18-08-2014, 11:51 PM
Quote:I am currently in Slovakia, a country of similar size and population to Scotland, but which has 10 times as many members as CS, countless tournaments, local/regional/national leagues, and where players above 2300 will generally be paid for whatever chess match/tournament they are playing (travel/hotel and 50+ Euros per game for a Saturday/Sunday league fixture).
All the teams have sponsors, usually local companies with a strong connection to the club, many of whom also pay for training sessions/coaches. The national teams are paid through the Slovak Chess Federation for Olympiad, etc. participation
and Andy they have nearly 100 titled players compared to Scotland's 37