English Chess Forum

Alan Walton wrote: ↑

Fri May 01, 2020 3:32 pm

Agree, I played around 10 games in league and 4NCL; plenty of people would have also played tournaments (Hastings, Gibraltar and all weekenders)

The grade would be based on the twelve months starting 1st July 2019, so the early finish in March won't change the category of players who exceed 30 by a considerable margin in a normal year.

Alan Walton wrote: ↑

Fri May 01, 2020 3:32 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 2:42 pm

Ian Thompson wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 23, 2020 1:48 pm

It might be better not to publish a list at all. If there is one it will be based on far fewer games than normal, and, as a result, there'll probably be quite a few of the normally less active players losing their grades through not having played the required minimum number of games.

Some people will still have played plenty of games since Christmas, the new list will simply have fewer "A" grades than normal.

Agree, I played around 10 games in league and 4NCL; plenty of people would have also played tournaments (Hastings, Gibraltar and all weekenders)

If you include Hastings I have played 63 games this year - 18 were abroad, but even so that is plenty for an A grade even if the grading period did not go back 12 months.

https://beauchess.blogspot.com/

It might be better not to publish a list at all. If Chess is not to resume in 2020 why not go to Jan 2021 if a few games get played.

We don't know that there will be no OTB chess until 2021, and producing a summer list as usual might provide some with reassurance that things will get back to some sort of "normal" given time. FIDE intend to continue with monthly lists for classical as well as rapid/blitz, FWIW.

Nick Grey wrote: ↑

Fri May 01, 2020 8:27 pm

It might be better not to publish a list at all. If Chess is not to resume in 2020 why not go to Jan 2021 if a few games get played.

Better to publish the list, else grades will be even more 'out of date' when play resumes.

Of course it depends on whether anyone is available to run the process - I'm not sure how much work is involved - although I have received feedback from my submission in early April, so something is happening.

From a different universe, the minutes of the January meeting of the ECF Board.

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... n-v1-0.pdf

On the face of it, a change of plan regarding grading.

ECF Board Minutes wrote: The monthly grading system will be based on an extended and updated version of the YCA Chessnuts system.

The YCA Chessnuts system was a modified variation of the Clarke system as used by the ECF, rather than being Elo based.

The Chessnuts basic system is robust enough to handle Elo grades quite well. A little modification has been required but it churns out 4 digit grades exactly as specified.

I stumbled over this post when looking for the charity event: https://www.chess.com/article/view/ecf- ... ext-season

When will the grades be out?

Normally released around now aren't they?

These probably will be the most inaccurate grades ever due to the lack of games for the last 3 months.

"These probably will be the most inaccurate grades ever due to the lack of games for the last 3 months."

Au contraire, all the results should be in, so I expect them to be the most accurate.

Of course, data for the January 2021 list could be still more scanty even if there has been the start of a return to OTB chess by then.

I assume that both monthly gradings and conversion to Elo numbers have been shelved until there is at least a vague return to normality?

Given that grading is arguably the most valued ECF service to ordinary club members , the lack of ECF communication is very strange.

Will there be a July list around the end of next week? What are the current plans for monthly 4 digit grades?

I trust Brian Valentine and others are well even with face masks!

The ECF doesn't normally say when the grades will be out though does it? They usually appear to coincide with the British Championships. I confidently expect they will be published before the next British Championships. And as there isn't any chess for which the gradings might be used, I'm sure there is very little to concern people.