Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Canadian Closed - National Standards

  1. #1

    Default Canadian Closed - National Standards

    Governor Mark Bluvshtein and I are prepared to file two motions to enhance the two sections of the Handbook dealing with National Standards for major tournaments generally, and the Canadian Closed in particular, as follows:

    Motion # 1 – Canadian Championships – Rules of Procedure

    December 18, 2009

    Moved: Mark Bluvshtein Seconded: Bob Armstrong

    That CFC Handbook Section 8 on Canadian Championships be amended as follows:

    1. Section 801 be deleted, except for the section reference, and the following substituted for it:

    Canadian Championship and Canadian Zonal Tournament:

    A Canadian Championship shall be held each year. But there can be substituted for it a Championship Tournament known as the "Canadian Zonal Championship Tournament", hereinafter referred to as the "Zonal Tournament", which shall normally be held in Canada to coincide with the FIDE World Championship cycle. The winner of the Zonal Tournament will be that year’s Canadian Champion. “

    2. there be added before the words “ the Zonal tournament “ wherever they occur, the words “ the Canadian Championship or “ in the following sections: 803. Players; 804. Provincial Champion ( a ) and ( b ); 805. Rating Requirements (a ); 806. Additional Places; 807. Citizenship and Residency for Canadian Championship; 808. Entries;

    3. that there be added to Section 803 on “ Players “ a subsection ( h ) as follows:

    ( h ) the Canadian Women’s Closed Champion;

    4. Section 811 on “ Prize Fund “ be deleted and the following substituted for it:

    811. ( a ) Each player will be responsible for paying his own entry fee, accommodation and meal expenses with the exception of the following:
    ( i ) the Canadian Champion and Runner-Up shall have their entry fee, accommodation and meal expenses paid by the tournament organizers;
    (ii ) free entry shall be given to IM’s and GM’s;
    ( iii ) free accommodation should be provided for GM’s;
    ( b ) The organizers shall provide a prize fund; part of this obligation shall be to make a significant effort to find sponsors;
    ( c ) For the Zonal Tournament, first prize shall be travel to the next round of the world championship cycle and a cash prize of at least 20% of the balance of the prize fund. With the exception of the travel prize, cash prizes will be shared by players in the same score group and not be subject to tie-break.
    ( d ) Bidders for the Canadian Championships shall take into account in their bids this section 811 of section 8 of the Handbook, and if they intend to exempt themselves from any of the conditions herein, they shall clearly note such in their bids, so the CFC can determine whether such bids will be accepted.

    5. Section 812 on “ Travel “ be amended by adding after the heading the words “ for the Zonal Tournament “;

    Commentary:

    Though this section of the Handbook is entitled Canadian Championships, it then goes on to only deal with the Canadian Zonal Championship Tournament. It should refer as well to the Canadian Championship in non-zonal years. Our amendments correct this deficiency.
    We also feel that in the interest of promoting women’s chess in Canada, the Canadian Women’s Champion should be a player entitled to play in the Canadian Championships and we have added her into section 803.
    The Canadian Closed Championships ( both zonal and non-zonal ) have lost some of their prestige in recent years. Many of the top Canadian players have not played in recent Canadian Championships. We hope that the quality and importance of the tournament comes back. We have provided some guidelines for what we believe to be a bare minimum for the Closed Championships, in an attempt to standardize and improve the event. We have made these conditions a part of the bidding process by organizers of the Closeds. First of all we have added to the Procedures that the Canadian Champion and Runner-up are entitled to preferential treatment, to accord with their positions in the Canadian chess community – to the current payment for them of their accommodation, we have added entry fee and meals.. In order to encourage Canadian GM’s and IM’s to attend, raising the quality of the Closeds, we have had the organizers give them free entry. And to recognize Canadian GM’s, of whom there are not many, we have added that the organizers must pay for their accommodation. We recognize that these expenses may be difficult to cover only through entry fees, so we have added that organizers must make significant efforts to obtain sponsorships, to help cover all tournament costs.

    Motion # 2 – Important Events in Canada – Guidelines, Bids

    Jan. 25, 2010

    Moved: Mark Bluvshtein Seconded: Bob Armstrong

    That CFC Handbook Section 9 on Important Events in Canada – Guidelines, Bids, be amended as follows:

    1. Section 900 be deleted, except for the section reference, and the following substituted for it:

    “ In evaluating bids for important events in Canada, a factor shall be whether the bidder has made every effort to provide:
    (1) good playing conditions for the participants; and
    (2) good viewing conditions for the spectators.
    Consideration should be given to the following points:
    ( Note: original section drafted by : Phil Haley, International Arbiter, Member FIDE Rules Commission. ) “

    2. Section 904 shall be amended by adding at the start of the section the sentence:

    “ A minimum of 3 demonstration boards should be provided for the top boards.”

    3. Section 912 shall be amended by adding at the start of the section the sentence:

    “ Pieces, boards and clocks should be provided by the organizers. “

    4. Section 917 shall be amended by adding at the end the sentence:

    “ Name cards should be made for all players, with name, rating and province displayed.”

    5. Section 933. shall be added as follows:

    For the Canadian Closed, whether or not a Zonal, round by round bulletins should be provided, either online or in print. These should include all the games from each round.

    6. Section 934 shall be added as follows:

    For the Canadian Closed, whether or not a Zonal, a tournament website should be created with a minimum of:
    A. Live transmission of a minimum of the 3 top boards.
    B. A players’ list, and pairings and standings updated after each round.
    C. Photos of the players and the event.

    Commentary:

    The proposed changes enhance the current section 9 to make the event more spectator and sponsor friendly.
    Item 1 makes it clear that these conditions will form part of the evaluation of a bid.
    Items 2-4 enhance the already existing sections.
    Item 5 gives the Canadian Closed, whether or not a Zonal, a professional profile, and the bulletins help players prepare, and promote the tournament to, and create more interest in it for, spectators and the public.
    Item 6 modernizes the most important Canadian Closed, whether or not a Zonal. It is now standard for major world tournaments to have their own websites. This creates a professional profile for the tournament, and greatly enhances public interest in the tournament.

    We would appreciate and consider any comments/amendments you might propose ( we would especially like to hear from organizers ) before we file our motions. Thanks.

    Mark & Bob

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Kitchener, ON
    Posts
    2,235
    Blog Entries
    37

    Default

    Has this by chance been shown to the entire top-list of both male and female players in the country for their comments?

    I will also note that the new Section 811 effectively means no sponsor, no tournament. I'm not saying that's a good or bad thing, just saying. And we're talking a fairly significant sponsor, especially as more and more Canadians become GMs. Either that, or every bid will simply invoke 811 d) which might just become habit.

    904 could be changed to allow for electronic means.

    912 should this mention that they should be FIDE-approved?

    917 I know this will sound dumb/nitpicky... but I could "make" name cards and just leave them in a box. Change "made" to "displayed at their board"

    933 By what time after the end of a round should the online bulletin be available? What if they are in print? (Since a website is otherwise required I see no real reason not to require online bulletins, which is more convenient for most players I would think)

    934A - This is sort of buried in here, I didn't even catch it my first read-through. Note that several top Canadians do not like to use Monroi devices. Are you going to force them to do so to ensure the top 3 boards are broadcast? If not, that means we need DGT boards, or we need to pay/find a volunteer to do the entry. This is important enough, and enough trouble, to warrant its own section in my opinion.

    Final note: Should there be something in here about the tournament announcement and/or invitations to top players?

  3. #3

    Default

    Hi Chris,

    Thank you for the feedback.

    I have sent the motions to 5 top Canadian players, 2 female and 3 male yesterday. I am waiting for their feedback.

    I cannot recall a Grandmaster playing in a Canadian Closed. Zonal is a very different story, the top players in the nation play (when they do play) to qualify in the World Cup. But simply put, the Canadian Closed has become a weak tournament. Section 811 attempts to bring the top players back.

    I agree about your comment regarding section 904. Demonstration boards can also be digital, with games transmitted in the playing hall or analysis room. I think the phrasing presented allows for enough wiggle room.

    Section 912, that should say FIDE approved.
    Section 917, nitpicking and detail is good.

    Section 933, I believe some sort of freedom needs to be given to the organizers. I believe our phrasing allows that.

    Section 934. I strongly believe that the top games need to be broadcast. This makes the event spectator and sponsor friendly, across Canada and the world. A lot of people would say that all games need to be broadcast. I would say that that'd be great. This is really a compromise of 3.

    We did not touch on invitations of players or tournament announcement details. I think the 2 motions are simply a start.

    Mark Bluvshtein.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Kitchener, ON
    Posts
    2,235
    Blog Entries
    37

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bluvshtein
    Section 934. I strongly believe that the top games need to be broadcast. This makes the event spectator and sponsor friendly, across Canada and the world. A lot of people would say that all games need to be broadcast. I would say that that'd be great. This is really a compromise of 3.
    Hi Mark,

    I didn't say they shouldn't be broadcast, in fact I believe they should be (all of them, in fact). I was just laying out the reasons why I think that 934A deserves to be its own section, not lumped in with two other things. Especially since if you are using Monroi, it doesn't actually broadcast onto your own website.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    1,744

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Armstrong
    4. Section 917 shall be amended by adding at the end the sentence:

    “ Name cards should be made for all players, with name, rating and province displayed.”
    and a title where it is applicable.

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Armstrong
    Motion # 2 – Important Events in Canada – Guidelines, Bids

    Jan. 25, 2010

    Moved: Mark Bluvshtein Seconded: Bob Armstrong

    That CFC Handbook Section 9 on Important Events in Canada – Guidelines, Bids, be amended as follows:



    4. Section 917 shall be amended by adding at the end the sentence:

    “ Name cards should be made for all players, with name, rating and province displayed.”

    Do you really expect the organizers of the Canadian Open to provide name cards for ALL players and set them up for every round? or are you not including the Canadian Open as an "Important Event"?

  7. #7

    Default Amending Section 917

    Hi Roger:

    Seems your right - technical oversite. The section does refer to the Canadian Open as an " important tournament ".

    The section 917 will read:

    " 917. Clear and easily seen numbers should be provided to readily show the location of each board. The boards should be numbered in logical sequence to enable each player to find his board with ease thus avoiding excess milling around at the start of each round. Name cards should be made for all players, with name, rating and province displayed. "

    I'll check with Mark on whether we might delete " all " and add after " players ", the words " on the top boards. " Would this suffice? This doesn't specify the exact number of boards, and so gives the organizer some flexibility.

    Bob

  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Armstrong
    Hi Roger:

    Seems your right - technical oversite. The section does refer to the Canadian Open as an " important tournament ".

    The section 917 will read:

    " 917. Clear and easily seen numbers should be provided to readily show the location of each board. The boards should be numbered in logical sequence to enable each player to find his board with ease thus avoiding excess milling around at the start of each round. Name cards should be made for all players, with name, rating and province displayed. "

    I'll check with Mark on whether we might delete " all " and add after " players ", the words " on the top boards. " Would this suffice? This doesn't specify the exact number of boards, and so gives the organizer some flexibility.

    Bob

    well, it's your motion so put what you like. But.... my reaction is that your motion is a combination of wishful thinking plus a few motherhood statements as well as the ill considered side effect of name cards for everyone at the Canadian Open.

    Much of the statements around prize money, free entry, external sponsorship, free accommodation are above and beyond the MINIMUM requirements that the CFC might reasonably set.

    This motion does nothing to address the issue of what happens when NOBODY bids for the Closed and just makes the barrier higher. Set a motion instead that sets the mimimum standard below which the decision is not to have a closed. All the rest is wishful thinking.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Nanaimo, BC
    Posts
    149

    Default

    I was going to write that your hearts were in the right place, but then read Roger's remarks, which are a pointedly different way of saying the same thing.

    Unlike Roger, I do think it is useful to state the ideal conditions, a "best of" from our experience. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard a tournament organizer say "I didn't know that was important". And if the published bid states "we can't do this and that", then there should be no hard feelings afterwards.

    At first I was dubious about the implications of the requirement of providing accommodations for GMs. I imagined the scenario:
    "Hey, would you like to sponsor the Canadian Closed?"
    "Maaaaaaybe. How much is it gonna cost?"
    "I don't know. Depends on how many GMs show up."

    which is a non-starter. You can never go to a sponsor with such a vague proposal. Then I thought about Zonals I had played in, where they provided accommodations for all (16 to 18) the players, or at least the out-of-towners. What did they do? In 1972 and 1978 they were billeted with local chess fans. In 1975, (1981 as a spectator), 1999 it was student-residence type accommodation. Only in 1994 AFAIR, was it hotel accommodation. I also played in 1984, where I was a homeboy, and 2002 where it was a hotel, but I think they weren't required to house anybody but the champ. So on balance, you're probably asking for cheap accommodation, and perhaps you can talk about that, in your rules.

    I wish you good luck, but personally I think a more practical solution would be, in non-Zonal years, to have the Canadian Champion be the top Canadian in the top section of the Canadian Open. It would imply that in alternate years, those who envision a one-section open Swiss should not apply to organize the Canadian Open. "Personally", I don't view that as a problem, but that's just me, eh?
    JMS+ 1 p1.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •