation has the ring of logic to it but there are two problems as far as I can see - insufficient numbers and the fact that you end up playing the same team again and again. Plenty of repetition as it is with only 8 teams but at least it's not exact same opponents every first round etc.
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thank you all for your comments much appreciated and honest and also appreciate comments and suggestions both on the forum and to my email.
Based on all your comments and suggestions and also based on the fact that we are a democracy I have determined the following
1. The Richardson Cup is not in bad shape and the initiative to have it FIDE rated is a step forward well worth the complications entailed with FIDE rated (e.g. the requirement of all players having a FIN ID prior to grading)
2. The Spens Cup needs it numbers bolstered and I think a first step would be a general membership drive. Again being FIDE rated helps make this tournament as attractive as ever. We just need more numbers.
3. The Campbell Rosebowl looks after itself. It needs to be as flexible as it can be based on the flexible of the Spens Cup
4. There is a general consensus that incremental time controls and digital chess clocks in general should be used in future. I intend to recommend implementing this for the 2017-2018 season to give all clubs a year to familiarise themselves with the working of digital clocks, e.g. for penalties, time controls etc. It is patently obviously that most clubs will require training in using these clocks so I'm sure this will have to be addressed
5. I am sure I dont have to emphasise that these tournaments are club tournaments for CS member clubs and at the moment there is no desire to change that. What has to change though is the need to replace the current rules for eligibility with a registration form which would also address the FIDE registraion requirements
6. We are also planning a one day FIDE registered rapidplay tournament possibly reinventing the MacIsaac trophy to satisfy this.
I would encourage as much debate as possible in the forum. I will also ask for discussion on this at the AGM.
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6 sounds like a great idea!
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Extract from Management Board Minutes, Feb 2016. as posted.
3. Planning and Strategy
c. McIsaac
There was a general discussion on the appeal of the McIsaac and what would be needed to involve more players. It was decided by the Management Board that the format for this would change to FIDE Rated Rapid Play Tournament. The Rules and Arbiters Committee will rewrite the rules for the McIsaac, although a decision on the Rapid Play time control has yet to be determined. Ian Brownlee to advise on the time control
.