ACF Bulletin No. 55 - 27 February, 2000
MEMORANDUM ON THE COMMERCIALISATION OF FIDE
A few days ago FIDE issued a 'Memorandum on the Commercialisation of FIDE'.
The aims in the document are so far reaching that many people around the
world are outraged not only at the content but that the FIDE Presidential
Board was due to approve the changes without consultation this weekend.
I have written to The President of FIDE, KIRSAN ILYUMZHINOV with a copy to
the Continental President, MOHAMMED AL HITMI advising that the Australian
Chess Federation believes that this is far too important a matter to be
decided by the Presidential Board and should wait until the FIDE Congress
at Istanbul later this year. Several other federations around the world
feel the same way.
Amongst many controversial matters in the document are FIDE gains "total
management and control of all activities related to chess" and organisers
of chess events are asked to apply to FIDE for permission and if they do
not cooperate as FIDE asks they are threatened by sanctions. FIDE Commerce,
who to date have raised virtually no funds, are given enormous powers in
the document and receive very handsome commission.
A full copy of the FIDE proposal is shown on the FIDE webpage
http://www.worldfide.com. I understand our
webmaster, ANDREW ALLEN, will be
putting this document up on the ACF webpage together with comments from
other federations.
We apologise for the delay with our new webpage at
http://www.auschess.org.au We understand that the
people who register new
'org.au' domains are all volunteers and registration can take a couple of
months (we put in our registration during November). In the meantime the
webpage will remain at http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/chess
.
**********
DEATH OF ELAINE CHONG
I'm extremely sad to report the death of Elaine Chong who would have been
18 this year. The NSW chess community is particularly shocked and
devastated. Elaine was Australian Girls' Champion in Perth in January 1997
and later that year came =7th in the World Girls' Under 16 Championship
held in Armenia.
The funeral will be held at St John's Anglican Church, Maroubra on
Wednesday 1 March at 10am.
I'm sure that all of you will join with us to extend our sympathy to
Elaine's family at this very sad time.
**********
TOURNAMENT RESULTS TO RATINGS OFFICER
If anyone has any tournament results which have not yet been submitted to
the ratings officer, please could you do so as a matter of urgency so that
all the latest results are available to the various selection panels. Thank
you.
**********
REGISTRATION OF INTEREST FOR ZONAL / OLYMPIAD
I understand from ROBERT JAMIESON that we have a very large number of male
nominations but only four female nominations. May I remind everyone,
especially the female players, that the deadline for nominations is
tomorrow, 28 February.
**********
PARKROYAL SURFERS PARADISE INTERNATIONAL, 7-17 JUNE
For various reasons I have increased the prize money for this event which
features at least four GMs; NIKOLIC, FTACNIK, ROGERS and JOHANSEN.
1st $1,600, 2nd $1,200, 3rd $800, 4th $500, 5th $300 6th $200, Under 2200
$400.
Total Prize Money is now $5,000.
Entry forms will be available early this week in hard copy format. Please
let me know if you need one. A copy was available in text format in last
week's bulletin and soon you will be able to download a brochure as a PDF
file from the ACF webpage. I will publish updated details on the entire
Garry Koshnitsky Memorial Australian Chess Festival, which runs from 7 June
to 13 August, in next week's bulletin.
**********
RESTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
The restructure committee has commenced work with the task of making final
recommendations to the ACF Council by 20 June. Those involved on the
committee (regrettably with no female representatives) are:
GRAEME GARDINER (ACF, Chair) ggardiner@somerset.qld.edu.au
NORM GREENWOOD (ACF) normg@bigpond.com.au
IAN MURRAY (Qld) chessqld@gil.com.au
MIKE WALSH (NSW) 76702.3153@compuserve.com
(C/O BILL GLETSOS)
DENIS JESSOP (ACT) denis.jessop@effect.net.au
GARY WASTELL (Vic) gwastell@netspace.net.au
KEVIN BONHAM (Tas) k_bonham@postoffice.utas.edu.au
JOE TANTI (SA) jtanti@adelaide.dialix.oz.au
MIKE PARTIS (WA) mpartis@acs.uwa.edu.au
TERRY O'NEILL (NT) colon@topend.com.au
**********
EMAIL DATABASE
This bulletin now goes to over 600 people interested in Australian chess.
For every extra person added to the list its effectiveness is increased. If
you can think of one person (or more) involved in any way with Australian
chess who may not be receiving the bulletin please let me know their email
address.
**********
UPCOMING GRAND PRIX EVENTS
4-6 March Labour Day Open, Hobart Migrant Resource Centre
DAVID FERRIS dcferris@netspace.net.au 03
6225 1523
11-12 March Hervey Bay Open, Hervey Bay Hotel/Resort
DEREK ELKINGTON, 07 4126 0201
11-12 March Ballarat Begonia Open, Ballarat School of Mines
PATRICK COOK 03 5331 6658
**********
UNIVERSITY CHESS
I'm advised by the organiser of the Global Youth Tertiary Institutes Chess
Challenge (WESLEY KWON k3107267@ntu.edu.sg) due
to be held in Singapore
from 22-28 June that the requirement for each team to include at least one
female has been dropped.
**********
THE INAUGURAL CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN LEAGUES CHESS CLUB OPEN
You are invited to the Inaugural Canterbury-Bankstown Leagues Chess Club
Open conducted by the Canterbury-Bankstown Leagues Club Chess Club on the
Easter weekend. Excellent, bright playing conditions exist in our new chess
room with safe parking available.
Date: Saturday 22nd and Monday 24th April 2000. NB No Easter Sunday play
Venue: Bridge Room, 2nd Floor, Canterbury-Bankstown Leagues Club, 26 Bridge
Road Belmore - 2 minutes walk from Belmore Railway Station on
southern-western side.
Schedule: The tournament will be a 6 round Swiss starting 10 am sharp
Saturday with the second day commencing on Monday 10 am sharp.
Ratings & Time Controls: Games will be of one hour per player, loss on flag
fall. Moves are to be recorded and will be submitted to N.S.W.C.A. to be
rated.
Entries: $20.00 full, $10.00 concession and juniors $6.
Prizes: There will be a guaranteed first prize of $150 plus second and
third prizes. Additionally, there will be three ratings group prizes and
junior first, second and third.
100% of entry fee money collected will be allocated to prizes
Dress: Neat clean dress suitable for registered clubs is required; no
thongs, sandals, T-shirts or singlets permitted.
Juniors will be escorted to the playing area by tournament organizers and
suitably supervised.
Call RON KITE on 9798-6425 or 0408-402-157, PETER HANNA 0411-391-966 or
PAUL SIKE 9533-1759. Postal address 6 Sylvanus Street, Greenacre 2190.
E-mail: rational@mpx.com.au
If you are not going to Canberra than why not come to Canterbury!
**********
SWISS PERFECT - ROBERT ROZYCKI tourney@ozemail.com.au.
A new build of Swiss Perfect (#415) has been released at:
http:www.swissperfect.com. This release features the new Club Standings
View. The view shows clubs (or federations - depending on how you choose
your options) in order of the sum of scores of their individual players.
The number of scores taken into account for each club is configurable.
Double clicking on a club brings up a list of players from that club
participating in the tournament. Note that Swiss Perfect does not support
team tournaments as such. The above-described feature merely allows to
create tables of standings for club/federations in individual tournaments.
I hope the readers of this bulletin may be interested in a new Web Page
that allows querying the current ACF Rating List (Dec 1999). You can
navigate there from the main Swiss Perfect's page or go directly to
http://www.swissperfect.com/ACF/AcfListQuery.asp.
CORRESPONDENCE
GAIL YOUNG: Grand Prix Calendar
I would think that all clubs allowed to participate in this important
aspect of the chess calendar should be affiliated with a state chess
association. I think this should be a condition of the club being allowed
to hold a grand prix event. The event will generate good funding to the
club so the club should at least support their state chess association.
If affiliation is not a requirement of clubs being allocated grand prix
events, I would like this point looked at for future allocation of grand
prix events.
I know at least one venue is not affiliated; others may not be.
**********
BOB MEADLEY:
I would like to make some comments on 'Restructuring Australian Chess'
Bulletin 38a.
It is a pity to have to start off with the Chess Association of Queensland
who appear implacably opposed to your changes. I read their minute 6.1 of
the 12 December meeting and also the retiring President's Report especially
his 9th paragraph. It is fair to say that the vote on minute 6.1 was 8/5
but here is a classic issue to cause major division. And it's all about money.
I am unaware what the other State Associations' views are but with your
home state opposed, it does not look too good.
I feel that many of the State organisations do not view the ACF's input
without the fear of a poorer money situation in the future. How you get
over that will need a lot more talk and planning.
I sent a copy of 38a to a good friend and ex-chess player but prominent
electrical engineer KEVIN BARRY. A lateral thinker, he came up with the
enclosed and I guess it is hard to disagree with them.
I take issue with Kevin's ACF aim to produce world rated chess players. You
probably do not and any cursory glance at other sports reveals the world
champions Australia has in cricket, swimming, hockey, rugby league and
union, with good standards in other sports. Chess could well be included
here. After all the UK has no world chess champion yet but certainly we
need to emulate them.
So the ACF's aim is paramount in determining the way to go about it.
I have always been grateful to chess in providing me with a research hobby
and I am aware my views are a little eccentric. Kevin's are wiser but when
exposed to further analysis, chess appears to raise a few promising juniors
who after trips away etc, then get down to the real goals in life and
forsake chess. It is natural enough. Money rules the world and Australia is
sport mad anyway without another sport entering the fray. I believe the
promotion of chess in schools is the way to go and then if a really good
player comes along then that player can be nurtured in other ways. The
teaching of the need to win and lose gracefully being paramount along with
the need of a good hobby. Perhaps it's too romantic.
Your funding proposals all appear reasonable to me. And yes we do need
heroes. If the States got the same funding as before they should have
little to complain about.
Publishing ratings lists every 3 months in the ACF magazine is too often.
But I note the ambiguity in the actual sentence on page 6. Every 6 months
in ACF should be enough. Most can see updates on the web.
The only other comment I wish to make is that a National Database for
recording games in ACF tournaments should be started. I have had a letter
from Paul Dunn in his new role as ACF Games Archivist and perhaps this will
be solved.
The same might be said for hard copy of which one should ALWAYS go to the
State Library of each State. And as well a copy to the Victorian State
Library for the MV Anderson collection.
Regarding Kevin's 'Ideas' I think Steve Waugh may well be a chess player.
I've read something in this area.
**********
KEVIN BARRY
I was asked by Bob Meadley to comment on the ACF proposal to restructure
Australian Chess. I have prepared two tables which are below.
The first is titled 'Chunking Up on the ACF's Proposal' and this shows an
example of how this thinking tool can be applied to this issue. As you
rightly imply in your letter, everything depends upon the primary aim of
Australian Chess. If it is to advance the idea that chess is a hobby then a
more professional administration and structure would be inappropriate.
If however the ACF wants to develop a crop of Australian world champion
chess players (and this has the support of a majority of members) then a
professional administration and an efficient national structure would
probably be needed.
It is clear that the success of Australian sporting teams on the world
stage is directly related to the serious, systematic, and professional
approach that has been used. If chess is a sport and if Australian chess
players want international success in it then a similarly professional
approach will have to be adopted.
I have assumed for the purpose of this exercise that the ACF aim is indeed
to produce world champions and that the majority of ACF members would agree
with that. Of course this assumption could be quite wrong. I have further
assumed that learning to play chess well and playing it frequently in a
strongly competitive environment will develop general skills in strategic
thinking. That assumption may be wrong also.
Given these two assumptions as a platform the second table shows some ideas
aimed at advancing the cause of producing world champion chess players. I
suspect you will not like any of these Bob. But they may have some
provocation value to prime your own thinking on the issue. I hope they will
have some value (however indirect) for you.
'Chunking up' on the ACF's Proposal:
Each question is followed by some possible answers -
1. Why do the ACF want to change the present system?
. for greater efficiencies
. for more rational system
. for strong reliable income stream
2. Why is it important to have greater efficiencies?
. to reduce burnout of honorary workers
. to achieve more from current resources
. to be able to respond more quickly to threats and opportunities in
Australian chess
3. Why is it important to have a more rational system?
. makes it easier to administer
. provides a platform for persuading Government to increase funding to chess
. easier to train new administration people
. promotes a greater national chess unity
4. Why is a strong reliable income stream important?
. to provide money so Australian chess can achieve its primary aim
5. What are the primary aims of Australian Chess?
. to produce world champion chess players
6. Why is it important to produce world champion chess players?
. increases the nation's self-confidence which then benefits all other
national activities
. increases the nation's influence internationally
. increases the nation's stock of strategic thinkers which benefits it in
all of its other activities including education, public administration,
government, health, business and defence.
7. Why is greater national self-confidence important?
. for national survival and prosperity in a dynamic rapidly changing
uncertain world environment
8. Why does increasing the nation's influence internationally matter?
. So Australia will have more effective input into international decisions
that affect the welfare of all Australians
9. Why will having a greater stock of strategic thinkers benefit Australia?
. because strategic thinking is an essential skill for the achievement of
excellence in all aspects of public and private life in a country.
Notes:
1. By asking a series of 'why?' questions the creative thinking process of
'Chunking up' aims to uncover the ultimate value(s) that are the motive for
a proposed decision or action. Each question is formed in response to the
answer given to the previous question.
2. The key question that emerged from this process is question #5 'What are
the primary aims of Australian Chess?'. Until consensus is reached on that
the proposed decision or action should not really be considered. If the
answer to question #5 is quite different from the one shown above then of
course the subsequent questions and answers would be very different.
Some ideas to help produce World Champion Australian Chess Players:
Idea 1
Lobby the Federal and State Governments to support the ACF aim to create
Australian World champion chess players on the grounds that it will
increase the nation's stock of strategic thinkers and will increase our
national self-confidence and international influence. Such support could
include: direct grants; tax deductions to business firms who sponsor
Australian chess; introductions to business people who might help; use of
vacant or partially vacant buildings
Remarks
Perhaps there are some current chess players with links (fathers, mothers,
other relatives, friends, etc) to people in public relations, or marketing,
or selling. Such people might be persuaded to help craft an attractive
proposal document with which to approach the various government ministers.
Idea 2
Two successful Australian sporting organisations with real international
influence are our national cricket team and our rugby team. Approach the
leaders of each of these teams and ask for information on the structure,
philosophy and principles that lie behind their success. Think creatively
then to apply the lessons learned to the restructure of Australian chess.
Remarks
Developing a relationship with the leaders of these two teams could have
lots of positive additional benefits. For example, introductions to
influential people who can help with approaches to government and business
leaders.
Idea 3
Approach organisations representing Australian business interests (eg The
Australian Business Council) and sell them on the benefits to their members
to have a greater stock of strategic thinkers amongst future school
leavers. Enlist their help to approach some of their members with a
proposal that they sponsor the ACF.
Remarks
See remarks on idea 1 and do something similar.
Idea 4
Approach universities who have strengths in teaching strategic thinking.
Get from them a list of the companies who have sent people to their
courses. Approach those companies to sponsor the ACF.
Idea 5
Enlist the help of Morgan and Banks to run a national advertisement (free)
to find retired professional people who would be interested in working in
an honorary capacity for the ACF. People like stock brokers could formulate
an investment strategy. Advertising and public relations people could help
with approaches and proposals to government and business. Retired
government ministers could gain access to current ministers. Retired
coaches of professional sport could help formulate a national coaching
strategy. Retired teachers could help design chess lessons for school
children.
Remarks
Although most of these people may have never even played chess they could
bring much of value to Australian chess.
For example:
intellectual horsepower, drive, expertise that can directly help, hard won
knowledge that with a bit of creative thinking can be applied to the chess
world, and valuable links to other professionals.
**********
Very best wishes to all.
Graeme Gardiner
-------------------------------------------
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/
Chess - the clever sport!