English Chess Forum

The World Championship in November is likely going to get more mainstream publicity than its recent predecessors.

How can English chess make the most of that?

Let's brain storm some possibilities. Here are two to start with.

1. Chess club membership offers. Chess clubs to offer new members a cheap deal - say, £1 for six months. ECF to coordinate and promote. Cooperating clubs to get prominence on ECF webpage.
2. Pop-up chess commentary. Not sure if time zone differences will make this possible, but many reasonably strong players could do pop-up chess coverage in public places. Schools, community centres, libraries with function rooms; prisons, hospitals; pubs, cafes; 'cultural spaces' eg Royal Festival Hall; places of work; Indian restaurants, Norwegian churches.

TomChivers wrote: 1. Chess club membership offers. Chess clubs to offer new members a cheap deal - say, £1 for six months.

It doesn't really matter what Chess clubs offer, the ECF is still going to want its membership take. The possibility of introductory offers for new players died when the ECF directors forced through universal membership.

Roger de Coverly wrote:

TomChivers wrote: 1. Chess club membership offers. Chess clubs to offer new members a cheap deal - say, £1 for six months.

It doesn't really matter what Chess clubs offer, the ECF is still going to want its membership take. The possibility of introductory offers for new players died when the ECF directors forced through universal membership.

Enthusiasm meet bucket of cold water!

To be fair, the pop-up commentary suggestion has merit, though the suggestion of "Indian restaurants, Norwegian churches" made me raise my eyebrows. Are there such things as Norwegian churches? The place to start with pop-up commentary would be chess clubs. Are you more likely to get interest from chess club members, or from members of the public? And is the idea to get people new to chess playing chess, or to enthuse the current chess-playing population about this world championship match?

I remember last year visiting the Norwegian church at Swansea docks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Church,_Swansea

Mick Norris wrote:http://www.sjomannskirken.no/english

I stand corrected. My education has clearly been lacking. I blame Cosmopolitan!

The link you provided says there are 32 Norwegian churches worldwide. I wonder how many are in the UK?

There's St Olav in Rotherhithe, South London. There's also a St Olave in the City of London, but its CofE. Scotland is more fertile ground for Norwegians, due to the fishing and oil industries.

Would there not be more Vishy fans in the UK, in spite of Carlsen's glamour? Watching the match on a big screen with chess friends while having a marathon Indian buffet has a certain appeal.

Roger de Coverly wrote:

TomChivers wrote: 1. Chess club membership offers. Chess clubs to offer new members a cheap deal - say, £1 for six months.

It doesn't really matter what Chess clubs offer, the ECF is still going to want its membership take. The possibility of introductory offers for new players died when the ECF directors forced through universal membership.

What is the minimum amount a newcomer can pay to join a chess club, given they are (apparently! I had no idea) automatically then taxed by the ECF?

PeterFarr wrote:Watching the match on a big screen with chess friends while having a marathon Indian buffet has a certain appeal.

Mm. Interesting. I did some googling. Masala Zone in Covent Garden has a private room that seats 55... I wonder if enough London chess players would turn out to spectate... then there's the Drunken Knights venue, The Plough pub which has a nice upstairs room...

Possibly relevant to this thread (if you are Carlsen's management team!):

http://en.chessbase.com/Home/TabId/211/ ... 80413.aspx

TomChivers wrote: What is the minimum amount a newcomer can pay to join a chess club, given they are (apparently! I had no idea) automatically then taxed by the ECF?

Chess clubs would have no direct problem with offering complimentary membership. The problem would come if you wanted the new player to take part in a graded competition. If the player is not a member of the ECF at the right level, the organiser will be charged £ 2 per game per non-member if it's a league or internal club event, or £ 6 per event if a Congress. Not all leagues will allow non-members to participate so the minimum cost of a single game could be £ 12. To take part in an Internationally rated event costs a non-member a minimum of £ 27.

It's locally optional whether the league organisation expects players to arrange their own ECF membership or whether it will collect it through the clubs.

TomChivers wrote:The World Championship in November is likely going to get more mainstream publicity than its recent predecessors.
...

I continue to be utterly bemused by the fact that so many people apparently believe uncritically in a November date for this match, given that it seems wholly improbable and has been fed to us to FIDE and AGON!

Jonathan Rogers wrote:

TomChivers wrote:The World Championship in November is likely going to get more mainstream publicity than its recent predecessors.
...

I continue to be utterly bemused by the fact that so many people apparently believe uncritically in a November date for this match, given that it seems wholly improbable and has been fed to us to FIDE and AGON!

You may well be right, but latest is

" Update: FIDE Vice President, Israel Gelfer signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the All India Chess Federation in Chennai regarding the World Championship Match 2013.
AICF and Tamil Nadu State Chess Association will be responsible for holding the match in Chennai, India on dates 6-26th November, 2013. The organizational costs will be 3,367,250 USD.
The contract will be drafted soon."

Darlington chess club fees are £25 a year that includes Bronze membership
£19 for students OAP or unemployed
Juniors who play league chess pay ecf membership only,Juniors who do not play league chess there is no fee