One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

[Vlad Drkulec]

I suppose the big part of promoting chess is about finding one person/leader who is interested enough to open a club or do simuls at a school , or organizing tournaments at the local rec centre. Normally one person can make all the difference. Chess communities have been known to thrive because of the work of just one person. Curiously, one person is enough in chess. - Kevin Spraggett

[Vlad Rekhson]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

I suppose the big part of promoting chess is about finding one person/leader who is interested enough to open a club or do simuls at a school , or organizing tournaments at the local rec centre. Normally one person can make all the difference. Chess communities have been known to thrive because of the work of just one person. Curiously, one person is enough in chess. - Kevin Spraggett

Unfortunately, one person has been known to expire...

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

Exactly! Eventually that "one person" passes away, gets sick, moves away, becomes too busy with other aspects of life, or simply gets tired of their chess job. Then, without backup people to take over, you've got a problem. In chess, as in business, succession planning is important.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

The province has life CFC members and regular members. They also had money. Enough money to make me wonder if any of the members were approached and asked if they wanted to carry on the provincial organization. The CFC should probably be doing that before they keep the cash.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

I suppose the big part of promoting chess is about finding one person/leader who is interested enough to open a club or do simuls at a school , or organizing tournaments at the local rec centre. Normally one person can make all the difference. Chess communities have been known to thrive because of the work of just one person. Curiously, one person is enough in chess. - Kevin Spraggett

One person is a small business. The first thing we learned about small businesses in commerce class was that they have limited longevity and succession planning problems.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

Kevin has a good point.

The Scarborough Chess Club grew in the years I was involved as VP and then President.

The correspondence club grew from around 400 members to some 700 members in the years I was the membership secretary and doing the recruiting.

I organized two correspondence Canadian Opens. One over 400 entrants. Pretty much unheard of for a small chess country like Canada for correspondence chess. It was open to everyone in Canada for a token entry fee and they didn't have to join to play, although probably half or more who weren't members did join. The advertisements for the events were in the newspaper chess columns and I mailed flyers to every chess club in Canada for which I could find an address.

I had support from the executive for my projects and they did cost money.

Chess promotion is hard work and takes serious people.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

Kevin has a good point.

The Scarborough Chess Club grew in the years I was involved as VP and then President.

The correspondence club grew from around 400 members to some 700 members in the years I was the membership secretary and doing the recruiting.

I organized two correspondence Canadian Opens. One over 400 entrants. Pretty much unheard of for a small chess country like Canada for correspondence chess. It was open to everyone in Canada for a token entry fee and they didn't have to join to play, although probably half or more who weren't members did join. The advertisements for the events were in the newspaper chess columns and I mailed flyers to every chess club in Canada for which I could find an address.

I had support from the executive for my projects and they did cost money.

Chess promotion is hard work and takes serious people.

Everything you are saying is in the past tense. Which kind of makes the point. As laudable as what you did is, it doesn't put pieces on boards today.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

Everything you are saying is in the past tense. Which kind of makes the point. As laudable as what you did is, it doesn't put pieces on boards today.

That's true. However, I'm in my 7th decade and retired. Is it too much to ask that the organizers of the day build the membership and promote the game?

Before they put pieces on the board they have to put arses on the chairs.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

Oh, we have the arses - that isn't the problem... oh, wait ... :)

[Gary Ruben]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

Oh, we have the arses - that isn't the problem... oh, wait ... :)

I like that. Also, I made a mathematical error. I'm in my 8th decade.:)

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: One person is enough in chess - Kevin Spraggett

It does take one person to start things up, but it takes a team to keep it going.

When I was in the Toronto high school league, we had 4 regional reps who helped contact schools in their areas and held a tournament in their area. The League collapsed when it was all left to one, and the success of the past wasn't passed on. In Toronto today we have strong clubs like Annex, Aurora, Scarborough and Mississauga who have more than one volunteer contributing. The Annex Chess Club was formed by the driving force of one, Ted Winick, but it's a crew of 4 or so executives and other players stepping up for tasks like setting up the pieces. I worry about its future if they lose the core volunteers.

[Bob Armstrong]

The Problem of Chess Club Succession

Scarborough Chess Club:

Maurice Smith has been on the executive for many consecutive years, the last number as President. For at least three years running now, I believe, Maurice has indicated before the Sept. SCC AGM (usually before June 30 when SCC closes for the summer), that he would gladly step down if someone else would volunteer to be president. Guess what, he's said that again this year, since he is still president, and has remained such the last few years - no one has come forward.

And at this date, no one has publicly declared that they will run for SCC President at the Sept. 7 SCC AGM for the 2013-4 season.

And it has taken some arm twisting to get the other executive positions filled the last few years.

As Ken Kurkowski, current Treasurer of SCC said in an earlier post, succession is one of the main projects of an executive, the most difficult, and the one most chess club executives fail at badly.

So if there are SCC members out there who'd like to give back to the club, by a year of volunteering for an executive position, the other members, like myself, will certainly be grateful (and so will Maurice!).

Bob A, SCC Facebook Co-administrator

[Gary Ruben]

Re: The Problem of Chess Club Succession

Hi Bob,
In my years at the Scarborough Chess Club, I can't recall a serious contest to unseat a club president. The year I ran for that position and won, the previous president had refused nomination. Vice president was the same way. TD was a contested position.

Mostly the players aren't looking to run chess clubs. They seem to want a smoothly run organization with well run events.

Maurice is doing a great job from what I hear. Maybe next season I'll drop by for an evening. I take it the club closes for the summer.

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: The Problem of Chess Club Succession

The Scarborough Chess Club has its last session of the 2012-2013 season this Thursday evening.