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If I am allowed to have a view, it would be the same as Donalds. We badly need to invest in equipment if we want to continue to provide a service.
"How sad to see, what used to be, a model of decorum and tranquility become like any other sport, a battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee"
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David G Congalton Wrote:As for the current budget, it should be noted that at the start of the financial year there was a projected deficit for the year of £1,320.
I believe that the projected deficit was actually £1,060, as it was agreed to reduce the grant to the Correspondence Association.
If we have a saving in one area then should we not be looking to reduce the deficit? Given there appears to be no specific requirement to spend the money under the International Budget then this just means if we spend it in another area it is just cash coming out of reserves.
Donald Wilson Wrote:As I understand it, money left unspent in any financial year cannot just be carried forward to the next year - the Government will simply reduce our grant for the second year by the amount underspent in the first year. In effect, they will just take the surplus off us. Assuming that everyone else has come in on budget then the projected surplus is £248, but there may have been overspends elsewhere (? David), so we may not have the issue of the Government reducing our grant if we don't spend this cash.
If new clocks are required then it should be submitted as an expenditure item for next year's budget. =)
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A few questions
I got £6500 last year, what is my budget for 2013/14 ? £2000 ?
What is my cycle ? 1,2 or 3 years ?
When is the blitz and what is the format ?
What's wrong with analogue clocks ?
Why can't we get anyone to organise FIDE rated tournaments ?
Why is no-one getting any IM titles anymore ?
Do we want to spend money on training the 2200+ players ?
Should senior chess get a bigger share since they are most successful ?
One problem is appearance fees for Olympiad : I have to reserve money if Jonathan Rowson & Paul Motwani play but if they don't play, the money is left over
That's a lot to decide
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Andy
I have sent you an e-mail regarding your first point.
If you have mislaid my e-mail address or changed yours, please send me a message through the forum.
DGC
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amuir Wrote:What's wrong with analogue clocks ?
I'll make sure you have one for your next tournament
"How sad to see, what used to be, a model of decorum and tranquility become like any other sport, a battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee"
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amuir Wrote:For 2013 there are e.g.
European Team in November, perhaps £1500 for that, I'll play if selected
Entry fees for CS nominated players
Paul Motwani + other training
Players trying for titles
Would anyone want to organise a FIDE rated tournament ? etc
Andy, is that a suggested use of funds, or an actual use of funds?
amuir Wrote:Why can't we get anyone to organise FIDE rated tournaments ?
Why is no-one getting any IM titles anymore ?
I think you have answered your own question here. Availability of FIDE events comprising of strong opponents for Scottish players. With SNCL and Richardson not being FIDE rated any more, it basically only leaves the Scottish; and if like me something crops up meaning you can't make it, you are totally stuffed. Only solution is to look abroad, but then trying to find holidays and finance makes it discouraging. You will know much better than most, but I think playing events of a high caliber fairly regularly is a necessity for any aspiring titled player. I believe Scotland has players capable, it is just unfortunate that chess culture in the UK is so grim.
amuir Wrote:What's wrong with analogue clocks ?
Time scrambles!
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Adam Bremner Wrote:amuir Wrote:Why is no-one getting any IM titles anymore ?
I think you have answered your own question here. Availability of FIDE events comprising of strong opponents for Scottish players. With SNCL and Richardson not being FIDE rated any more, it basically only leaves the Scottish; and if like me something crops up meaning you can't make it, you are totally stuffed. Only solution is to look abroad, but then trying to find holidays and finance makes it discouraging. You will know much better than most, but I think playing events of a high caliber fairly regularly is a necessity for any aspiring titled player. I believe Scotland has players capable, it is just unfortunate that chess culture in the UK is so grim.
Yeah, to an extent. Jonathon Hawkins made his GM title (if he's not there it's a matter of time) entirely within the UK. Okay, it is easier in England as many of the tournaments like e2e4, Classic ect. are down there. Maybe funding to these tournaments is an idea? Even a few quid to help with travel goes a long way considering most of our candidates for titles are students.
Having at least one FIDE rated tourney in Scotland would be nice, the Scottish was a good start but not ideal for norms: the huge volume of players means you've got to start off playing really well or you'll end up playing lower rated players. A closed tournament like the one held in Alva St. a few years ago would be perfect but obviously not so easy for funding as you need foreign IM/GMs. Does Jacob count as a foreign GM for these purposes (this is if he still plays)?
Not FIDE rating SNCL and congresses makes at least some sense to me even though I disagree with it: I think people should defend their rating no matter the time control. Fair enough if the majority don't agree, I can see where they are coming from. Not FIDE rating the Richardson is a joke, one game a day against top opposition in the premier competition in Scotland? What was the reason given at the AGM?
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Just remembered there was the preparation issues of not knowing who you were playing against in advance. That doesn't seem like a good enough reason to me, you might have to start thinking earlier is the only downside. It's still a game in the best conditions possible.
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Calum MacQueen Wrote:Yeah, to an extent. Jonathon Hawkins made his GM title (if he's not there it's a matter of time) entirely within the UK. Okay, it is easier in England as many of the tournaments like e2e4, Classic ect. are down there. Maybe funding to these tournaments is an idea? Even a few quid to help with travel goes a long way considering most of our candidates for titles are students.
Having at least one FIDE rated tourney in Scotland would be nice, the Scottish was a good start but not ideal for norms: the huge volume of players means you've got to start off playing really well or you'll end up playing lower rated players. A closed tournament like the one held in Alva St. a few years ago would be perfect but obviously not so easy for funding as you need foreign IM/GMs. Does Jacob count as a foreign GM for these purposes (this is if he still plays)?
The thing with Hawkins is he is more an exception rather than the rule. 4ncl is horrendously expensive (works out over £100 a game to play in), the British is more expensive to play in than the Czech Open, and the e2e4 events don't allow norms usually due to number of games. You can get a title in the UK alone yes, but it makes much more sense to travel, and takes much less time rather than having to wait for the few events to come round.
Calum is also dead right about the Scottish: great event, but not ideal for norms. That is not meant in an elitist way in teh sense of having to play lower rated players, it just so happens that in order to hit the big TPRs required you need to realistically only have 2 or 3 opponents under 2100.
As a further point, look what happens when Scots do go on their travels. Calum very nearly got an IM norm last year, Clement has picked up a win against the reigning Corus C group winner, and Alan has IM and GM norms. The potential is there!
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There may be a danger of a lack of disciplined focus and realism in some of the above!?
The budget is annually (at least in an Olympiad year) c. £6,500 and less in non-Olympiad, European Team Championship years primarily because the lion's share of the budget must properly (in my view) go to these events. Given the financial parameters I would continue to aspire to covering full expenses for Olympiads and up the cover on the Euro champs from around a third to a half. I would not provide fees to any Olympiad player ... but would encourage CS to help any selected player who feels that they might merit a fee to seek private sponsorship to cover this ... Debate!!
Could I also stress that these are unquestionably potentially norm achieving tournaments on virtually every board (ten of them). I am amazed that those complaining about the lack of support by CS for norm chances don't seem to notice that or value it - it's worth a lot! Any serious norm chaser should as their first priority aim to get a place in one or other of these teams and then go for it. As one or two players may duck Olympiad / Euro Team champs because they can't get private fee sponsorship, there are indeed massive current opportunities for selection by many of our untitled young players. Many of our older titled players owe at least some of their norms to playing in such events ... under the kind of financial conditions described above.
CS should moreover be seeking to support (one) nominated player in the annual European individual championships. I doubt that much can be afforded yet. But at the very least CS should be prepared to pay the entry fee. Possibly also, say a third of costs ... as long as the selectors consider that CS nominated entrant to be of sufficient strength (say minimum 2300 ELO or CS). CS should also do the same for its nominated female entrant.
As for the seniors, I think I have to pass to others to decide, as I'm involved. I did, however, suggest that CS should aspire to pay the formal entry fees for the main nominated player in the annual European and World Champs, again as long as they consider that this player is of sufficient minimum strength. I simply don't think that as a matter of principle, CS should do less for any of its properly nominated representatives in a formal FIDE or ECU championships ... it is a member of both orgs after all and should be trying to support these orgs' events as well as it can!
I don't think that CS should be supporting any other norm event other than its own annual Scottish Championships ... another outstanding contribution, given CS's exceptionally low budgetary base. Adding that one in, which is open to all norm seekers bar none at all, means to my mind that CS is already doing about as much as it can not just for norm seekers but also for Scottish chess as a whole ... and it's a lot.
CS contributions to other events must I think be seen as a frill ... with the possible exception of the annual Euro Club Championships ... here I think I'd also like to see CS aspire to pay the entry fee for all the reasons given above.
But CS should, of course, always be prepared to encourage and use any spare money to help any private Scottish sponsor organise more international events on Scottish soil, in so far as they can. But CS can't and shouldn't remotely be expected to somehow feather-bed all non-FIDE or non-ECU events ... that's where the private sector comes in. Moreover this is actually already happening ... CS arbiters, provision of digital clocks and the electronic demo boards linked to the internet (largely for free!?).
Possibly CS could consider awarding one or two annual grants to spend towards costs in participating in private international norm-bearing events (of an approved strength) of say circa £500 each to say one or two CS nominated u-25 players.
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