CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

[Bob Armstrong]

Posted on the Cooperative Chess Coalition ( CCC ) Facebook chess discussion group, " CCC - Chess Posts of Interest " :

CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Q - There are lots of chess players who complain about things in the world chess culture, but few who actually take steps to change something. Why is this so?

A– One CCC member, Ken Kurkowski offered the opinion that it may be “ because those who have tried to change things typically ran into a brick wall of resistance “ I agreed – people get discouraged when wanting to do what they consider the “ right “ thing in chess, and find they can make no progress. But I have found it is much the same in any field - change is suspect! Though I have found the chess culture more resistant than I have in some other fields. And in any area, the resistance to change discourages activism. But in chess, at least in Canada, in the last few years, I think it has been shown that a person can, with support, bring about change - but it takes patience and persistence. I, as a Chess Federation of Canada Governor, have had the governors in their meetings pass numbers of motions I've brought, or been associated with. But it does take hard work and a lot of volunteer hours, and I have been helped over the years by grassroots member groups, which I formed, and who wanted change – the Grassroots’ Campaign, the Canadian Constitutional Coalition, and now the Cooperative Chess Coalition. And you need a somewhat optimistic personality - you have to believe it is possible, at least some of the times, and you can't be discouraged by failure. Our newly restructured grassroots international group, Cooperative Chess Coalition ( CCC ) will be a test - getting chess players to give constructive opinions ( not just complain ) is a challenge. We will have to see if the CCC can help bring about any reforms, after gathering support in debate on the Facebook chess discussion page, “ CCC – Chess Posts of Interest “, and national boards where CCC has reposted.

Can CCC be an agent for chess reform?

Bob Armstrong, CCC Member

[Roger Patterson]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

while you have changed various CFC bylaws in the Handbook, and that is change of a sort, it is not real change, if you get my drift.

[Alan Baljeu]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

I don't, Roger.

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Neither do I. As we chess players often like to say: "Concrete variations please!"

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Posted on the Cooperative Chess Coalition ( CCC ) Facebook chess discussion group, " CCC - Chess Posts of Interest " :

CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Q - There are lots of chess players who complain about things in the world chess culture, but few who actually take steps to change something. Why is this so?

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries … and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.

– Niccolo Machiavelli

[John Coleman]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

while you have changed various CFC bylaws in the Handbook, and that is change of a sort, it is not real change, if you get my drift.

I think Roger's meaning is that changing details in the handbook is analogous to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

[Bob Armstrong]

Significant Reform Efforts

Well, in defence of reform efforts, I'd note the followiing:

1. The Grassroots Campagn came along at a time the ship was sinking - continuous deficits of $ 30,000/year at the time.

I think the Grassroots Campaign platform, that eventually got implemented incrementally over the 2 years after it was presented at the 2008 AGM, actually refloated the ship. The platform was not just rearranging the chairs - and it had substantial opposition to it when it was first raised. Admittedly some of the platform were ideas that had been raised previously in discussions, but the Grassroots Campaign welded it all into a comprehensive restructuring program.

It is to then President David Lavin's credit ( term 2008-9 ) that he substantially restructured the CFC finances, as proposed by the Grassroots Campaign, and put it back on a viable footing.

2. As well, the Canadian Constitutional Coalition attempts to cut the provinicial rep. governors by 50 %, and to try to eliminate " Life Governors ", were no small " rearranging efforts ". They were substantial reform restructuring proposals ( though both got defeated ).

3. And the Cooperative Chess Coalition, getting the obnoxious s.14 ( " Limitation of Rights " ) out of the CFC Handbook, which denied members access to the Assembly of CFC Governors, was a significant step in CFC Member rights.

So I think we ought not to be so dismissive of efforts to do significant reform of the CFC.

Bob A

[Ken Craft]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Significant reform would see us changing our membership structure and incorporating recreational players as members.

[Bob Armstrong]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Hi Ken:

I'd love for someone to put forward a concrete strategy for reaching out to recreational players, and for some type of " recreational " or " casual " membership ( that might get them the newsletter ), so that it could be discussed by the governors. Seems like a good initiative - would be great to have something for the AGM.

Bob

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Hi Ken:

I'd love for someone to put forward a concrete strategy for reaching out to recreational players, and for some type of " recreational " or " casual " membership ( that might get them the newsletter ), so that it could be discussed by the governors. Seems like a good initiative - would be great to have something for the AGM.

Bob

Funny you should mention that...

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Funny you should mention that...

Too Funny!!! :D

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Significant Reform Efforts

... It is to then President David Lavin's credit ( term 2008-9 ) that he substantially restructured the CFC finances, as proposed by the Grassroots Campaign, and put it back on a viable footing. ...

Hi Bob. Nothing against David Lavin, but I think Hal Bond deserves a lot of the credit for initiating almost all of the big changes to which I think you're referring (you weren't specific). It was difficult for Hal to round up the political support needed to push all of his program through, but he got the governors' / members' heads out of the sand and got them focused on discussing the CFC's financial/cash flow/operations issues in earnest. That alone was an outstanding accomplishment.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Hi Ken:

I'd love for someone to put forward a concrete strategy for reaching out to recreational players, and for some type of " recreational " or " casual " membership ( that might get them the newsletter ), so that it could be discussed by the governors. Seems like a good initiative - would be great to have something for the AGM.

Bob

http://www.chesstalk.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5442

The concrete strategy is to offer "casual" membership at reduced rates that don't require CFC ratings. Instead, the casual members are in their own section(s) and can perform their own ratings live during the tournament using a much simplified system. At any time, they can decide whether to move up to the "serious" membership.

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Are there really that many people out there who want to join a chess federation, but balk at the 'high' membership dues and having to have a rating? Aren't 'casual' chess players by definition those who are happy to play at home, in the park, or at a club that offers mainly unrated, pickup games, and have no interest in joining a federation?

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: CCC Discusses Chess – Posts of Interest – Chess Reform Generally.

Are there really that many people out there who want to join a chess federation, but balk at the 'high' membership dues and having to have a rating? Aren't 'casual' chess players by definition those who are happy to play at home, in the park, or at a club that offers mainly unrated, pickup games, and have no interest in joining a federation?

Depends on what you mean by casual versus CFC members. Casual may mean people who come to chess clubs like the Mississauga club, play chess regularly but have had no interest previously in joining the CFC under the terms the CFC requires, assuming they know what the CFC is. The club provides them with a rating.

Or you could mean casual in the sense of players who never go near a club, don't really realize that clubs are out there and have maybe one or two chess publications on average picked out at a general bookstore. Plus a set in a drawer at home somewhere.

Or you could mean casual players who don't own a set, play only on the internet and have no interest in joining anything other than what's required to let them play on the internet when they want to. Which also gives them a rating.

In order to appeal to a wide group like that you would first I think need to figure out what you have to offer them.

A newsletter would have to compete with all the free resources like Chess Cafe. I think some way of making them feel like part of a Canadian chess community would be interesting but I am not sure what that would look like. It would take some brain storming to come up with ideas as to how they would get done. A one page newsletter directed at casual Canadian players with local appeal? Not sure.