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View Full Version : Why Do You Take Out/Renew a CFC Membership?



Bob Armstrong
12-18-2008, 11:37 AM
Many factors go into deciding whether to take out/renew a CFC Membership. What factor is most important in your decision?

1. Basic Annual Membership Cost
2. No. of tournaments available to me per year, and the no. of those I intend to play in
3. the benefits flowing directly to me ( magazine, bookstore, CFC rating, office services, etc. )
4. the desire to fund a vibrant national organization

Are there others?

Bob

( P.S. Sorry for the duplication - wasn't quite sure how to post a poll )

Peter McKillop
12-18-2008, 12:50 PM
For the 4th choice, how about amending it to read: the desire to fund a vibrant national chess organization run by democratically-elected, fully-accountable, competent, honest chessplayers.

Bob Armstrong
12-18-2008, 01:28 PM
Hi Peter:

The instructions for posting a poll clearly state that you must keep the options " short " !! Obviously that's what I meant though.

I take it the inclusion of " democratically-elected " refers to Ontario's current unconstitutional method of electing CFC Govenors?

Bob

Peter McKillop
12-18-2008, 01:54 PM
Correct. How do you like Tom O'Donnell's idea (from OCC's board, I think) of rating everyone through FIDE (no separate CFC ratings)?

Bob Armstrong
12-18-2008, 02:06 PM
Hi Peter:

I like the idea.

One problem though is that the floor for FIDE ratings is 1200. So Canada would have to keep its rating system for juniors mainly, so they could have ratings 'til they graduated to a FIDE rating. " All-junior " games could be rated through CMA instead of FIDE so that they had ratings in that system, but that still leaves juniors playing in adult tournaments without a rating.

Another issue is that I think you have to play a certain number of FIDE-rated players in a tournament, in order to get a new FIDE rating. So initially it will be very hard to get Canadians integrated into the FIDE system. Eventually, when the majority of Canadians do have FIDE ratings though, the problem will start to disappear. But we'll still have problems due to the geography of Canada, and the pools of chess players where there will be few FIDE rated players, and little chance of playing outside their area FIDE players.

But I don't see in principle why we need a national rating system when there is an international one available.

Bob

Bob Gillanders
12-18-2008, 03:49 PM
weekly rating updates ?

Bob Armstrong
12-18-2008, 04:00 PM
Hi Bob:

But we'd be recommending that FIDE hire YOU to start it !!

Bob

Ken Craft
12-18-2008, 04:15 PM
I remember the good old days when we waited 2 months for our new ratings. What is this obsession with knowing one's rating change immediately?

Bob Armstrong
12-18-2008, 04:35 PM
Hi Ken:

It's a culture of instant gratification now!

Also, it may make a difference in :

1. whether you get into a tournament ( rating high enough - eg. Canadian Closed with a floor of 2200 );
2. whether you have to play in a higher section ( if your rating has dropped below 1800, you'd be able to go into the 1600-1799 section if the ratings are updated ); and
3.whether you get into a higher section of a tournament ( eg. where there are a number of reserve round-robin sections, like in the Toronto Closed ).

Bob

Bob Armstrong
12-18-2008, 04:48 PM
The recent FIDE General Assembly in November authorized FIDE to go from updating the ratings every 3 months to now every 2 months ! So they are moving in the right direction.

Bob

Egidijus Zeromskis
12-18-2008, 05:13 PM
The good thing about the fast rating update is the possibility to get tournaments' results.

Bob Gillanders, where are Hamilton active results? :)

Bob Gillanders
12-18-2008, 06:20 PM
are on the CFC website of course, exactly where you would expect them to be.

Although we didn't get a big turnout, it was a special treat to welcome GM Bator Sambuev to the Hamilton chess scene. The entire group enjoyed lunch at a very nice Thai restaurant. Thank you Mei for suggesting a welcome change to the usual fast food.

Hopefully we can get a bigger turnout next year. I guess everyone was out Christmas shopping.

David Lavin
12-20-2008, 11:37 AM
These are great questions but you are asking a self-selected group of highly motivated plyers and people. We would get more informatino if these questions, or similar ones, were asked of people who did not renew their membership and of the entire current membership, rather than just those who read the boards.

Bob Armstrong
12-20-2008, 09:19 PM
Hi David:

I think you are right.

Maybe in the new year, it would be worth Bob Gillanders looking into how we identify past members and how we might survey them with questions like these. CFC could invite them to rejoin, and maybe offer a discount to past members or something to encourage them.

Bob