English Chess Forum

A big thank you to the YCA for hosting me yesterday at their AGM. The hospitality was faultless, the questions about the ECF were searching but fair-minded, and there was an undercurrent of goodwill towards the ECF which I found immensely encouraging.

Andrew, Ihor, Jim and everyone else who treated me so well -

Good to hear

Andrew/Ihor/Jim are all exceedingly nice and sane people. Actually all the Yorkshire organisers are really.

Mike Truran wrote:A big thank you to the YCA for hosting me yesterday at their AGM. The hospitality was faultless, the questions about the ECF were searching but fair-minded, and there was an undercurrent of goodwill towards the ECF which I found immensely encouraging.

Andrew, Ihor, Jim and everyone else who treated me so well -

It was indeed a pleasure to meet you on Saturday and I'm pleased you came away feeling that the long journey was a worthwhile use of your time.

For the benefit of those who weren't at the meeting, the q&a with Mike ended up taking place as an open discussion (there was no need for Jim in the chair to do anything). Afterwards Mike stayed for the rest of the meeting (including my six rule change proposals) and made some valuable contributions to the discussion.

There is obviously much work to do on both sides but Saturday did prove to me how far the ECF and the YCA have moved forward in a short time.

Progress indeed. When the BCF was starting out in 1904, the reaction of Yorkshire was, reasonably enough, "Why is the meeting in London?" (according to the British Chess Magazine), and things never really improved...

Hi Kevin,
Things have improved. Vouch for a number of them. Like Ihor, a lad born a few doors away from where I was born in Bradford. Still remember him form when he was 5 years old wanting to play chess with me one hot summers day. About the time I had just become Bradford's Woodhouse Cup and also National Club captain. He has done well.

Mike Truran and Co would have been well and sincerely met.
rgds (FM) Gary Kenworthy