SCCU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Saturday 21st June 2008 (start 2 pm) at the Exmouth Arms, 1 Starcross St, London NW1
9 attended.
The Executive debated the relationship between entry fee and Game Fee in SCCU competitions. In the mainstream County competitions, Counties are billed for the two separately and the Game Fee bill varies with the number of matches - indeed games - actually played. In the U14/90 and the Jamborees, Game Fee is taken out of the fixed entry fee (so defaulted games are financially to the Union's advantage, though we don't think anyone put it that way). No one suggested changing this arrangement, but we think some were quite interested to learn that it was the arrangement.
The U14/90, if every game got played, would have very little of its income left after payments to the ECF. Should we do something about this? No, we have a policy of subsidising juniors.
Other things came up, but the meeting was mostly in preparation for the
SCCU ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
which followed seamlessly. 10 attended. (1) Money. The 2007-8 Accounts showed a surplus of £576 (the sale of equipment had done no harm) and we had about £3600 in the bank. Council approved the Accounts and agreed a break-even (well, actually a £2-surplus) budget for 2008-9. It includes a provision of close to £200 for juniors. Road travel expenses, for people attending meetings on the SCCU's behalf, are to be 20p per mile. There wasn't a rule before. (2) Elections. Everyone got re-elected, but you'll have guessed that.
The Treasurer said he thought Oxon unlikely to renew their SCCU Membership this year. In this case he would be an SCCU Officer who did not belong to an affiliated County. Was this permissible? Yes. There is a recent precedent. (3) SCCU County Competitions. The mooted U75 division came up. It was agreed to put it on the market in 2008-9 and run it if it seemed viable. It didn't have to be over 12 boards, or any number in particular. Someone said two entries was all you needed. (4) Juniors. Neill Cooper remarked on the very close Final in the U14/90 this year. Next year's entries were uncertain, but Richmond Juniors had expressed an interest in coming back. Neill was considering rule changes for 2009-10, affecting perhaps the number of boards or even the eligiblity of players under 11.
The organisers of the London Junior Championships, which incorporate the SCCU Junior Championships, had suggested we bring our trophies into line with theirs. That is, a Boys trophy and a Girls trophy and no overall one. Council agreed this, with a dissenting vote from the person who disapproved of sexist titles.
The whereabouts of the SCCU U18 (Hassabis) Trophy were uncertain. In contrast we had three Girls team trophies and no one to give them to. (5) Grading. Howard Grist outlined the coming revisions. A rough guide would be
New Grade = Old Grade x 0.8 + 40
but it is only a guide; different players will be affected differently. While the Old Currency will be official for 2008-9, we shall need to be thinking about the County grading limits for the year after. It was remarked that the ECF should take the lead on this. One person, at least, doubted if they would do so. (6) Non-County Members. Two things. Firstly, there were only two nominees (Zoë Ryle and David Sedgwick) for positions as NCM reps on the Executive Committee. They are elected, and further nominations have been invited.
Secondly, if Oxon disaffiliated (see item 2), would it be acceptable for Oxon Juniors, should they so wish, to affiliate as an NCM? Only one person thought not, and he withdrew his objection. (7) ECF Central Venues. A delegate felt we should consider raising, once again, the vexed question of central venues for County finals. The Middx rep said his County's captains had differing opinions, and he personally enjoyed the day out. Council took no view.
The meeting closed at 5.15 pm, to be followed at once by another
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
which, as every year, did routine things. (1) BCF / ECF Rep T Thurstan (2) London CA Rep M Gunn (who said there had never been a meeting for him to go to) (3) Rules & Appeals Sub-Committee T Thurstan, M Gunn, RJ Haddrell, JA Philpott and C Fewtrell (subject to the agreement of the last two who were not present) (4) Next meeting Friday 3rd October 2008. (A booking was made with the Exmouth Arms immediately after the end of the meeting)
which occurred at 5.25 pm.
SCCU OPEN FIXTURES 2008-9
29.5.08
The County Match Controller writes:
Here are the fixtures for the Open Division of the SCCU Counties Championship for next season 2008-9. Six entries again, same as the season just ended.
Oct 11
Nov 8
Nov 22
Jan 10
Feb 14
Mar 14
ESx MSy
HE SxSy KM
KH*
SyH EK MSx
KSy HSx ME
SxK SyE HM
* changed fixture (note 30.7.08)
May I emphasise that at this stage the fixtures are provisional only and can be changed by mutual agreement between the Counties and Match Captains concerned. If changes are made however please ensure that the following points are observed:
(a) Ensure that both myself and the SCCU Webmaster Richard Haddrell are advised
(b) Please do not re-arrange matches for the weekend of 28/29th March 2009 or later as these dates are too late to ensure timely nominations for the 2009 ECF National Stages. In addition, they are also provisionally earmarked for the SCCU Jamborees, Senior and Junior, which are planned to take place together next year that weekend.
Match Captains are as last season (see Fixtures page) except that Kent have a new Captain whose details are:
Laurence Ball, 5 Lila Place, Swanley, Kent BR8 8JB 01322 667123 (home) / 07515 770220 (mobile) allanburclee(at)gmail(dot)com
If there are any queries or problems please advise me asap. Best Wishes to all.
David Smith davidandjanesmith@ntlworld.com
SCCU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Friday 7th March 2008 (start 7 pm) at the Exmouth Arms, 1 Starcross St, London NW1
10 attended. Main points: (1) Matter Arising. Yes, a Matter Arising. It stems, ultimately, from the 2007 AGM (item 3): see three reports down. The strayed Trophies had come home. Whether engraved or not we can't say. (2) Money. The new bank accounts are in place. There was some procedural tidying-up, but things are on track. Everyone has paid their dues except one County, which has promised to.
The long-advertised SCCU Equipment has been sold to CCF, which was the only bidder, for a lesser sum than the £350 originally and optimistically targeted. There was some debate about how to show the transaction in the SCCU Accounts, where the value of the Equipment has been nil for some time. (Don't tell CCF.) (3) ECF Grading Revisions. Not exclusively an SCCU concern, but a person was present who has been involved with the ECF's investigations into grading "anomalies" (we think this is the technical word) and their repair. Unsurprisingly he was asked questions. Nothing is cut and dried, but it remains very likely that the 2008 grades will be New Grades. In the transitional year it is intended to publish grades in the old currency as well, so you can tell whether you've gone up or down. But there will be no simple formula relating New to Old. Players with the same 2008 Old Grade will not necessarily have the same 2008 New Grade. "Will this be explained?", people asked. We're sure it will. They'll be rioting in the streets if it isn't. (4) County matches. This came up in two or three places. The County Match Controller noted the winners already known and congratulated Herts on their first ever SCCU Championship. Two future things were also discussed.
(a) ECF Stage 2008. The published draw is in several ways deficient (see the ECF-Stage page if you haven't), and a new version is promised for late March. It was observed that some teams were going to find themselves suddenly required to play Preliminary matches, and late March was rather late in the day to be telling them so. The Executive agreed to make quiet representations to the ECF. Some would have gone further.
(b) SCCU U75 Championship 2008-9? It was agreed, with little discussion, to put this possibility to the AGM. The new ECF grades would not be an objection if we used old ones instead. (5) Juniors. A date was announced for the U14/90 Final between Herts and Kent, but the team managers have since had second thoughts. We believe they are looking at June.
On the U18 Jamborees, it was noted that only two teams had played in the Open. Six had played in the Minor, but all from the same two counties again. This led to a new suggestion: (6) A reserved date for Jamborees? The U18 Jamborees had clashed with a 4NCL weekend. Would it be possible to set aside a free date for SCCU Jamborees, adult and Junior, and keep it free of all other SCCU activities? It would be nice to have all the jamborees played at the same time in the same place. The County Match Controller said it was certainly possible but would need everyone's cooperation. He had hoped that Counties would keep a weekend free for this year's adult Jamborees, but not all had done so. (7) SCCU Bulletin. There is still a printed Bulletin, though it has much declined in frequency in these Internet days. To be honest it last appeared more than a year ago. Its main function now is to serve as a journal of record. The Bulletin Editor, who happens also to be the Webmaster, suggested that production should be stabilised at one issue per season appearing at season's end in (say) July. He was working on the July 2007(!) issue and felt that he could keep to an annual schedule from July 2008. The Executive agreed to this. (8) British Championship qualifying places 2009, and SCCU Individual Championship 2008-9. Places were awarded as follows. SCCU Championship: Hertfordshire Congress (Royston), 1-2 December 2008. BCQ: Essex Congress, late May 2009; Royston; Surrey Congress, Easter 2009; Thanet Congress, August 2008. (9) British Chess Educational Trust Award. The Executive agreed on a nomination. We won't name the school till the Trust has announced its decisions. (10) ECF Council Rep. The Union, since October last, has had only one Council rep instead of four. It was agreed that the rep should be the SCCU President.
The meeting closed at 10.04 pm, which seems to be about the norm now.
rjh 12.3.08
SCCU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Friday 5th October 2007 (start 7 pm) at the Exmouth Arms, 1 Starcross St, London NW1
9 attended. Before the meeting began, members spoke warmly of Roy Heppinstall and it was resolved to donate £100 to charity in his memory.
Main points covered: (1) Rules & Appeals Sub-Committee. It was confirmed that those elected in absentia at the previous meeting had all accepted. (2) BCQ places 2009 & SCCU Championship 2008-9. Two congresses, Thanet and Surrey, had got their applications in well in advance. The decision isn't made till March. Further applications will be accepted up to the end of February. (3) Money. The Executive spent some time on Bank Accounts. Quite apart from the formalities of installing new signatories, we are transferring our money from one bank to another. Bank, not branch. The existing one had not been very satisfactory. (4) Grading. The Grading Secretary remarked that nearly everyone's grade would be going up next year. And the lower you are, the more you'll go up. This is part of the Big Adjustment which really is coming in July 2008. Never heard of it? Go and read Open Forum, or the ECF Forum or the Atticus one.
Someone mentioned the (no longer very) newfangled lower-end FIDE conversions. The ones with the five-times scale. "Is there any chance of going back to the correct eight-times?" Grading Secretary: "I don't think it's likely to happen."
FIDE conversions are scarcely used in ECF grading. Congress controllers are thought to have uses for them. Five-times, when introduced, was specifically described as "for ECF grading purposes only" (hence more or less pointless). This caveat seems to have been dropped. (5) SCCU Competitions. The County Match Controller remarked on this year's increased entry in the main competitions. For once it would actually bring more games with it. The U180 and U135 Jamborees, tentatively fixed for 30th March, would be offered to the current U180 holders if they wished to host them.
Someone wondered if there might be a case for a new Counties competition at (say) U75. "Let's wait and see what happens to the grades next year before we think about that." (6) Juniors. The CCF-website question simmers on, but only that. The eligibility definitions of the two Non-County Members were: Hampshire Juniors, as per ECF criteria as you'd expect. CCF: Past or present membership or traineeship of CCF. Nobody wanted to propose amendments, but could we now if we wished? President: While the new rules give the Executive the right to amend criteria, or indeed reject an entry, it would not be acceptable to do so without notice. (7) SCCU Equipment. You will recall that we got no offers when we asked for a minimum of £350. We had since received an offer for a smaller sum. Further offers will be invited. (8) Friends of Chess. It was agreed to renew the Union's Patronship of the Friends of Chess. (9) ECF Council meeting 20th October 2007. The Executive discussed two items on the agenda.
(a) Union Representation at ECF Council meetings. Or rather, the representation of Constituent Units. The existing rules are odd. The Counties and Leagues and Congresses get one rep each. (So one vote on a show of hands, though on a "card vote" they get whatever their Game Fee payment entitles them to.) For reasons doubtless forgotten, the CUs get varying numbers of reps. The SCCU, at four, gets more than anyone. It is proposed that the situation be rationalised by giving everybody one rep each. On a card vote, based on Game Fee, the SCCU would still carry more weight than most Unions but less than the larger Counties and Leagues.
This change was actually made two years ago for BCF Council meetings, and was proposed last year for ECF ones but went back to the shop for technical reasons. The Executive reached no clear consensus now, and the SCCU reps, still plural for the moment, were asked to use their best judgment.
(b) County Match dates. The outgoing Home Director had floated the idea of ECF-Stage matches starting earlier (eg Preliminary Round at the end of March). This would shorten the Union-stage season so far as to make things impossible for us. We would oppose any such thing.
Someone from Surrey put in a plea for ECF-Stage matches not to clash with Silverstone.
The meeting finished at 9.55 pm, far short of the modern record.
rjh 17.10.07, amended 21.10.07
ROY HEPPINSTALL
David Smith writes:
I very much regret to report the death of Roy Heppinstall who passed away on Saturday 29th September 2007 aged 65.
In addition to activities over the board, which included a spell as one of the leading players in John Philpott’s all conquering U175 squad, Roy had been involved in chess administration for a considerable period. After forming the Witham Chess Club in the 1960’s he was Chairman of both that Club and of the North Essex Chess League for many years and also found time to be Match Captain of the highly successful Essex Open Team, which captured the Counties Championship in both 2002 and 2006.
On retirement from employment with Marconi Roy expanded his chess activities considerably, becoming President of the Southern Counties Chess Union in 2002, and then Chief Executive Officer of the British Chess Federation (as it then was) in 2003. Although it was a difficult time for the Federation he was instrumental in pushing through a number of important changes, including the adoption of a Child Protection Policy and the conversion of the Federation to a Company Limited by Guarantee, combined with the change of name to the English Chess Federation, an achievement of which he was particularly proud in that it provided a sound basis for the Federation to move forward.
Roy's earlier ill health was followed by his replacement as Chief Executive in October 2006, but his many achievements were recognised earlier this year when he was elected as an Honorary Life Vice-President of the Federation.
Although always displaying a courteous and approachable manner, his Yorkshire roots had given him a steely determination to succeed in all his undertakings, a quality which he maintained throughout the illnesses from which he suffered in recent years.
Roy is survived by Muriel, his wife of 41 years, and by a daughter, son and granddaughter, to whom we all send our deepest sympathy at this sad time.
DS 1.10.07M Roy's funeral was on Thursday 11th October 2007 at the United Reformed Church, Witham. It was very well attended, not only by the local community where Roy was well known and respected, but also by Chess people who were there in numbers, from the SCCU Counties and beyond. Gerry Walsh, ECF President, represented the English Chess Federation. Also in attendance was Cynthia Gurney, who looks after the ECF's Office at Battle.
The SCCU's three Open-division County matches on Saturday 13th October 2007 will start with a minute's silence in Roy's memory.