4.9 Nominations for CFC Ratings Auditor

Please make nominations for Ratings Auditor here.

Nominations close 1800 Day 3 (Tuesday) with elections ASAP thereafter ending at 1800 Day 7 (Saturday)

Please note that our present Ratings Auditor is not standing for re-election.

I nominate Brendan Woodroff. Here is a brief synopsis from him:
I am a lifelong BC resident, born in Salmon Arm and having spent the majority of my life in Chilliwack, where I first learned chess in elementary school. Despite thinking I was a force to be reckoned with on the classroom chess ladder, I didn't know there was a bigger chess world out there, and so my chances of being the next child prodigy ended there. Professionally, I spent over a decade working in retail management and HR before leaving that world to start my own businesses. After three successful years in both the audio and clothing industries, COVID put a damper on their growth and I accepted an opportunity to join Chess.com to head up their new HR department, supporting what was then around 150, and now is over 300 team members in 37 countries.

My first rated chess event was at my local club in April of 2019, followed shortly thereafter by the Keres Memorial in May where I first was introduced to some of the 'key players' in making chess happen in my province. When chess events were cancelled due to the pandemic, I had the ability and opportunity to help host the first ever online version of the BC Senior Championship. My passion to support and serve chess continued to grow, and I quickly took on as many events and chess related opportunities as I could, admittedly exceeding my own bandwidth a few times along the way. Some opportunities I am grateful to have had include the BC Active Championship, the CYCC Online, and now two BC Senior Championships.

As a committed lifelong learner, my recent studies in statistics and maths further support my ability to be a trusted resource for the CFC and it's players as over the board rated chess continues to return across the country.

I second the nomination of Brendan Woodroff for CFC Ratings Auditor.

As a former Rating Auditor, myself, it sounds like Brendan has a good background to take on this job.

And can I expect that all of us thank Paul for his many years of service in this CFC role?

The bottom line is that the CFC rating system is one of our "crown jewels" and could easily be damaged were the wrong person in the Rating Auditor position. It takes someone highly attentive and understanding of statistics and trends to do a good job as Ratings Auditor and Paul has written a number of excellent reports through the years! Following his retirement Paul will remain a Voting Member from BC and a member of their provincial executive.

This is a polite way of saying Brendan has big shoes to fill!

I have been asked to post this by Tony Li. Tony also has a good background for this position.

Dear CFC Voting Members,

My name is Tony Li and I am running for Ratings Auditor. Below is a short bio.

About Me

· Stakeholder in rating system – as a CFC life member, volunteer at local chess club (Kitchener-Waterloo Chess Club) and parent of 2 chess-playing children, I have a vested interest in maintaining a stable CFC rating system for years to come.

· Relevant skills – my career in statistics and risk management is the perfect fit for what I believe are the 2 key responsibilities of the Ratings Auditor. I have also worked in a large company for over a decade and have the necessary skills to drive action.

My Focus as Ratings Auditor

1. Maintaining a statistically sound rating system that reflects player strength and tracks improvement/deterioration in play.

2. Staying alert to risks to the rating system and addressing them proactively to minimize the need for large-scale manual intervention.

The CFC rating system is facing a big challenge ahead. After a year and a half without OTB tournaments, the re-opening is likely to see abnormal rating impacts from vastly underrated juniors. I will be working proactively with the CFC leadership to implement measures to minimize the impact of this shock to the rating system.

Thanks,

Tony

"

I had this position before, and I am willing to return to it if not elected elsewhere.