New Agenda Item for discussion only. (Received from Paul Leblanc, CFC Ratings Auditor)

Part 1

CFC/FIDE/USCF/FQE Rating Gaps. Many CFC players have more than one rating. It is not uncommon for a CFC member's other rating to be more current and hence more accurate than their CFC rating. This issue was brought forward to me by John Coleman who observed that many of the juniors in the Windsor area play more USCF games than CFC games and because they are improving rapidly, their CFC rating is significantly lower than their USCF rating.

I would like to know if there is any support for an amendment to the Handbook to allow a CFC member to request that their rating be adjusted to match their FIDE/USCF/FQE rating? There would be, I imagine a specified differential (200 points?), a need to establish that the other rating is more "current" and a fee ($25?). The process would have to be worked out but before I go any further on this I'd like to hear if there is general support for the concept before I consider whether to table a motion at a future meeting.

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Part 2

The current rule is that if you’re under 1400 and away for ? (I’ve forgotten the time period) you get to start over. I believe it’s 5 years – I’d support reducing that period. I give again the example of the junior who stopped playing in tournaments, played 2000+ games on ICC over 2-3 years then came back at Expert strength but with a 1400 CFC rating...and promptly killed the local rating pool. Mathematically the Elo system works better when you have a single integrated pool rather than a horde of little pools. Another case was some 20-25 years ago when Manitoba was fairly deflated and a ratings boon was considered. This idea was discarded after a Canadian Open was held there and Manitoba players of all strengths dined on the competition!

I might be persuaded to say yes to FIDE but would say no to USCF and FQE and would resign all my chess positions before we even discussed C&M / AEM since I believe Larry’s ratings are more based on vanity than sound mathematics.

I would be sympathetic to a US national moving to Canada but would not approve of Canadian players amping their ratings by play in foreign events – and for chess purposes both are ‘foreign’ systems both in terms of their rating pool and the fine points of their mathematics.

The example of how the CFC handled the re-affiliation of the BCCF back into the CFC in the early 1970s including integration of Northwest Ratings into the CFC system comes to mind. I know it’s 40 years ago but with 20-20 hindsight I do believe the CFC did the right thing at the time. Something similar would be needed if Quebec ever chose to FULLY re-affiliate and I would support that.