16-09-2016, 12:35 PM
Found my notes. Just to correct an earlier statement, we are currently ranked 58th in the world and 40th in Europe (I got the 70s from the table for 2016, it was just alphabetical so apologies for the mistake), To give you an idea the following European Countries are ranked lower than us.
Portugal, Ireland, Monaco, Luxemburg, Andorra, Faroe Islands, Kosovo, Wales, Albania, Malta, Cyprus, San Marino, Guernsey, Lichtenstein and Jeresey
Everyone else ranks above us. That's the reality at the moment.
A couple of more facts from the Commission
101 of the 189 member federations do not have a GM (We have 6)
132 do not have a WGM (including us)
Europe contributed 8,543 of the open tournaments in FIDE (79%), of that we have 6 - 10 from memory (Davids, + Edinburgh + Scottish, the team events don't count as they are not classed as an open tournament)
There were 1,195,894 rated games played in 2015. Austria (Population just over 8 million) were in the top 20 with 39,941. I am hoping to get the figures but we are not going to be into 4 figures.
Greece, France and Czech Republic at the top 3 for Chess "Tourism" (Games played by foreign players)
The top 5 countries with players playing in tournament abroad are Germany, Russia, Ukraine, India and Poland
You want to improve our performances, we need to do the groundwork. With Brexit and the pound crashing v the Euro, we are now a cheap destination. Why is that such a good thing? If we can tap into the chess tourism, we can get players from abroad playing in the tournaments. Suddenly you are not playing the same players weekend in and out.
I think the most fundamental thing we should do is to wherever possible, ensure at least the top section of a weekend open is FIDE graded. Not only that but advertise it on the FIDE calendar. Lets tap into this chess tourism, make Scotland a destination that players want to play in and increase the pool that our top players play against. I know some players are against it, if you want to bring in foreign players to add to the experience pool, it is going to have to be done.
Secondly, lets look at getting funding for organizing some round robin norm tournaments. We have an excellent venue in the Edinburgh Chess Club. We also have a suitable cheap venue for a small tournament in Glasgow.
Thirdly, we need to re-energize our congress scene. Falling numbers and tournaments not continuing is not an acceptable situation and sitting on our backsides is not going to do anything about it. We have experienced people who know how to run tournaments that can help. Want to run a tournament but not sure of how to do it. Ask one of us (David, Alex, Myself to name just a few). We have the experience there to assist.
Fourthly, and this ties in to point 3, we need the support structure in place. We need more arbiters. To maintain arbiter status, you need to be an arbiter at a couple of events every 2 years. You don't have to be out most weekends like some of us (who are doing it as there is no one else!). We need people to learn how to use the live boards. There is a new proposed system coming in that I would like to use that will dramatically improve the viewing experience. I'll tell you now I am not doing it myself.
Fifthly, again tying into point 3. We need bodies to help us. We can't do this alone. Nearly a month ago, I put an appeal for volunteers for Council. I have a huge number of responses (exactly 0!)
Sixthly, Where possible, use incremental time controls to get players used to them.
Finally, and this is probably, the most obvious. We need to increase our membership, a greater membership brings in more money giving more funds to do things. For example, funding training for all members (not just the top players), organizing norm tournaments etc etc.
You want to see improvements? You want to see better performances? We need to get the basics working and we are now at the stage where either people start coming forward and helping or we will as Johnathan has said, go into terminal decline.
Portugal, Ireland, Monaco, Luxemburg, Andorra, Faroe Islands, Kosovo, Wales, Albania, Malta, Cyprus, San Marino, Guernsey, Lichtenstein and Jeresey
Everyone else ranks above us. That's the reality at the moment.
A couple of more facts from the Commission
101 of the 189 member federations do not have a GM (We have 6)
132 do not have a WGM (including us)
Europe contributed 8,543 of the open tournaments in FIDE (79%), of that we have 6 - 10 from memory (Davids, + Edinburgh + Scottish, the team events don't count as they are not classed as an open tournament)
There were 1,195,894 rated games played in 2015. Austria (Population just over 8 million) were in the top 20 with 39,941. I am hoping to get the figures but we are not going to be into 4 figures.
Greece, France and Czech Republic at the top 3 for Chess "Tourism" (Games played by foreign players)
The top 5 countries with players playing in tournament abroad are Germany, Russia, Ukraine, India and Poland
You want to improve our performances, we need to do the groundwork. With Brexit and the pound crashing v the Euro, we are now a cheap destination. Why is that such a good thing? If we can tap into the chess tourism, we can get players from abroad playing in the tournaments. Suddenly you are not playing the same players weekend in and out.
I think the most fundamental thing we should do is to wherever possible, ensure at least the top section of a weekend open is FIDE graded. Not only that but advertise it on the FIDE calendar. Lets tap into this chess tourism, make Scotland a destination that players want to play in and increase the pool that our top players play against. I know some players are against it, if you want to bring in foreign players to add to the experience pool, it is going to have to be done.
Secondly, lets look at getting funding for organizing some round robin norm tournaments. We have an excellent venue in the Edinburgh Chess Club. We also have a suitable cheap venue for a small tournament in Glasgow.
Thirdly, we need to re-energize our congress scene. Falling numbers and tournaments not continuing is not an acceptable situation and sitting on our backsides is not going to do anything about it. We have experienced people who know how to run tournaments that can help. Want to run a tournament but not sure of how to do it. Ask one of us (David, Alex, Myself to name just a few). We have the experience there to assist.
Fourthly, and this ties in to point 3, we need the support structure in place. We need more arbiters. To maintain arbiter status, you need to be an arbiter at a couple of events every 2 years. You don't have to be out most weekends like some of us (who are doing it as there is no one else!). We need people to learn how to use the live boards. There is a new proposed system coming in that I would like to use that will dramatically improve the viewing experience. I'll tell you now I am not doing it myself.
Fifthly, again tying into point 3. We need bodies to help us. We can't do this alone. Nearly a month ago, I put an appeal for volunteers for Council. I have a huge number of responses (exactly 0!)
Sixthly, Where possible, use incremental time controls to get players used to them.
Finally, and this is probably, the most obvious. We need to increase our membership, a greater membership brings in more money giving more funds to do things. For example, funding training for all members (not just the top players), organizing norm tournaments etc etc.
You want to see improvements? You want to see better performances? We need to get the basics working and we are now at the stage where either people start coming forward and helping or we will as Johnathan has said, go into terminal decline.
"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"