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Thread: 4000+ CFC Members: a mixed blessing?

  1. #1
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    Default 4000+ CFC Members: a mixed blessing?

    In the current May-June 2023 CFC meeting CFC President Vlad Drkulec wrote: "... However, with this exponential growth [to now 4000+ CFC members] comes a set of challenges that we must address proactively. One significant challenge we currently face is the limited availability of suitable venues to accommodate the increasing number of players eager to compete in our tournaments. The surge in demand has stretched our existing infrastructure to its limits, leaving us with insufficient space to accommodate all the prospective players who wish to participate. This issue warrants our immediate attention and collaborative effort to ensure that no player is left behind, and every chess enthusiast has the opportunity to engage in competitive play..."

    Long ago I wondered if organizers weren't much proactively going out and advertising their events to total newbies (i.e. non-CFC members) partly out of fear of what to do with overflowing playing sites (besides the inertia or the temptation just to advertise to CFC members only). Now, largely due to covid, perhaps, there's been a flood of new CFC members, and sufficient sites/playing space is scarcer.

    Back in the 1970s and to some extent early 1980s, however, there were well over 4000 CFC members. What was going on then? Well, in Ottawa at least, the U of Ottawa was used as a site back then. In Toronto, the MacDonald Block gov't site was being used, before it was lost for different reasons. Since then, maybe other large sites have been lost too, especially as the number of players dwindled Canada-wide. In Gatineau there were 2 sites that were available relatively recently, until the Trudeau gov't took power and did a poor job of celebrating 2017 Canada Day (such as affecting said sites availability long after). Anyway, we've been at this level of CFC membership before, and now organizers need to find fresh sites (or regain old ones). We are still a ways away from pre-FQE CFC membership levels, and nowhere near 10,000 CFC members, an old target set by a 2012 blueprint plan for the CFC by a planning committee. Anyone who wishes to discuss the problem of insufficient playing sites might do so in this thread, especially if they cannot participate in the online meeting.
    Last edited by Kevin Pacey; 05-30-2023 at 02:11 PM. Reason: Adding content to last paragraph
    There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
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    In the old days there were two articles written for organizers (both by J. Berry?). One was about how to found and run a chess club in Canada, and another was about how to organize a chess tournament in Canada. I don't recall if the latter much touched on how to get a playing hall for use over and over again through the years, but some organizer(s) might someday put together an article about their experiences in doing such, to make for a list of dos and don'ts.

    Back when I lived near Toronto the MacDonald Block gov't building's spacious cafeteria was used for many years as a playing hall for large swiss events until it was lost, probably forever, to chess organizers. It was due to an ugly situation that arose: some of the players acted like pigs in their washroom. The organizers didn't think (or didn't feel expected) to e.g. give a bottle of alcohol to the building's janitor, who evidently had enough at some point. Not a nice example, but the lesson is that the playing hall was lost - maybe the experience could be recorded for organizers in future, say in a list of hints on how to possibly avoid losing a playing site.
    There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
    Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.

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    On the topic of Ottawa chess nostalgia, at one point there were enough clubs (8!?) to have team league play (along with all the club sites Ottawa had in earlier times - now not nearly as many). League play may have been abandoned in much earlier times simply because all the teams met at the RA club (city's largest), and at least one club got tired of having their members drive there. Anyway, one-time local organizer Neil Frarey at one point toyed with getting a team league back together, but it never materialized. Here is what he had lined up, mentally: in Kanata there once were 2 clubs (one a junior club, still exists!?), then there was the Nortel club (existed before Nortel folded). There were Carleton U and Ottawa U clubs (the latter may have helped get a site for the odd large CFC-rated swiss). Then there was the Hull club (in Gatineau), besides the RA club. Finally there was the Ottawa Chess Club, a very old defunct club that Neil revived, which he moved from place to place - but it ended up inactive once again.
    There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
    Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.

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    Tournament sites based in government buildings, or those of large corporations are off-limits nowadays - mostly for security reasons. In Montreal, we had great tournaments in places such as the Sun Life building (I think a Paul Keres simul was held in the board room), and CBC headquarters (the cafeteria was the site for our weekly team tournament - food was available 24 hours a day). CN used to have an annual tournament in their HQ building. I imagine the same was one factor in the MacDonald Block being lost.

    Nowadays - it's mostly cost that's a factor in getting a site. Schools tend to be cheap, but you have to add on factors like maybe it's not air-conditioned, and/or you have to pay extra for weekend security. Hotels can be very expensive unless you have a sponsor or have contacts in the hotel. Montreal now has the new FQE site, which can hold 200+ players at a reasonable charge - unfortunately, it's time-consuming getting there by public transit until a Metro station opens a block away in 2026 or so.

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    Schools and Universities would seem to be best/commonest nowadays for big events/clubs, then. Schools not having A/C is no problem when not summer (unless hot late Spring/early Fall), but for big events like Canadian Opens in summers Universities would have air-conditioning. In Ottawa, both Carleton U and Ottawa U long ago were used for big events at times. Hotels can be more expensive, agreed, though at least one of the Gatineau sites lost in 2017 to the Trudeau bunch was a hotel; both were used for mere weekend swisses. Community Centres, where existing, may be possibilities, say for medium-size clubs/events.

    P.S.: For just small clubs or events, libraries, cafes, legions and churches are possibilities (notably basements in case of the latter). Neil Frarey once held event(s) at an Ottawa mall on a weekend(s), when the expected crowd of shoppers was very light. Malls are ideal for simultaneous exhibitions, in any case, attracting newbies to chess.
    Last edited by Kevin Pacey; 05-31-2023 at 05:36 PM. Reason: Grammar
    There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
    Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Pacey View Post
    In the current May-June 2023 CFC meeting CFC President Vlad Drkulec wrote: "... However, with this exponential growth [to now 4000+ CFC members] comes a set of challenges that we must address proactively. One significant challenge we currently face is the limited availability of suitable venues to accommodate the increasing number of players eager to compete in our tournaments. The surge in demand has stretched our existing infrastructure to its limits, leaving us with insufficient space to accommodate all the prospective players who wish to participate. This issue warrants our immediate attention and collaborative effort to ensure that no player is left behind, and every chess enthusiast has the opportunity to engage in competitive play..."

    Long ago I wondered if organizers weren't much proactively going out and advertising their events to total newbies (i.e. non-CFC members) partly out of fear of what to do with overflowing playing sites (besides the inertia or the temptation just to advertise to CFC members only). Now, largely due to covid, perhaps, there's been a flood of new CFC members, and sufficient sites/playing space is scarcer.

    Back in the 1970s and to some extent early 1980s, however, there were well over 4000 CFC members. What was going on then? Well, in Ottawa at least, the U of Ottawa was used as a site back then. In Toronto, the MacDonald Block gov't site was being used, before it was lost for different reasons. Since then, maybe other large sites have been lost too, especially as the number of players dwindled Canada-wide. In Gatineau there were 2 sites that were available relatively recently, until the Trudeau gov't took power and did a poor job of celebrating 2017 Canada Day (such as affecting said sites availability long after). Anyway, we've been at this level of CFC membership before, and now organizers need to find fresh sites (or regain old ones). We are still a ways away from pre-FQE CFC membership levels, and nowhere near 10,000 CFC members, an old target set by a 2012 blueprint plan for the CFC by a planning committee. Anyone who wishes to discuss the problem of insufficient playing sites might do so in this thread, especially if they cannot participate in the online meeting.
    An increase in the cost of many venues is a challenge for organizers. Some locations become cost prohibitive. For the larger tournaments, like the Canadian Open, CYCC, NAYCC this can be more than offset by the involvement of local tourism bureaus and civic leaders. I am regularly meeting with people in the hospitality industry who want to sell us hotel rooms which have also become more expensive. I was able to meet with the national sales manager for Innvest Hotels Saverio Gioffre who we first met in 2018 at the then CSTA (Canadian Sport Tourism Association) meetings in Halifax over coffee on May 2nd, last month. I have had several meetings with him over the years. This past time it was with three of his local sales managers for specific hotels in Toronto, North Bay and London, Ontario.

    The Canadian Open has in recent years become healthier and more viable with increased numbers of participants. This makes it more exciting for a community to put this tournament on.

    In the 1970's we had the Fischer-Spassky bump. It is what brought many players to organized chess.

    With respect to losing sites, chess players can be their own worst enemies and can be oblivious to the detrimental effects of their own actions. We used to have a free restaurant site and I recall having to deal with an irate owner when one of the players brought McDonald's (which was across the street) into the restaurant. Not a good situation.

    As for the number of chess players it is more than 4000 as I haven't seen recent numbers for the FQE and when you factor in youth players who may not be members but are competing in youth only tournaments we may be closer to that magic 10,000 level than you think. The USCF is over 100,000 and we should be able to reach 10% of that. I don't think the USCF lets kids play for free.

  7. #7
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    I recall the USCF had a rich benefactor's help many years ago. That certainly helps with any membership drive. The USCF also never lost a big chunk of its membership to a break-away federation, such as happened with the FQE here (I'm not up to speed with how FQE-CFC relations/co-operation is going these days).

    Regarding what's been happening with the 2000+ rated [adult!?] players during covid, as an ageing 2000+ rated player without a car here in Ottawa, I last played CFC-rated chess circa 2018 (one loss to an under-rated junior, supported by a doting parent, had been a last straw, at least for a while). I toyed with coming back (the city's fairly recently built shoddy LRT phase 1 actually made it more difficult for me to get to my city's big club at the faraway southeast end of the city, as the city's liberal mayor took away many bus routes to try to force people to use the LRT [many took Ubers to work instead]). A fellow CFC/club member moved to near where I lived in the west end, and even offered drives (he did have seizures sometimes years apart though, affecting if he could drive - maybe due to too much cellphone use in a short span one time?). Then the pandemic hit and the RA club was shut for a few years. My Mom needed help with Parkinson's, by the time the club re-opened.

    Meanwhile friend Ex-CFC Prez Eric V.D. died suddenly, so yet another way I might get to or from the club (conveniently) vanished. In early 2021 my Mom went to a nursing home and I had to move to a cheaper room in the city's east end, about equally far from the RA as before the LRT, in terms of travel time nowadays. Worse still, in Orleans the last bus home from the LRT is around midnight, meaning Thursday evenings were not too realistic for me to go to the RA still (yes, you do need to often use 2 buses, besides the LRT, just going one-way, unless you've got a vehicle). Not that I like the RA's post-covid rules, which are a lot like covid is still going on (e.g. building's bar & grill still not open). Otherwise, I might have gone back to over-the-board chess sooner than later - not a typical 2000+ rated older player's story, perhaps. I still go to the odd friend's place for blitz in the west end over the months, but that's about it. There's only a kid's lessons place in Orleans run by CMA, so far, if you don't count the bar scene vs. class/newbie strength opposition. There is the lesson that shabby politicians have also affected chess clubs/events/sites in all this.
    Last edited by Kevin Pacey; 06-03-2023 at 03:40 PM. Reason: Grammar
    There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
    Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.

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