Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

[Caesar Posylek]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

We want to accomodate everyone and we want everyone to pass (80% on the exam) so I'm proposing an email study group in the 4 months leading up the seminar.
- John-Erik

That could be a good idea! Lets start those group as soon as possible.
:)

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

I am interested in taking this course at the Canadian Open. I have one problem. I can't make the Wednesday course. I have to work and won't be able to get the day off. Is there still a way I can participate?

John Erickson
Niagara Falls, Ontario
TD for the Niagara Falls Open April 10th and 11th

Hi John,
Stephen would prefer the course to be spread over 5 days and then the exam on the next day. A 14-hour day is long. But how to work around the CFC meeting and GM lectures?
We want to accomodate everyone and we want everyone to pass (80% on the exam) so I'm proposing an email study group in the 4 months leading up the seminar.
- John-Erik

[Stephen Wright]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Geza Maroczy, Isaac Kashdan, and Lothar Schmid come to mind, also our own Abe Yanofsky was an IA.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

I am interested in taking this course at the Canadian Open. I have one problem. I can't make the Wednesday course. I have to work and won't be able to get the day off. Is there still a way I can participate?

John Erickson
Niagara Falls, Ontario
TD for the Niagara Falls Open April 10th and 11th

John, I'm not sure if EriK will read your post attached to mine. He gives an email address in the opening post in this thread. Possibly send him an email for the best reply.

Earning a FA or IA title is worthwhile, even if I do joke about mine. I value my correspondence chess IA title more than my playing titles. For one thing, there are fewer of those titles. :)

Gary

[John Erickson]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

I am interested in taking this course at the Canadian Open. I have one problem. I can't make the Wednesday course. I have to work and won't be able to get the day off. Is there still a way I can participate?

John Erickson
Niagara Falls, Ontario
TD for the Niagara Falls Open April 10th and 11th

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Ex-champion too :) M.Botvinnik was an arbiter during 1988 Soviet Union championship (1-2 Kasparov and Karpov with the dispute who is the First)

Well, an "ex" is a used to be. :)

Of course, I hold the correspondence title of SIM which is higher than my IM title. My mistake was waiting until I was pretty much finished organizing before starting on earning playing titles. My play is now too weak to attain the CC GM title. I've reached the second time in a players "career" when there is no pressure to perform. I've reached the age where I don't care about my results or my rating.

Not trying to win and not caring about the result are two different things.

Teaching is a bit different, I think. It's not necessary to be a very strong player to teach, although, it migh be helpful. Some of the players who have hellped me the most are those who understood aspects of the game better than I did.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Conventional wisdom? So most of our rated players are organizers?

As regards Arbiters, we do have some IM's among us and GM

Ex-champion too :) M.Botvinnik was an arbiter during 1988 Soviet Union championship (1-2 Kasparov and Karpov with the dispute who is the First)

[Hal Bond]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Conventional wisdom? So most of our rated players are organizers?

As regards Arbiters, we do have some IM's among us and GM Gligorich served as an Arbiter for many years, including Spraggett-Yuopov I believe. But mostly we are class players and experts. At the World Championship match in Bonn we were roughly 2100, 1900 and 1700. In Sophia my two colleagues from Bonn will take care of things - now that the players don't have private quarters only 2 Arbiters are needed.

[John Coleman]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

I don't think so. The conventional wisdom is those who can't play organize.

I think the saying goes:
Those who can, do;
Those who can't, teach;
Those who can't teach, go into management.

Apart from the wisdom of the saying, there is the little verbal joke of "can't, teach" in the second line, and "can't teach" in the third.

In the case of chess, or course, I doubt there is very little wisdom floating around, either in the playing, teaching, or management.

Present company excepted.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Do Fide arbiters have to be of a certain rating? After all situations come up where they have to assess chess positions. Just wondering what the standard is for this.

I don't think so. The conventional wisdom is those who can't play organize.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Do Fide arbiters have to be of a certain rating?

I doubt it. Hal Bond (rated 1877) and Larry Bevand (1937) are both IA's -far from GM strength.

It's similar to chess teachers. I know some great teachers who may be rated in the 1500-1600 range.

[Garvin Nunes]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Do Fide arbiters have to be of a certain rating? After all situations come up where they have to assess chess positions. Just wondering what the standard is for this.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open - A CFC Subsidy?

Aris Marghetis
FA since 2009 ;) [Of course, someone who's been an FA longer may differ in opinion!]

I have to tell you, I've been a correspondence IA for years. Never made a cent from the title or directing ICCF events.

It was awarded to me after directing ICCF events continuously (by post) for 6 years. I actually did it for longer than that but to qualify for the title it had to be 6 years. At times I was directing 300 or more players all over the world.

Anyone who thinks I got the title because of my pleasant personality and easy going ways is mistaken.

There was nothing I liked better than forfeiting a game from someone who was indulging in the fine art of "chess lawyering" with me. All those years and I never had a decision overturned by the appeals committee.

There's nothing more satisfying than being able to forfeit someones games simply because he's breaking the rules. Well, maybe sex is better.

[Aris Marghetis]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open - A CFC Subsidy?

Hi Kerry:

I think it also should be noted that this course is income-generating in future to the graduates - they do get a return on their investment.

Bob

Hi Bob, I wasn't going to say anything at first, but for the sake of transparency, and just in my humble opinion, becoming an FA does not seem to make any difference in generation of income. If I may suggest to people who are considering becoming FAs, you should do it for the proverbial love of the game, because you get a rush from chess tournaments being run right. I realize that sounds corny, but if it does not resonate with the reader, then I propose that answers the reader's question whether he should strive to become an FA. I cannot speak for FAs in Europe, nor even in the bigger Canadian cities like Toronto-Vancouver-Montreal, but from my own experience in a fair-size Canadian city like Ottawa, becoming an FA did not increase my income generation, LOL!

Aris Marghetis
FA since 2009 ;) [Of course, someone who's been an FA longer may differ in opinion!]

[Hal Bond]

Re: Arbiter Training at Canadian Open

Bob, I think the participants should pay for most if not all of the course. Any subsidy in my view would be in the 20% range. The key to reducing the cost is to attract more participants. With 2 people delivering the course we should be able to handle 15 - 20 students.

Perhaps the organizers will entertain a discount for players in the Open.