Trying to kill the forum

[Mike Truran]

............and of course it's worth noting that the ECF homepage itself is going to get far fewer visits as a result of the misguided decision to expel the forum.

If the ECF had specifically convened a meeting to think of new ways to score own goals it could hardly have come up with something more effective.

[Dean Madden]

I agree. The only thing I bother reading on the official site is the calendar of events. I use this forum and the grading site much more often.

[Sean Hewitt]

I first heard of this from one of the arbiters at the first 4NCL weekend of the season - two weeks before the decision was "made". As I said to him then, it's a huge mistake. Not only does it drive less traffic to the website, it appears to the membership that the ECF board does not want to hear debate or dissent from players. Yet the forum will continue (arguably stronger) without any right of input from the ECF whatsoever. Anything on hear that upsets "potential sponsors" will still be here. ECF Board 0, Stupid Decisions 1.

Far better, if these reasons have any base in truth whatsoever, would have been to moderate the forum of the so called "damaging" posts.

The reality of course is somewhat different. Chess has struggled for years to generate federal sponsorship. Private enterprise has had a little success. The LV= sponsorship deal is a welcome exception to this rule. However, in the current economic climate further commercial deals seem unlikely. A fact which makes the decision to cut the ties with the forum even more inexplicable.

[Carl Hibbard]

It's a shame but there you go...

I only hope that when the now famous "project" is no more that a finger is not pointed in this direction as a scapegoat will clearly be needed at that time