AGM Minutes

[Matthew Turner]

Carl,
The play issue is due to Nigel deciding it was more financially beneficial for him to go to Argentina with David Howell.

[Roger de Coverly]

I believe the play "issue" to be one due to a lack of finance?

I believe he's going to the World Junior as Second to David Howell.

According to the current FIDE delegate, playing conditions in the World Junior are one of his concerns - nothing in his report about zero default times and other anti-chess FIDE initiatives.

I wrote to the organisers of this year's World Junior Championships in Argentina to argue the case for omitting a double-round day and having one game a day. FIDE have informed me that such a change will not be possible as they had agreed this format some time ago, and in fact refused the request that two double-round days be played. I have suggested to the board that we write to FIDE in order to try and change things for future of both World Junior and World Youth tournaments where this practice has been permitted.

[Matthew Turner]

I would remind people that Nigel has stood against Gerry before. From memory, he didn't bother to send an address then either.

[Leonard Barden]

Carl,
The play issue is due to Nigel deciding it was more financially beneficial for him to go to Argentina with David Howell.

See Short's own rather different view quoted in the European championship selections thread.

I would have thought the most significant matter in the World Junior conditions is the switch at very short notice from the high-class Mar del Plata resort with its long chess tradition to a small Patagonian town two hours by air from Buenos Aires. Not the first time the Argentines have done something like this, the 1954 Olympiad scheduled for Buenos Aires had to be switched to Amsterdam at six weeks notice.

[Carl Hibbard]

I would remind people that Nigel has stood against Gerry before. From memory, he didn't bother to send an address then either.

So who would you have liked to see stand then Matthew?

[Roger de Coverly]

The director of marketing one raised a laugh (he reads this forum...)

It is something of a rant and really he (or a spokesman) should reply on the issues here instead of wasting the AGM's time.

However there is an interesting observation - which is that the ECF cannot have paid directors. Is this really so and required by law for "limited by guarantee" companies or just something that the ECF "choose" to do when it set itself up? In any event, he points out that you can pay an officer, so any post needing to be paid could be downgraded.

[Carl Hibbard]

I was expecting some sort of comment regarding this forum but perhaps the board are leaving it to the last moment again

[Matthew Turner]

I hadn't seen Nigel's comments about the European Championships and I would be interested to hear Stewart Reuben's response. It seems strange to me that Mickey would be offered a fee and Nigel offered nothing.
Who would I like to see as FIDE delegate?
Well it strikes me that they do nothing and get wined and dined by FIDE, so it doesn't really matter who gets elected. I do think that a candidate should treat the position with some sort of respect and not bothering to address your electorate seems to be a poor start.
I suppose that if I have to name a preferred candidate, then given it is a massive freebie, it should go as a reward to a person who has done a lot for English Chess. I nominate Carl Hibbard

[John Upham]

As soon as the Efimenko match has completed I will ask Nigel for his election address.

I hope it will be 100% positive!

[Simon Brown]

Companies limited by guarantee can have paid directors, so this must be something the ECF has chosen to do. Which means it can presumably unchoose.

[Roger de Coverly]

Companies limited by guarantee can have paid directors, so this must be something the ECF has chosen to do. Which means it can presumably unchoose.

It's doesn't appear to be factually correct that the ECF cannot pay directors.

from
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/index.ph ... &Itemid=28

PROVIDED ALWAYS that nothing contained in this Memorandum of Association shall prevent any payment being made by the Company in good faith as follows:-

4.1. as reasonable and proper remuneration to any member, officer or servant of the Company or any director for any services rendered to the Company;

Whilst I entirely agree with PJBW that the ECF cannot afford a paid marketing director, that doesn't mean that it couldn't were the money-tree to shower the ECF with wealth.

[Stewart Reuben]

Nigel Short not playing for the English Team in the European Team Championship is a very long story which only reflects well on Nigel.
He contacted me last year and asked whether I was able to assure him of an offer of a suitable fee as he had received an invitation to an event at the same time in Australia. I was unable to provide such an assurance. The International Budget had yet to be considered and was obviously going to be lower than 2 years ago.

Michael Adams contacted me this year. I knew Nigel would not be playing and that David Howell should play in the clashing World Junior. I ascertained that Michael preferred to go to Novi Sad rather than Argentine as David's second. Since I knew we could not raise our strongest team I did not fight for a larger budget from the ECF. After the International budget was agreed, I agreed to Mickey's fee.

Then the Australian cancelled his event and Nigel returned to me. Of course the ECF money was not there. Anyway, I believe the greater priority is for David Howell to become World Junior Champion. Eventually everything was agreed for Nigel to go as David's second, none of it from the International budget. Had I known that Luke McShane was going to be available, I might have made a different decision.

Stewart Reuben

[Laurie Roberts]

Laurie Roberts wrote

I can't see an election address by Nigel Short. Hope there is one ahead of the vote.

I advised Nigel of the provisions of the Procedural Bye Laws relating to election addresses, but one was not received from him by the ECF Office prior to the despatch of the Council mailing. There is likely to be a second mailing with financial papers in which any documents received late can be included. The advantage of the inclusion of the Council papers on the website (and I suppose that I was naive to expect an unqualified welcome from the Forum for that development rather than criticism of the format) is that additional documents received can be added there immediately.

It is indeed, excellent to have all the papers there. This level of transparency should of course be expected, but nontheless I'm not sure many sporting bodies do provide that level of detail so it is excellent to have the papers there and those responsible should be praised for doing so.

I attend my league AGM tomorrow night unsure of what view to express on the FIDE delegate. On the one hand, I think FIDE rules affect professional players far more than amateurs and so a professional player would be an excellent choice. And some new blood in the ECF, regardless of role, is always good to help promote new ideas, GM Short will obviously have excellent experience to draw on. On the other hand, I would personlly rather see an election address before voting for someone. Obviously, it's not my decision who the league supports anyway. That decision will be taken democratically at the meeting I suspect. So I may express no opinion at all on this one particular item.