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3.1.04

BCF: CHANGE OF NAME?

You will know that, following the Council meeting of September 2003, the BCF is to consider changing its name "to reflect the essentially English nature of the Federation in the 21st century". The following questionnaire has gone to all the Counties and Unions (and is, indeed, on the BCF website but you may have missed it). The SCCU needs to consult as widely as possible before forming a Union view. So, any opinions? Just tell the Secretary rjh@sccu.ndo.co.uk or, if you want to go into print, this Website (same address, so make it clear if it's for publication in Open Forum).

The Union has to respond by the end of January 2004, so would need to hear from you by (say) the 15th.

  1. Do you endorse Council’s view that the BCF’s name and objects should be essentially "English"?

  2. If this change does occur, do you feel of the British Championships
    • That we should continue to organise them as historically ‘first among equals’ of national bodies within the British Isles
    • That responsibility for co-ordinating them should pass to some new body set up for that purpose amongst others
    • That there is no need for British Championships as such
    Note: The BCF’s primary role in organising (since 1904) the British Championships is formally recognised by the other national chess bodies within the British Isles (except Guernsey); the financial risk and reward lie with the BCF.

  3. If the change occurs, do you believe that the BCF should retain any responsibility for encouraging and promoting chess in those parts of the former British Commonwealth which cannot or do not have membership of the World Chess Federation?
         Note: the BCF has always had in its objects a duty to promote and encourage chess in the Empire, later the (British) Commonwealth. Most parts of the Commonwealth can now join FIDE in their own right, where a national body is established, but there are some parts of the Commonwealth where no such body exists, or where FIDE will not admit them as they are not independent territories. This question asks whether we should keep residual obligations to players in those parts. Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, the Falklands, Sierra Leone, Pitcairn, St Lucia, Tonga would be examples.

  4. If you answered "YES" to question 1: Would you accept a one-off charge of 3p extra on the Game Fee to implement these changes?
    Note: this is the Finance Director’s ballpark figure on costs of change, and may be revised. Game Fee for 2004/5 would have to be fixed by Council in April 2004.
No one's actually invited suggestions for the Federation's new name, but feel free. Feel free to make any remarks you wish.

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