If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Policy / Politique
The fee for tournament organizers advertising on ChessTalk is $20/event or $100/yearly unlimited for the year.
Les frais d'inscription des organisateurs de tournoi sur ChessTalk sont de 20 $/événement ou de 100 $/année illimitée.
You can etransfer to Henry Lam at chesstalkforum at gmail dot com
Transfér à Henry Lam à chesstalkforum@gmail.com
Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
General Guidelines
---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
Some Basics
1. Under Board "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) there are 3 sections dealing with General Forum Usage, User Profile Features, and Reading and Posting Messages. These deal with everything from Avatars to Your Notifications. Most general technical questions are covered there. Here is a link to the FAQs. https://forum.chesstalk.com/help
2. Consider using the SEARCH button if you are looking for information. You may find your question has already been answered in a previous thread.
3. If you've looked for an answer to a question, and not found one, then you should consider asking your question in a new thread. For example, there have already been questions and discussion regarding: how to do chess diagrams (FENs); crosstables that line up properly; and the numerous little “glitches” that every new site will have.
4. Read pinned or sticky threads, like this one, if they look important. This applies especially to newcomers.
5. Read the thread you're posting in before you post. There are a variety of ways to look at a thread. These are covered under “Display Modes”.
6. Thread titles: please provide some details in your thread title. This is useful for a number of reasons. It helps ChessTalk members to quickly skim the threads. It prevents duplication of threads. And so on.
7. Unnecessary thread proliferation (e.g., deliberately creating a new thread that duplicates existing discussion) is discouraged. Look to see if a thread on your topic may have already been started and, if so, consider adding your contribution to the pre-existing thread. However, starting new threads to explore side-issues that are not relevant to the original subject is strongly encouraged. A single thread on the Canadian Open, with hundreds of posts on multiple sub-topics, is no better than a dozen threads on the Open covering only a few topics. Use your good judgment when starting a new thread.
8. If and/or when sub-forums are created, please make sure to create threads in the proper place.
Debate
9. Give an opinion and back it up with a reason. Throwaway comments such as "Game X pwnz because my friend and I think so!" could be considered pointless at best, and inflammatory at worst.
10. Try to give your own opinions, not simply those copied and pasted from reviews or opinions of your friends.
Unacceptable behavior and warnings
11. In registering here at ChessTalk please note that the same or similar rules apply here as applied at the previous Boardhost message board. In particular, the following content is not permitted to appear in any messages:
* Racism
* Hatred
* Harassment
* Adult content
* Obscene material
* Nudity or pornography
* Material that infringes intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party
* Material the posting of which is tortious or violates a contractual or fiduciary obligation you or we owe to another party
* Piracy, hacking, viruses, worms, or warez
* Spam
* Any illegal content
* unapproved Commercial banner advertisements or revenue-generating links
* Any link to or any images from a site containing any material outlined in these restrictions
* Any material deemed offensive or inappropriate by the Board staff
12. Users are welcome to challenge other points of view and opinions, but should do so respectfully. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Posts and threads with unacceptable content can be closed or deleted altogether. Furthermore, a range of sanctions are possible - from a simple warning to a temporary or even a permanent banning from ChessTalk.
Helping to Moderate
13. 'Report' links (an exclamation mark inside a triangle) can be found in many places throughout the board. These links allow users to alert the board staff to anything which is offensive, objectionable or illegal. Please consider using this feature if the need arises.
Advice for free
14. You should exercise the same caution with Private Messages as you would with any public posting.
Great clarification - thx for all the factual background.
For what it's worth, I think it is worth it to keep our single zone status. It is good for our elite players, and I think we have to keep a balance between servicing them, and our ordinary membership/public.
Jonathan is right - the FIDE REP's have always paid their own way. Other than Prentice, each has bemoaned this fact of life.
For my part, I have now attended the 4 Congresses from 2008 - 2011. The CFC paid nothing for the first 3. In 2011 the CFC contributed $1000 toward the trip.
In 2009 our Zonal status was in trouble, mainly due to India's Zonal ambitions and our perceived inactivity. Nigel Freeman came to Ottawa and told us it was practically a done deal. The general plan was to dump us somewhere in the Caribbean. My predecessors were all consulted and the message I received was that we should fight this proposal tooth and nail. I was able to mobilize support from FIDE America and anyone else who would listen. When push came to shove the motion was not presented to the General Assembly.
Being a FIDE Zone is admittedly double edged. Cost is one challenge. As a Zonal President I attend Congresses every year instead of just Olympic years. Our Zonal Championships cost $750 each and in 2014 we will start paying $400 per year in Zonal fees. On the plus side, IM and FM titles are earnable at our Zonal Championships, our champions are seeded directly into the World Cup (where every participant takes home a minimum of $3-4K after hotel expenses), and our Seniors Champion receives full room and board at the World Seniors Championship.
Then there is some degree of intangible prestige/cred. We share this single country zone status with USA, Russia, Ukraine and China. Is it all worth it? Sometimes I do wonder.
Hal: From what I've seen the free room and board at the Seniors event has now largely been limited to continental champions.
In 2009 our Zonal status was in trouble, mainly due to India's Zonal ambitions and our perceived inactivity. Nigel Freeman came to Ottawa and told us it was practically a done deal. The general plan was to dump us somewhere in the Caribbean. My predecessors were all consulted and the message I received was that we should fight this proposal tooth and nail. I was able to mobilize support from FIDE America and anyone else who would listen. When push came to shove the motion was not presented to the General Assembly.
So, Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, T&T, Haiti, Dominica, Martinique, Turks and Caicos I hope ... all the English- and French- speaking islands but not the Spanish- speaking ones? Dutch in, or Dutch out? Perhaps. The grouping doesn't make a lot of sense. There is no zone like it. The gaps and disparities of size are staggering. Maybe, as you suggest, the idea died because of skilled diplomacy. Or maybe the idea died under its own weight. That's what I think: losing the zonal status is the Homeland Security of CFC.
I'll repeat what has been said and written before. On the basis of chess, Canada in 2012 has no business being a Zone. We are not even G20, chess-wise. It is only on the basis of geography that we will continue to be a Zone. There is no country or countries that will want to share a Zone with us.
If I'm wrong, I don't see the downside of a bit of tropical cross-pollination. Our chessy cherry to their chessy cherimoya.
India could become a Zone without reorganizing the Americas. It's not like they're running out of Zones. Zones are not like Supreme Beings. There can be only zero or one Supreme Being. Woe betide he who posits a new Supreme Being. The number of Zones is whatever is convenient.
Mostly agreed Jonathan. I refer to us as the orphan zone in FIDE. For some reason FIDE is a bit prescious about their zonal allocations - particularly to single countries. The relevance of zones is also in flux. Europe mostly ignores them in favour of a Continental focus.
It is also far from clear what a Canada - Caribbean meld would look like.
I refer to us as the orphan zone in FIDE. For some reason FIDE is a bit prescious about their zonal allocations - particularly to single countries.
If the CFC feels lonely in his heavy responsiblities as a single country zone, this can easily be fixed. And without having to mix with some caribbean island... ;)
Why does anybody think that Canada is a small or a bad zone and it should be moved somewhere? Count all provinces+territories and you'll get a big zone.
In Correspondence Chess we are in Zone 3, North America, Pacific. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan, Hong Kong and Mexico. Can't recall if there's anyone else as ICCF doesn't have as many member nations as FIDE.
Why does anybody think that Canada is a small or a bad zone and it should be moved somewhere? Count all provinces+territories and you'll get a big zone.
Thanks Egis for this link.
I see both Canada and US are single country zones, along with a few others. Can you tell me what the notation under the country name means? I could guess, but would rather not.
Zone 2.1 (1)
USA
5M 3W
Zone 2.2 (1)
Canada
1M 1W
What does the (1) mean?
What does the 5M 3W and 1M 1W mean?
Since that I do not represent any federation, I can only deal in diplomacy which implies a fair amount of vagueness :). Surely you can read between lines ? ;)
Thanks Egis for this link.
I see both Canada and US are single country zones, along with a few others. Can you tell me what the notation under the country name means? I could guess, but would rather not.
Zone 2.1 (1)
USA
5M 3W
Zone 2.2 (1)
Canada
1M 1W
What does the (1) mean?
What does the 5M 3W and 1M 1W mean?
Anyone?
It's the number of Men (M) and Women (W) sent to the World Championship. The number (1) is the number of countries in the zone.
Comment