7. Motion 2012-H TDOCP Motion

[Lyle Craver]

Moved by: Simon Ong, Seconded by: Hal Bond

Moved adding the following regulation to current section 20 of the CFC Handbook

Regulations:
1. Introduction

20.1 The following regulations can be altered by the CFC executive with the recommendation from the TDOCP committee members.

20.2 The titles for award are the Regional-TD (RTD), Regional-Organizer (RO), National-TD (NTD), and National-Organizer (NO).

20.3 Individuals with National-TD (NTD) and National-Organizer (NO) will qualify to apply for the FIDE arbiter and organizer titles (NA, FA, IA, and IO).

20.4 The titles are valid for life from the date awarded. Licence fee will be charge every 6 years.

20.5 The judging unit is the TDOCP committee members.

20.6 All applicants for these titles must be current CFC members.

20.7 All applicants must have at least 2 recommendations from 2 different people preferably FIDE-certified arbiter/organizer, CFC Executive/Governor and Provincial/Club Executive member.

2. Regulation for the Regional-TD (RTD)

20.8 Knowledge of the Laws of Chess, CFC Regulations for chess competitions outlined in the CFC handbook.

20.9 Skills in operating electronic chess clocks , SwissSys/SwissManager program, and computer (Words, Excel, Email).

20.10 Experience as tournament director in at least 4 CFC-rated events, including one Swiss and one Round Robin. The Swiss tournament must have at least 10 participants and the Round-robin must have at least 4.

3. Regulation for the Regional-Organizer (RO)

20.11 Knowledge of the organizing chess tournament, CFC Regulations for chess competitions outlined in the CFC handbook, and submission of CFC/FIDE reports to CFC office.

20.12 Experience as tournament organizer in at least 4 CFC-rated events, including one Swiss and one Round Robin. The Swiss tournament must have at least 10 participants and the Round-robin must have at least 4.

4. Regulation for the National-TD (NTD)

20.13 The NTD title is awarded only to those who have already been awarded the title of RTD.

20.14 Experience as tournament director in at least 4 CFC-rated events, including one national and/or international event. In order to count as a norm, the Swiss tournament must have at least 20 participants and the Round-robin must have at least 6.

20.15 Attend either FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar or CFC TDOCP(TD) Seminar. You must pass the examination (80% +) given in either of the aforementioned seminar.

5. Regulation for the National-Organizer (NO)

20.16 The NO title is awarded only to those who have already been awarded the title of RO.

20.17 Experience as tournament organizer in at least 4 CFC-rated events, including one national and/or international event. In order to count as a norm, the Swiss tournament must have at least 20 participants and the Round-robin must have at least 6.

20.18 Attend either FIDE Organizer Seminar or CFC TDOCP (Organizer) Seminar. You must pass the examination (80% +) given in either of the aforementioned seminar.

6. Regulation for CFC TDOCP Seminar
The list of lecturers shall be nominated by the TDOCP committee. There should be at least one lecturer in each province. The lecturer can be FIDE arbiter/organizer and/or National certified TD/organizer.

20.19 The TDOCP (TD) seminar will be a full day discussing the following topic:
(a) Laws of Chess
(b) CFC Rating System & Regulations for chess competitions outlined in the CFC handbook.
(c) SwissSys/SwissManager Program
(d) Use of the electronic clocks
(e) Directing FIDE-rated Events
(f) Other topics suggested by the TDOCP committee.

20.20 The TDOCP (Organizer) seminar will be a full day discussing the following topic:
(a) Laws of Chess
(b) CFC Rating System & Regulations for chess competitions outlined in the CFC handbook.
(c) SwissSys/SwissManager Program & Submission of tournament report to CFC.
(d) Topics from Chess Organizer’s Handbook
(e) Organizing FIDE-rated Events
(f) Other topics suggested by the TDOCP committee.

20.21 The TDOCP Committee will prepare multiple choice/written examinations for each seminar. The participants must achieve 80% or above to pass the examination.

20.22 NTD and NO applicants who fail the examination must wait one month before taking the examination the second time.
20.23 The cost of attendance of TDOCP seminar (including the examination fees) will be decided by the TDOCP Committee members. The money collected from the TDOCP seminar will be submitted to the CFC office. The CFC office shall pay the lecturer on the basis of the number of participants.
20.24 The details to the TDOCP seminar (i.e. date, address, lecturer, etc) must be approved by the TDOCP committee one month before the starting day of the seminar.

Certificates & Pins
1. Qualified applicants may request a certificate and “CFC TD/organizer” pin at the cost of $15 (not including tax). The $15 includes shipping.

Comments:
(1) The objective of this program is to allow inexperienced TDs and organizers to learn from the experienced ones which will improve the quality of the tournament directing in Canada.
(2) This program provides the first stepping stone in obtaining FIDE arbiter and organizer titles (NA, FA, IA, and IO).
(3) This program does not restrict other CFC members from directing and organizing CFC-rated events in Canada.
(4) The regulation will be in effect as of Fall 2012.

[Aris Marghetis]

If I may suggest, there should be more information included with regards to this point :

20.4 The titles are valid for life from the date awarded. Licence fee will be charge every 6 years.

[Michael von Keitz]

If I may suggest, there should be more information included with regards to this point :

20.4 The titles are valid for life from the date awarded. Licence fee will be charge every 6 years.

Would you like to propose an amendment to remove the licence fee, Aris?

[Rob Clark]

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of this. I know you said in the past Mike that you wanted to help inexperienced organizers. However, lets say an organizer in Thunder Bay wants help running a tournament. He's supposed to come to (I'm assuming) Toronto to sit in on a seminar? Also he then enters into this system of norms and titles with the ultimate goal of what? Obtaining a FIDE title? It seems like all this will do is make it more difficult to become an FA, IA, IO etc. Is there really a problem with unqualified people applying at present? Also, how will this help organizers in the least? Why not make these materials and tests online so its more accessible to all and have a forum where questions can be answered by more experienced TDs? It seems like this is all a way to try to make money through licensing and seminars and at the end of it I'm not even sure what the person gets other than being able to say I'm a RO etc etc. I'm also not a fan of a committee deciding who gets these titles. I want to propose the aforementioned amendment but to be honest I can't even begin to support anything that makes it harder for Canadian organizers. Also, what happens in 50 years in Canadian chess when we have very few IAs (or IOs) because they didnt want to first become RTD, NTD, and FA (and vice versa)?

[Aris Marghetis]

Would you like to propose an amendment to remove the licence fee, Aris?

Actually, like I first posted, I would like to know more about it first. To be honest, I am thinking about this more like Rob is, in that I am not convinced of the whole approach. My greatest concern with this idea is that it may actually reduce TD/O development?

[Halldor P. Palsson]

The original program was suspended I believe back in 1992!!

The CFC asked all pronincial associations in 2004 to nominate TDs to titles given that 12 years had gone by and a lot of tournaments had been directed by people that had no official recognition available to them. The list is now on the CFC site.

In 2012 it may be prudent to push active TDs up a grade or three given the non certification has been the de facto policy of the CFC going back all the way to 1992. Please pick a number of events for NTD, for example 40-60 lifetime, and RTD at 30 or 40 and grandfather these folks.

[Hal Bond]

Close Halldor, but not quite - I was ED in 1992 and handled a few applications. The program may have stopped soon after I left. Otherwise your comments seem reasonable.

[Lyle Craver]

I would not favor making RTD and NTD be based on a fixed number of tournaments as there are tournaments and there are tournaments. I have directed 100+ events but about 70 of them were one round a week Swisses with 8-25 players. The rest include a Canadian championship (as assistant), several Paul Keres Memorials (FIDE rated, typically 75-125 players - I was TD-in-chief in the 1998 event which featured Spraggett and Lesiege which is something for a Vancouver event!) and about two dozen more weekend Swisses.

There's got to be a fair way to judge this but making every tournament equal for qualification purposes isn't it. Similarly most of the suggested formulas I've seen under rate (for TD qualification purposes) provincial and national championship round-robins which are considerably more prestigious than your typical 25-50 player weekend Swiss!

In my case, I wouldn't have been considered to do the bigger events had I not done a fair number of the lesser events with a good track record and that is how it should be.

I don't usually sign with my titles but in this case it's pertinent:

Lyle Craver, CTD, RTD (wrote the exams and did the application for both under the 'old' system in the 80s), NTD (grandfathered) and IA.

[Rob Clark]

Before we get into any of the specifics of this motion, can someone first answer my question? That is, why is this a good idea in the first place?

[Lyle Craver]

I emphatically do not like the stuff about fees. No question about it.

I do think that making a serious effort on TD certification gives us both better directors and more credibility in the non-chess community where many sports have coaching / refereeing training systems in place.

There's nothing like making the right call involving a foreign IM and having an IA and a former CFC president (two different people) tell you instantly that you made the right call and thank you for having the jam to do so - particularly when it was in an area where FIDE and USCF rules differ.

I have mislaid my green TD's pin (which is exactly the same as the normal member's red CFC pin) ages ago but was very pleased to get it along with my FIDE pin. My FIDE certificate hangs proudly on my wall next to my academic diplomas in my den and is a reminder that work was required to get it. I still have my RTD diploma somewhere in amongst my books but it's the IA that hangs on the wall.

I think the fee portion of this motion is abysmal but that training and certifying our directors is something we definitely should be doing and my opinion on this has little to do with FIDE.