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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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This must be Canada's largest chess club !
With 493 members on Chess Meetups and 174 sometime players in the Saturday Rapid who also have a rapid rating but with only about a dozen names common to both - the total comes to over 650 chess players. Please note that players from either list are dropped after non-activity of two years - therefore the lists are current. Of the rated players, 52 have ratings of 2200 plus !
Anyone wishing to promote their tournament in the GTA can have the event flyer sent to all on the list (for a small admin fee).
Can anyone claim better than 650 ?
This data is similar to people who "join" an event on Facebook - often without any intention of attending. (a friend of mine expects between 25% and 35% to show up of those who "join" one of his events and plans accordingly) Or - the CFC (or FQE) could be defined as a "club" using your definition. I define a "chess club" as a chess organization with an executive elected by the members, holds regular meetings, and normally charges a membership fee. :-)
How many of the 493 "members" have actually shown up? Do you keep a record of who comes to the meetups? (I guess you can filter out those who don't have a "location" of Toronto or nearby - probably spammers).
Adult club - I don't have the count at my fingertips, but 49 players in the current cross table.
Junior club - currently 283 kids on the club rating list. But then we purge the list after 20 weeks absent.
Except for a few kids, these are all paid up members.
If we kept all the kids on the list for 2 years, I don't know?
We did lose about a hundred kids when we moved to wednesday this year.
More than 650? Maybe!
Last edited by Bob Gillanders; Friday, 3rd July, 2015, 01:43 PM.
Or - the CFC (or FQE) could be defined as a "club" using your definition. I define a "chess club" as a chess organization with an executive elected by the members, holds regular meetings, and normally charges a membership fee. :-)
It appears to me only voting officers are elected by the members for the CFC. Kind of looks more like an electoral college for choosing the executives.
Adult club - I don't have the count at my fingertips, but 49 players in the current cross table.
Junior club - currently 283 kids on the club rating list. But then we purge the list after 20 weeks absent.
Except for a few kids, these are all paid up members.
If we kept all the kids on the list for 2 years, I don't know?
We did lose about a hundred kids when we moved to wednesday this year.
More than 650? Maybe!
As we can see from the divers posts (still to hear from C&M Larry Bevand) it all rests on definition of a chess club.
You're quite entitled to call a chess-themed daycare service a chess club - after all it is a commendable service ! But do take care as pawns can be a choking hazzard for infants.
Last edited by Vlad Dobrich; Friday, 3rd July, 2015, 02:12 PM.
You're quite entitled to call a chess-themed daycare service a chess club - after all it is a commendable service !
Touche. The Mississauga Junior Chess Club has been a huge success in terms of numbers, but there has been a downside. When weekly attendance was < 100, the junior club was a great place for kids of any skill level to enjoy chess and improve. We had a steady flow of kids graduating to the adult club and weekend CFC events. One of these days I am going to sit down and compile an alumni list.
But ever since weekly attendance > 100, the junior club has become increasingly difficult to manage. The atmosphere too often resembles a day care, zoo, or circus. The number of stronger kids has declined, while the number of beginners has swelled. This is going to change.
A few weeks ago, I read the riot act to the kids. Keep the noise level down, stop the horseplay and fighting. New club rules regarding bad behaviour have been posted. A system of warnings is now in effect, leading to expulsion if necessary.
Changing the atmosphere of the club will not happen overnight. We do want to maintain a fun environment and be inclusive of kids of all skill levels, but we have absolutely no desire to run a day care centre.
Changing the atmosphere of the club will not happen overnight. We do want to maintain a fun environment and be inclusive of kids of all skill levels, but we have absolutely no desire to run a day care centre.
Note that there are rules for day care centers. Since the term is being mentioned so freely, here are the government rules from their site.
...A few weeks ago, I read the riot act to the kids. Keep the noise level down, stop the horseplay and fighting...
What? You're telling them they can't move their Knights any more?
And a couple weeks ago, Jean Hebert posted here that chess is all about fighting. If you stop the fighting, this will according to Hebert's theory mainly affect the male players and make them weaker, while the female players strength will stay the same. This is a devious way to achieve some sort of equality between the sexes in chess!
Only the rushing is heard...
Onward flies the bird.
It is easy to pump up the numbers with kids. Our rules require, in principle, that members are at least 14 years old or 1400 rating but we have been overly lenient lately.
The interesting comparison would be adult members. Which club is the largest?
IMHO, the definition of “a chess club” should not include qualifiers based on age or skill level. If you want to exclude them, that is your choice not mine. Go ahead and claim “largest adult club” or “largest strong club”, or whatever.
IMHO, largest chess club should include all members who pay the club dues, attend regularly, and come to play chess. In those terms, I shall cling to my claim that Mississauga Chess Club is the largest chess club in Canada.
A comparison of chess clubs across Canada, with a breakdown of members by age, skill level, gender, activity level, membership dues, etc. would be an interesting exercise. Any takers?
Last edited by Bob Gillanders; Sunday, 5th July, 2015, 09:15 AM.
A chess club to me is an actual building or place within a building where players can hang their hats every day of the week; a place where boards and pieces are constantly at the ready; a place where pictures and posters and books about chess adorn the walls; a place that looks, feels and breathes chess – not some backroom or basement or begged space that otherwise functions as a church, common library or community center. Such a chess club only needs a few players who are devoted to the game.
John's definition of a "chess club" seems to fit the description of Montreal's Cafe Pi. I certainly wouldn't consider it as such - there are no "members"; there are few (if any) organized events; there is no elected executive; there is noise; other activities (e.g. backgammon, poker) may be going on at the same time.
A chess club to me is an actual building or place within a building where players can hang their hats every day of the week; a place where boards and pieces are constantly at the ready; a place where pictures and posters and books about chess adorn the walls; a place that looks, feels and breathes chess – not some backroom or basement or begged space that otherwise functions as a church, common library or community center. Such a chess club only needs a few players who are devoted to the game.
Yes. A few devoted players (with or without books, hats, or posters) meets my definition of a chess club. Just not a BIG chess club.
Paid memberships at Mississauga Chess Club >300. Now that's a BIG chess club.
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