5A-6 New Business

[Lyle Craver]

Discussion on any other Canadian Chess developments are welcome here

[Michael Barron]

We have a list of National Arbiters (NA) on the CFC website:
https://www.chess.ca/en/elite/arbiter-titles/

The question is:
How an Arbiter could get the National Arbiter (NA) title?
What are qualification criteria?

[Vladimir Drkulec]

We have a list of National Arbiters (NA) on the CFC website:
https://www.chess.ca/en/elite/arbiter-titles/

The question is:
How an Arbiter could get the National Arbiter (NA) title?
What are qualification criteria?

There is some talk from time to time to formalize criteria but in general any competent arbiter can ask to be granted this title. In a recent discussion, it was proposed that perhaps we should require two arbiters to vouch for candidates.

The main benefit is that they can be arbiters at a FIDE rated event. It is the first rung on the ladder of FIDE arbiter titles. I believe that it may also be required as a precondition for attending an arbiter seminar.

We want more national arbiters as they are necessary for the infrastructure to hold FIDE rated events.

[Aris Marghetis]

There is some talk from time to time to formalize criteria but in general any competent arbiter can ask to be granted this title. In a recent discussion, it was proposed that perhaps we should require two arbiters to vouch for candidates.

The main benefit is that they can be arbiters at a FIDE rated event. It is the first rung on the ladder of FIDE arbiter titles. I believe that it may also be required as a precondition for attending an arbiter seminar.

We want more national arbiters as they are necessary for the infrastructure to hold FIDE rated events.

Re your second paragraph, yes, correct: to attend an FA Seminar (FA = FIDE Arbiter), the attendee must be a paid-up "Arbiter of National Level" (NA) with FIDE.

[Roger Langen]

The Nova Scotia Department of Education is interested in supporting chess via an online/zoom teaching application. Any suggestions? I have experimented with Chesskid.com but no luck.

[Victor Plotkin]

We have a list of National Arbiters (NA) on the CFC website:
https://www.chess.ca/en/elite/arbiter-titles/

The question is:
How an Arbiter could get the National Arbiter (NA) title?
What are qualification criteria?

We don't have strict rules right now. But the show must go on, I regularly accept NA applications and transfer them to FIDE. The current practice is - 2 recommendations from experienced (FA or IA) arbiters. We can waive one recommendation if the applicant has a solid number of big events under his belt.

[Lyle Craver]

Can you cite a link for current FIDE International Arbiter and FIDE Arbiter rules ? (I've just finished looking on FIDE.com for people I think might be on track for IA/FA norms and am throwing up my hands)

I know it has been 20 years since I got my IA title but in those days you had to have directed 4 FIDE rated events of which one had to be either a Zonal, an event over 100+ players (they allowed multi-section events with 100+ players even if the only FIDE rated section was well under that number) or a Zonal. For me getting a norm as an assistant director in the 2003 Canadian Closed was crucial - I wouldn't have gotten the title without it.

Then 2 years after my title they brought in the licencing system which brought in mucho dineros for FIDE, though for those of us who weren't in the Toronto / Montreal corridor and had to struggle for every arbiter norm opportunity we were pretty much shut down if we weren't able to travel long distances for the opportunities. In those days norm opportunities were very rare and another local director (who is at least as good a director as me and certainly in recent years more active) who didn't get those opportunities didn't.

Don't get me wrong - I'm proud of my IA title and the certificate hangs on my wall adjacent to my university diploma but it's MUCH easier to get arbiter norms in Europe than North America.

[Aris Marghetis]

Can you cite a link for current FIDE International Arbiter and FIDE Arbiter rules ? (I've just finished looking on FIDE.com for people I think might be on track for IA/FA norms and am throwing up my hands)

I know it has been 20 years since I got my IA title but in those days you had to have directed 4 FIDE rated events of which one had to be either a Zonal, an event over 100+ players (they allowed multi-section events with 100+ players even if the only FIDE rated section was well under that number) or a Zonal. For me getting a norm as an assistant director in the 2003 Canadian Closed was crucial - I wouldn't have gotten the title without it.

Then 2 years after my title they brought in the licencing system which brought in mucho dineros for FIDE, though for those of us who weren't in the Toronto / Montreal corridor and had to struggle for every arbiter norm opportunity we were pretty much shut down if we weren't able to travel long distances for the opportunities. In those days norm opportunities were very rare and another local director (who is at least as good a director as me and certainly in recent years more active) who didn't get those opportunities didn't.

Don't get me wrong - I'm proud of my IA title and the certificate hangs on my wall adjacent to my university diploma but it's MUCH easier to get arbiter norms in Europe than North America.

The link you're requesting:
https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B062021
(in general, all FIDE documentation is in their Handbook)

[Lyle Craver]

The link you're requesting:
https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B062021
(in general, all FIDE documentation is in their Handbook)

For sure - but in fairness while people complain about how the "Handbook" aka "Old Handbook" is Byzantine, FIDE has taken it to new levels. I've oftentimes been frustrated trying to find things on the FIDE site.

On the previous discussion about the CFC Arbiter list I have recently e-mailed the office about a well respected IA who alas is no longer with us. (I had done this years ago after Abe Yanofsky's passing since while everybody knew he was a GM he was also an IA and was still on the FIDE IA list 2-3 years after his passing)

Of course FIDE had ALSO gotten my gender and Lynn Stringer's gender wrong and I'm pretty sure whatever info FIDE used didn't come from a Canadian source since both of us were well known to the Business Office! (I e-mailed our FIDE rep asking him to e-mail FIDE to get it sorted out...)

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

was still on the FIDE IA list 2-3 years after his passing)

Did not change much since then.
https://www.chess.ca/en/elite/arbiter-titles/

You'll find couple names who are not anymore with us.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

The Nova Scotia Department of Education is interested in supporting chess via an online/zoom teaching application. Any suggestions? I have experimented with Chesskid.com but no luck.

Why not use Zoom/Skype and Chessbase to deliver lectures? It works well for the Juniors to Masters program which Victoria Doknjas can fill you in on.

If you just want online resources chess.com and lichess.org have lots of bells and whistles. Chessable, now owned by chess.com is pretty good. Modern-chess.com, Limitlesschess (or improvemychess.com also by Mesgen Amanov), ForwardChess.com are all very useful sites. In most of those cases you have to buy things to get much use out of them.

For beginners this app is very interesting and entertaining:

www.chessmatec.com (https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chessmatec.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C6a00d72926df4435fb3a08d88b975d9d %7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C6374 12829897344177%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4 wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6M n0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ZqNaGnj2BXWW5Yj4LtT0XdK5%2B5wcEiiDcn8J0lxFZ8 c%3D&reserved=0),

https://www.campus.chessmatec.com

(https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.campus.chessmatec.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C6a00d72926df4435fb3a08d88b975d9d %7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C6374 12829897334182%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4 wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6M n0%3D%7C1000&sdata=VgA%2BH0Jt71hunf1JeWzdjO7qBopAjTOa5xFGCP6kcc Y%3D&reserved=0) Our contact there is Ariella Alterman daughter of the well known grandmaster who is also involved in this family business. We were talking to them in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Vlad Rekhson was using it with some of his classes, I believe.

[Victoria Doknjas]

Why not use Zoom/Skype and Chessbase to deliver lectures? It works well for the Juniors to Masters program which Victoria Doknjas can fill you in on.

If you just want online resources chess.com and lichess.org have lots of bells and whistles. Chessable, now owned by chess.com is pretty good. Modern-chess.com, Limitlesschess (or improvemychess.com also by Mesgen Amanov), ForwardChess.com are all very useful sites. In most of those cases you have to buy things to get much use out of them.

For beginners this app is very interesting and entertaining:

www.chessmatec.com (https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chessmatec.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C6a00d72926df4435fb3a08d88b975d9d %7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C6374 12829897344177%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4 wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6M n0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ZqNaGnj2BXWW5Yj4LtT0XdK5%2B5wcEiiDcn8J0lxFZ8 c%3D&reserved=0),

https://www.campus.chessmatec.com


(https://eur06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.campus.chessmatec.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C6a00d72926df4435fb3a08d88b975d9d %7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C6374 12829897334182%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4 wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6M n0%3D%7C1000&sdata=VgA%2BH0Jt71hunf1JeWzdjO7qBopAjTOa5xFGCP6kcc Y%3D&reserved=0) Our contact there is Ariella Alterman daughter of the well known grandmaster who is also involved in this family business. We were talking to them in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Vlad Rekhson was using it with some of his classes, I believe.


Hi Roger and Vlad:

It’s great to hear that the Nova Scotia Dept of Education is interested in supporting chess. Our Juniors to Masters Chess Academy Inc. led by Team Canada Head Coach GM Gergely Szabo has a full curriculum developed for multi-level chess instruction from beginner, intermediate, and elite levels which our JtM In-House Masters deliver online via Skype and with the use of ChessBase.

Roger: In order to better address your question, can you tell us a bit more about what NS Dept of Education’s requirements and goals are? e.g., Are they wanting:

1. A full curriculum for multi-level chess instruction from beginner, intermediate, and advance levels; or for students to just learn the basics / beginner’s program and nothing further?

2. A knowledgeable chess coach / team of chess coaches to provide instruction online from training material that the chess coach has developed; or are they wanting an online chess site that has generic “chess lessons” that a schoolteacher, with or without chess knowledge, can administer?

3. Or ??

Also, Roger, do you see how CFC can play a role in assisting NS Dept of Education with their plans for chess in schools?