'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

[Neil Frarey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

Hi Kevin, sup yo?

Great weekend this was! Had a productive meeting with a First Nation band councillor. Talked about his people, our people, the game of chess and how we could deliver the game into a remote community and what the game of chess is really all about! We talked about poverty, about enabling the youth and about how competitive we all are. As you can imagine it was a very open and honest discussion. I have admit, I was a little intimidated.

Long term game plan for the Society of Chess Aficionados is to celebrate and promote our game. Simple. Personally speaking, and I don't speak for the others, I'm open to all chess adventures which would have a positive impact. The strength of that impact doesn't require measurement. One time participation in a prize fund (for whatever reason such as brand development) or bringing our game into fresh new areas which will have a long term benefit, are all good! The goal is to participate.

Next summer we will have our first tournament ... U1600 Chess Tournament ... and it will have a massive prize fund and be properly staged. The first one of its kind! The purpose of the tourney is celebrate the base, the grass roots, the chess enthusiast. It'd be great if there was some sort of chess variant activity going on!

As for the other chess entities such as the CFC, the ACA, the FQE, etc., etc., I think they all can benefit from supporting chess variants. Why not? Standard chess runs so deep in our culture that it would benefit, and not be diminished, by the energy that chess variants bring.

Just my opinion ...anyways.

Hey Kevin, checkout our latest dev ... Chess News Feeds ... test page:
http://societyofchessaficionados.world/chess-newsfeeds/

Just crude single column layout for testing purposes with only two feeds being aggregated, but the thing works! When skinned each chess news feed source (and we'll have a good 1/2 doz of those) will feature its own image and styled with a more condensed list in a grid/card layout!

Yet another Canadian/World first!

After 3, yep 3, different website design themes I have finally decided on two entirely different ones, but they're both the same sort of. We'll be using columns and rows framework. Great for mobile and desktop ...I'm leaning toward something like Packery:

https://isotope.metafizzy.co/layout-modes/packery.html
https://packery.metafizzy.co/

But I really really want to code the whole thing myself!

I can't find the Off switch ...

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

...
I wasn't kidding when I said here on C.T. that I would double the CFC's Membership within a year ... not much of a challenge really.
...

Hi once again, Neil.

I'm curious if you've given thought to possible long-term planning for your nascent SoCA (Society of Chess Aficionados) organization, or to a possible fresh long-term business plan by the CFC (assuming that for you, the EOCA/OCA are out of any such consideration). Also, might you see any sort of chess variant(s) as being a possible sideline for either organization, even far down the line (fwiw, I'm not quite as keen about all sorts of chess variants as I once was, at least for now)?

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

...
There's a great untapped resource on the CFC's website; Chess Clubs ... http://chess.ca/clubs .It would be greatly to our advantage if we could send off an email campaign to those links ... the links that are still alive ;) Email campaigns can range in subject matter ...monies for our elite ...membership package offers ...branded apparel.
...

In some year that I was a Governor, as a sort of club contact person I was to email clubs information that I (and some of the CFC Exec) thought they'd find useful/informative. I didn't get many replies from the club contacts. Perhaps the CFC simply didn't have enough info of interest to offer up to clubs at the time?! One thing that might be possible one day is for the CFC to set up internet team match(es) between willing clubs across Canada, though this might be difficult to arrange on a large scale. Other than that, there's the stuff you mentioned that a club contact person could send to clubs by email.

[Neil Frarey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

I'd imagine at the least the modern(?) CFC VMs would like to see, if possible, some sort of a cost-benefit analysis of anything given freely by the CFC in the way of former fee revenue forgone, even as part of an introductory offer. That might be tough to come up with.

If I get you right, people might be more willing to give personal data, e.g. date of birth(?), for an initial free trial of the sort you propose. If the CFC has that sort of info for every member eventually, yes, that seems rather valuable if utilized at all properly by the CFC.

Chess 4 Charity does sound like it was quite a hit. I saw (& played) Gabriel Brown not too many years ago, when he became active in chess again, for a seemingly short time, as a young adult. Haven't seen or heard of Lloyd Mai for a long time.

On the lighter(?) side, is this about what you had in mind when you wrote of "goth" regarding my old DIY tee? :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_(board_game)

Hey, I'll do all the work ... with perhaps a lean on Bob A. ... but the data we should be after is:

• Where are the Trial Members coming from? Places such as existing chess clubs, internet chess playing websites (chess dot com et al) And can we better target the campaign.
• Who is accepting the Trial Membership. Age bracket? Mobile Gen?

That kind of data is worth the effort alone.

There's a great untapped resource on the CFC's website; Chess Clubs ... http://chess.ca/clubs .It would be greatly to our advantage if we could send off an email campaign to those links ... the links that are still alive ;) Email campaigns can range in subject matter ...monies for our elite ...membership package offers ...branded apparel.

Good stuff, eh?

Lloyd's doing great! http://harthouse.ca/hart-house-chess-club-wins/

I should release that C4C DVD ...it's epic!

That goth game kinda creeps me out ...in a good way!!!

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

I'd imagine at the least the modern(?) CFC VMs would like to see, if possible, some sort of a cost-benefit analysis of anything given freely by the CFC in the way of former fee revenue forgone, even as part of an introductory offer. That might be tough to come up with.

If I get you right, people might be more willing to give personal data, e.g. date of birth(?), for an initial free trial of the sort you propose. If the CFC has that sort of info for every member eventually, yes, that seems rather valuable if utilized at all properly by the CFC.

Chess 4 Charity does sound like it was quite a hit. I saw (& played) Gabriel Brown not too many years ago, when he became active in chess again, for a seemingly short time, as a young adult. Haven't seen or heard of Lloyd Mai for a long time.

On the lighter(?) side, is this about what you had in mind when you wrote of "goth" regarding my old DIY tee? :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_(board_game)

[Neil Frarey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

I forgot to mention that I missed seeing/forgot the Chess 4 Charity event. What was it like & about?

Quite a while ago the CFC had it's own baseball caps. Can't recall if it ever had T-shirts. As a kid I did a cheap imitation of the symbol (without words) using indelible ink on a T-shirt for myself. I just wore it at school. One girl thought it was a design about tombstones. :) Speaking of symbols I've long understood the peace symbol is actually a satanic one, unfortunately. It's apparently a trident or broken cross in a circle/ellipse - means death to all mankind according to one internet blurb I once saw - somehow it got snuck into popular culture in the morally mixed 1960s. The wikipedia entry for it claims it was invented in 1958, for anti-nuclear protesting, but who knows exactly how the artist got his inspiration, if he indeed came up with it.

Also as I kid I delivered the Clarion newspaper. I recall the RA club used to advertise in it. I used to go to the RA in the early 1970s with Robert (aka Bob) Gelblum and his father on casual Sundays, before I moved to Brampton for 13 years. Back then young kids/teens weren't allowed in the club the other day of the week that it was open, for more serious play.

You've definitely got opposition to some of your ideas, at least in Ottawa. In line with what you wrote earlier, two Governors said long ago, each at seperate meetings years apart, that the sole reason the EOCA exists is the Grand Prix. A former president once noted to me that any idea of 'free' sucks as far CFC policy would go, in his mind. You may need more allies, if you don't go your own way in some regard as far as chess goes (you might even throw in chess variants, if you'd like a virgin, but largely barren, niche to grow from scratch).

C4C was an amazing event organized to raise money for charity (United Way). It featured 2 youts Lloyd Mai & Gabriel Brown. Each youth performed a simultaneous display, simultaneously! A Canadian and world first!!!

One youth encircled by 20 boards and not more than 20 feet away the other youth surrounded by 20 boards! The event took place down at 240 Sparks. Perfect location! Perfect concept! Raised a ton of cash! Industry Canada (now known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) was the host. It was a combination of Industry Canada+Charity+Chess!!! Lloyd Dean of I.D. was the driving motivator. Brilliant guy.

So ya, love your DIY tee! As goth as it turned out to be!!! CFC branded street apparel is a must!

So ya, as for those past presidents who (for whatever personal reason) retarded the growth of the EOCA:

The EOCA is defined by the boundaries of its postal code K factor ... NOT by the confines of the Grand Prix!!! Get our map from the OCA and get to work! It's time for growth! But, we both know what will happen ...don't we, Kevin.

So ya, free trail memberships are the norm for most any modern successful subscription based business ... too many to reference here, Kevin. But think Adobe to start. I'm sure you know a handful of your own who offer a free trail membership.

Seriously successful marketing practice - tried and true!

CFC free trial membership good for 3 CFC rated tournaments (local events, not national events) is just perfect! 2 might work, but the more data the better! It's the data that is most valuable!

Just like the EOCA, the CFC is surrounded by potential growth! But the potential growth is being held back by those who aren't willing to try what has already been proven to be successful.

What do they have to lose???


peace.
n.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

I forgot to mention that I missed seeing/forgot the Chess 4 Charity event. What was it like & about?

Quite a while ago the CFC had it's own baseball caps. Can't recall if it ever had T-shirts. As a kid I did a cheap imitation of the symbol (without words) using indelible ink on a T-shirt for myself. I just wore it at school. One girl thought it was a design about tombstones. :) Speaking of symbols I've long understood the peace symbol is actually a satanic one, unfortunately. It's apparently a trident or broken cross in a circle/ellipse - means death to all mankind according to one internet blurb I once saw - somehow it got snuck into popular culture in the morally mixed 1960s. The wikipedia entry for it claims it was invented in 1958, for anti-nuclear protesting, but who knows exactly how the artist got his inspiration, if he indeed came up with it.

Also as a kid I delivered the Clarion newspaper. I recall the RA club used to advertise in it. I used to go to the RA in the early 1970s with Robert (aka Bob) Gelblum and his father on casual Sundays, before I moved to Brampton for 13 years. Back then young kids/teens weren't allowed in the club the other day of the week that it was open, for more serious play.

You've definitely got opposition to some of your ideas, at least in Ottawa. In line with what you wrote earlier, two Governors said long ago, each at seperate meetings years apart, that the sole reason the EOCA exists is the Grand Prix. A former president once noted to me that any idea of 'free' sucks as far CFC policy would go, in his mind. You may need more allies, if you don't go your own way in some regard as far as chess goes (you might even throw in chess variants, if you'd like a virgin, but largely barren, niche to grow from scratch).

[Neil Frarey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

Seems like some solid ideas you have there Neil, good luck if you run for CFC Prez. I do fear you are crying in the wilderness if not ever elected/acclaimed, though if even some of your ideas are otherwise still implemented by someone else eventually then I would be glad of it, even if unkindly uncredited - hope you share more of them, if only in an altruistic spirit for the sake of Canadian chess.

Kevin

I've been ripped so many many times it's become part of the game, Kevin. Here's one the more recent examples; when out and about Christmas shopping last year I saw one of my graphic designs (United Nation peace poster) on the back of a deck of playing cards!!! In Manotick!!! WTF? Ripped off, me? Oh ya, for sure! All the time! Copyright(s) are only as good as you're willing to defend them. In 2010 I learnt full well how to manipulate that element of society thanks to social media and the innerwebs in general.

Back on point...

Till the soil - Sow the seed - Celebrate the brand!

• Percentage of memberships monies (either renewals or new) generated by local orgs ... goes back to those associations!
• Free trial membership good for 3 CFC tournaments. Drop the offer on gaming and chess websites such chess dot com, chessclub dot com, etc. Conditions: not eligible for prizes.
• Start with ... Chess Federation of Canada t-shirts! Push them out through Strategy Games. Offer them up as part of a limited membership offer.

More???


peace.
n.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

...
So Kevin, I'm curious. How do you measure the success of a national chess tournament? Prize money, sponsorship, participation, other(?) ... perhaps all of that combined? Or, simply by the games that you played?
...

Well Neil, as you're aware, whether or not one is a player or an organizer, an optimal level of player participation depends on the type of national event an organizer is running, i.e. whether it's a Closed or an Open event. Regardless, it might be nice if the players are all relatively highly rated, though it also would be nice (if appropriate), say for the sake of increasing CFC membership levels alone, if there are a large number of unrated newbies playing (e.g. in their own special section that's handled by a TD skilled in how to treat raw newbies).

Otherwise as you suggest it's the combination of the things you mentioned (for 'other' factors there are e.g. media coverage, and, more optionally, the number of live spectators), though perhaps some potential sponsors may want things a certain way in regards to my previous paragraph - e.g. some may be cold to the idea of a newbies section, somehow or other. Also, as you kind of alluded to, the organizer and individual players will likely hope for a lot of entertaining (if not skillful) chess to be played at such an event (some individual players, or any fans they have, may be content if they simply place well in the tournament, and I've sometimes found myself in that position, after a lot of earlier games of bad chess ).

[Neil Frarey]

Re: 'Ottawa & Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

Whoa, thanks! I'd forgotten that I created the National Capital Open.

Chess 4 Charity was a blast! I have a DVD of the event including my interview with CBC ... during the interview right on the spot in the middle of the interview I created the word > Chesstastic < !!! The reporter was stunned ... she just looked at me with an expression of WTF?

So Kevin, I'm curious. How do you measure the success of a national chess tournament? Prize money, sponsorship, participation, other(?) ... perhaps all of that combined? Or, simply by the games that you played?

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa &amp; Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

...
I wasn't kidding when I said here on C.T. that I would double the CFC's Membership within a year ... not much of a challenge really.

With our armed forces who else in such large section of our population has almost a daily consideration of both strategy & tactics? Every level of their community rank & file are proud to wear their colors! So, a natural inclination to chess fundamentals, combined with a natural competitiveness, combined with pride of place ... all of that screams organized chess ... to me anyways. Simply a matter of presenting the right program/package ...with respect.

And as pres I would also quickly set contacts with ALL our native communities by simply going over to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
...

Hello again Neil

It's possible you're not tooting your own horn enough, regarding a possible run for CFC Prez. Your recorded sheer number of directed CFC-rated events is similar to at least some CFC presidents' quantity in this regard. However, you'd need to get back in the game by soon becoming a CFC member, if you were possibly intending to run as soon as this year:

http://chess.ca/crosstable?search_to...8ce14b993e225c


P.S.: I noticed at least two rated Active TC events held at the Ottawa Chess Club, in the above link. I recall the club had much more of a history (unrated, perhaps). Hope it comes back in full force some day. Once again, good luck, whatever you decide.

K.R.P.

[Garland Best]

Re: 'Ottawa &amp; Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

EOCA voting members have been 3 governors for several years now.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa &amp; Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

Seems like some solid ideas you have there Neil, good luck if you run for CFC Prez. I do fear you are crying in the wilderness if not ever elected/acclaimed, though if even some of your ideas are otherwise still implemented by someone else eventually then I would be glad of it, even if unkindly uncredited - hope you share more of them, if only in an altruistic spirit for the sake of Canadian chess.

I just noticed that the EOCA had been reduced to 3 voting members for the coming season, thanks to the info given in the 2017 OCA AGM thread. A bit disappointing, in light of the ideas we've been bouncing around regarding possible expansion into virgin chess territory by e.g. the CFC/EOCA. The good work that such Canadian chess bodies carry out within the familiar membership level/territory that they are more or less content to stay within for long periods of time might otherwise be shortly doubled at the least, as you suggest.

Kevin

[Neil Frarey]

Re: 'Ottawa &amp; Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

Hello again Neil

Upon further reflection, I think that in a general sense your idea of the CFC or EOCA approaching military bases is simply brilliant. I recall CFC Rating Auditor Paul Leblanc once suggesting somewhere the idea of the CFC giving a discount on CFC memberships to military members, which is similar to an auxillary idea you mentioned above.

I'd thought further about the general problem of how to encourage growth in a 'remote (or virgin) chess area' having no established/previous organized chess (or known CFC members, to be potential players/organizer[s]). Unless an experienced organizer lives or works in the area (or knows someone there who could perhaps become an organizer), organized chess there must be started truly from scratch somehow. An organization like the EOCA or CFC could advertise cheaply locally to ask for local volunteers willing to learn how to start a local club (or run an event locally), with EOCA support of some kind, but such an advertising approach in order to cultivate fresh organizers might be hit or miss at best (most likely miss!?).

The obvious alternative is to hope passively that someone one day looks at the CFC (or even EOCA) website, if that inexperienced someone might happen to be inspired to begin organizing locally. A third alternative is the one you suggested by way of example, namely e.g. the EOCA can contact someone in a place where a big group of potential players and organizer(s) are already in one place together on a regular basis, which is in your example a military base. This approach beats the idea of the EOCA advertising locally (to an audience of more isolated individuals) in such a virgin chess location, if the EOCA cared to do that instead/too.

A few more quality ideas like this one, in a well written CFC presidential platform, and you'll be looked at with more fresh eyes.

Thanks for your kind remark Kevin, refreshing.

I wasn't kidding when I said here on C.T. that I would double the CFC's Membership within a year ... not much of a challenge really.

With our armed forces who else in such large section of our population has almost a daily consideration of both strategy & tactics? Every level of their community rank & file are proud to wear their colors! So, a natural inclination to chess fundamentals, combined with a natural competitiveness, combined with pride of place ... all of that screams organized chess ... to me anyways. Simply a matter of presenting the right program/package ...with respect.

And as pres I would also quickly set contacts with ALL our native communities by simply going over to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada ...presenting a program/package for their communities also! With Skype and other internet enablers it is really exciting to think that from scratch a chess teacher such as Tom O. could have an impact in such a community. Secondary school level teachers could easily set up 'from scratch' an after school chess program and act as an intermediary. A CFC-CMA initiative would be easy to implement. CFC brands the overall participation, CMA brands the program(s), etc.. Funding coming from community level or what I'm aiming for ...Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada level.

I've already begun looking into this matter. And I wasn't kidding about a national champ coming out of a First Nation!

I won't bore you all the other easy to implement builders.

Double the CFC's Membership within a year ... not much of a challenge really.

And that's just to start, Kevin.

Next, think brand awareness and connectivity! Connect with interests that on a human & social level not only help those interest with our brand support, but inturn give our brand a fresh new foothold ... now we're talking about mainstream Canada!

How to do that?

As just one of a solid half dozen easy to implement examples: Chess Federation of Canada supports the hard working folks at the Canadian Cancer Society. Connect, make their concern ...our concern. Connect our brand to theirs. What can we do for and with them ... and vice-versa. And yes, Kevin ...I have already gone over to their national head quarters here in Ottawa ... beautiful people, great leadership!, I got a tour of their 'war room'. Map after map of demographic breakdowns. These folks really know what their doing ...and it ain't sitting around waiting for the phone to ring!

Seriously, double the CFC's Membership within a year ... not much of a challenge really.

Thanks again.


peace.
n.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: 'Ottawa &amp; Eastern Ontario chesstalk Public Social Group' thread 1.0

...
Here's a simple and easy path of quick growth for both the EOCA and the equally sluggish CFC...

Identify our armed forces bases, you know, places such as ...Petawawa, Kingston, etc., etc.. There are quite a few on our map! Here's a couple of links to point you in the right direction:

4th Canadian Division Support Base Petawawa
http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/e...awa/index.page

Canadian Forces Base Kingston
http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/e...ton/index.page

Get the idea? Good! Identify them ALL! Approach them all! Ask them about Chess, about chess activities within their services! Pitch a well prepared well coordinated chess activity. Perhaps something like a round robin? Could be played on chess dot com. Or, where ever. In other words, sign them up! Get them involved! Create a whole new category from them!
...

Hello again Neil

Upon further reflection, I think that in a general sense your idea of the CFC or EOCA approaching military bases is simply brilliant. I recall CFC Rating Auditor Paul Leblanc once suggesting somewhere the idea of the CFC giving a discount on CFC memberships to military members, which is similar to an auxillary idea you mentioned above.

I'd thought further about the general problem of how to encourage growth in a 'remote (or virgin) chess area' having no established/previous organized chess (or known CFC members, to be potential players/organizer[s]). Unless an experienced organizer lives or works in the area (or knows someone there who could perhaps become an organizer), organized chess there must be started truly from scratch somehow. An organization like the EOCA or CFC could advertise cheaply locally to ask for local volunteers willing to learn how to start a local club (or run an event locally), with EOCA support of some kind, but such an advertising approach in order to cultivate fresh organizers might be hit or miss at best (most likely miss!?).

The obvious alternative is to hope passively that someone one day looks at the CFC (or even EOCA) website, if that inexperienced someone might happen to be inspired to begin organizing locally. A third alternative is the one you suggested by way of example, namely e.g. the EOCA can contact someone in a place where a big group of potential players and organizer(s) are already in one place together on a regular basis, which is in your example a military base. This approach beats the idea of the EOCA advertising locally (to an audience of more isolated individuals) in such a virgin chess location, if the EOCA cared to do that instead/too.

A few more quality ideas like this one, in a well written CFC presidential platform, and you'll be looked at with more fresh eyes.