Title

[Neil Graham]

As Paul has retired, I'll air a proposal I put to him twice but, as far as I know, was still in the "pending"-tray.

Why is the 4 NCL called the 4NCL? One thing's for sure, the event is certainly not a Four Nations Chess League - the last time clubs from four nations competed is lost in the mists of time. Can anyone remember when there were teams from Scotland and/or Ireland in evidence?

I've been pressing for the Board to change the title to the National Chess League which the event clearly is. This would give the League the credence that it clearly should have - and whilst we're about it change the top division to the "Premier" Division.

The image of professional football and the investment in it stems from the restructuring into the current Premier/Championship etc. Whilst I'm not suggesting that Roman Abramovitch is likely to walk through the door and shower chess with money let's at least look like a professional outfit with a clearly defined national league system.

Whilst I'm on the subject, I despair when I see the idiotic proposals for the current year. What we need is a clear Premier, Div One, Div Two all-play-all system that is easily understood to anyone on the outside not some hybrid that appears to have been cobbled together in ten minutes. A big Swiss division at the bottom is fine. Teams should have to make their way up through the systems just as in any other sport.

[IM Jack Rudd]

A problem with the proposed system is the number of truly meaningless matches it will create in Div 1 and 2 during round 7. It is almost certainly the case that there will be matches between a team already guaranteed a place in the top 4 playing a team guaranteed to be in the bottom 4. This match will be even be worse than a mid table clash as the score will not even be carried forward to the next stage!

There's potentially an even worse problem with the system. Suppose that after six matches, team A has had one win and five defeats. Three of the top-four places in the top half of team A's pool are already decided, but the last is up for grabs; it will go to either team B (who team A beat earlier in the season) or team C (who team A are playing in the last match).

The best result for team A is clearly to beat team C in the final game. If, however, they think they are bound to lose, then it's in their interests to lose as heavily as possible - the more team C beat them by, the more likely it is that C will join the top four, and therefore B - and therefore B's loss to A - will go into the bottom four...

[Nigel Wright]

[quote="FM Jack Rudd"][/quote]There's potentially an even worse problem with the system. Suppose that after six matches, team A has had one win and five defeats. Three of the top-four places in the top half of team A's pool are already decided, but the last is up for grabs; it will go to either team B (who team A beat earlier in the season) or team C (who team A are playing in the last match).

Has the concept of fair play been lost over the ages?

[Charles W. Wood]

When rugby league went accross its boarders it became Superleague, pathing the way for French, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English to play together. I do like the 4NCL title but it has to be true to be true. BUT I trust Claire S totally and I know she has plans (she always does) so wait and see, I hope she can make the beast work. If anyone can Claire S can, the things that Lady has done so far has made people stand up and clap. I do not play in the 4NCL and will never play there as I'm too weak a player, but I hope and pray this 4NCL works as it makes our GB nation. Back it and see.

[JustinHorton]

When rugby league went accross its boarders it became Superleague, pathing the way for French, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English to play together.

A rugby league fan writes: Scottish? Irish?

[Sean Hewitt]

Can anyone remember when there were teams from Scotland and/or Ireland in evidence?

The Celtic Tigers are an Irish team. And there's a couple of Welsh teams. So maybe it should be the 3NCL?!

[Angus French]

Can anyone remember when there were teams from Scotland and/or Ireland in evidence?

The Celtic Tigers are an Irish team. And there's a couple of Welsh teams. So maybe it should be the 3NCL?!

I think the Celtic Tigers started out with Irish and Welsh players. There may have been a few English players also. Now it has Irish, Welsh, English, German and Danish players. No Scots though.

Angus French (Celtic Tigers team member)