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ACF Bulletin No. 23 - June 27,
1999
[If you wish to correspond with Graeme Gardiner, please do so via
ggardiner@somerset.qld.edu.au]
CHESS ACADEMY
I still haven't heard anything from Jacky Kelly but for the first time the
academy has been mentioned in parliament. Last Monday Tim Fischer answered
a Dorothy Dixer from Mr Haase during question time re the Export Markets
Development Grants Scheme.
He started off by announcing that 3,021 Australian businesses received
EMDGs this financial year totalling over $145 million. He went on about
various export matters and rural exporters and then right out of the blue
came the following:
'I just briefly say that almost one in five of the EMDGs are in respect of
the tourism industry. I do not even bill the Department of Sport and
Tourism for that particular bonus budget allocation; it comes from my
department. It is worth about $20 million to the tourism industry.
When Jacky Kelly returns I will remind her that it has to be worth at least
one allocation to the chess academy, sooner rather than later.'
This extract from Hansard was faxed to me by my MP, Margaret May. ABC Radio
picked up the story.
IOC OFFICIALLY RECOGNISES FIDE
The Executive Board of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) decided at
a meeting in Seoul (June 13-15, 1999) that FIDE be granted recognition
under Rule 29 of the Olympic Charter. The decision should make it easier to
gain sports funding from National Governments and paves the way for its
eventual inclusion in the Olympics.
These are the exact words as they appeared in Mark Crowther's The Week in
Chess.
SWISS PERFECT
The ACF Council have approved the purchase of a bulk licence for the Swiss
Perfect pairings system which is being developed in Australia by Robert
Rozycki.
The main reasons for the ACF purchasing the bulk licence are as follows:
* Encourage clubs to run more mass paticipation tournaments which are
virtually impossible to run without the help of a computerised pairings
programme
* Standardise the pairings programmes so that the ratings job can be
simplified
* Improve communication by making it easier to send results around and have
them advertised on the internet
* Generally make the task of chess organisers simpler
Swiss Perfect was chosen over its rivals because it is cheaper, it is
Australian and the owner has shown that he is prepared to make improvements
at short notice. Also, in the opinion of several people who have trialed
the alternatives, it is simply a better programme.
If your club would like a free licenced copy, please email me with your
name, the name of your club and your physical address for delivery. Your
club must be a financial member of your state association.
NOOSA OPEN
Gary Lane of the UK won this tournament outright.
CORRESPONDENCE
JEAN-GEORGES ESTIOT:
The problem with Australian Chess is that too many are pushing their own
agenda and too few have a vision for the future. Many ego-driven chess
administrators confuse managing the game with playing it and invariably end
up playing chess with people. Sadly, this turns a beautiful game into a
very ordinary proposition. Before wondering about attracting more people to
competitive chess, ask yourselves this question: what have you got to offer?
JASON LYONS:
Peter Hanna raised the issue of an Easter weekender in Sydney, stating that
it might draw "hundreds". There are two realities that Peter should consider:
1. The Doeberl Cup is the best weekend tournament in the country, and
Sydney players - both adult and junior - compete en mass each and every year.
2. The average attendance in Sydney weekenders in the past 2 years is below
50 (Doeberl averages about 150!). Contrary to Peter's assertion, players
vote with their backsides by playing in the Doeberl Cup, staying away from
weekenders in Sydney.
Venues, organisation and publicity of weekenders in Sydney verge on the
incompetent. Peter ought to consider how we in Sydney might go about fixing
up our own backyard rather than trying to sabotaging Canberra's.
ALAN THOMAS (International Arbiter)
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding some of the applications
for FIDE Master titles arising from the Zonal tournament held on the Gold
Coast.
Peter Parr (an International Arbiter) makes several telling points, the
main ones I feel being:
1. No player for whom a claim has been lodged has attained a FIDE rating of
2300;
2. Several (just how many is unclear from the tournament report) of the
claimants have not yet played their necessary complement of 24 rated games.
3. Without special dispensation being granted by the ACF, none of the
claimants will be eligible to play in the Australian championship. (Indeed,
two have ACF ratings lower than me, and I regard myself as an average club
player.)
In the past, it has been a pre-requisite for Australian players seeking
FIDE norms and titles to comply with the conditions set down by this
governing body. If the present claims are successful, it will not be a case
of them being a 'little soft' . . . they will simply not be worth the paper
they are written on.
I would hope that the ACF reconsiders this matter as a matter of urgency,
to prevent the culture of 'titles at any cost' reaching Australia.
Editorial comment: Players may achieve FIDE titles in many ways; 2300
ratings and 24 rated games are not prerequisites for any title. All players
who achieved titles in the Gold Coast zonal complied with the conditions
for their titles as set down by FIDE.
Yours in chess
Graeme Gardiner
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Graeme Gardiner
President, Australian Chess Federation
C/- Somerset College, Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba Q 4213
Phone 07 5530 3777 (w) 07 5530 5794 (h) Fax 07 5525 2676 (w)
Email: ggardiner@somerset.qld.edu.au
http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/chess/
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