ECF Membership FAQs

[Angus French]

I recently renewed my membership online. Can anyone who has done this say what the bits of paper/e-mails are that you should receive, or where you can check that your membership has been successfully renewed (and how long the processing typically takes)? The online site says that I'm paid up as a member, but I'm looking for a way to confirm that at the ECF end as well.

Chris, the membership list is published on the ECF website and updated daily: http://www.englishchess.org.uk/membersh ... ership.xls.
Didn't you receive an email to confirm your renewal?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I recently renewed my membership online. Can anyone who has done this say what the bits of paper/e-mails are that you should receive, or where you can check that your membership has been successfully renewed (and how long the processing typically takes)? The online site says that I'm paid up as a member, but I'm looking for a way to confirm that at the ECF end as well.

Chris, the membership list is published on the ECF website and updated daily: http://www.englishchess.org.uk/membersh ... ership.xls.
Didn't you receive an email to confirm your renewal?

Thanks for that. I got one e-mail from paypal, but nothing from paysubsonline and nothing from the ECF. I wasn't sure what to expect to get from whom, hence the question. I'll wait a few days longer as I suspect that some aspects of this are still being processed (despite the ECF spreadsheet).

[Angus French]

Chris, I'm surprised you didn't receive a confirmation email. Might it be worth checking the email address recorded in the membership system (I assume the email address used by Paypal was supplied separately)?

[Roger de Coverly]

Chris, the membership list is published on the ECF website and updated daily:

Notwithstanding the curious presence of 6th September 2012 expiry dates, all the Framework members should be about to disappear. That is unless the membership list becomes a membership and ex-membership list. There are still data entries with expiry dates in August 2012.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Chris, I'm surprised you didn't receive a confirmation email. Might it be worth checking the email address recorded in the membership system (I assume the email address used by Paypal was supplied separately)?

Good idea. I've checked with the ECF Office to see if my e-mail is on their system and in the right place. There was some confusion about this earlier in the year and things might still not be 100% back to normal.

[Sean Hewitt]

Thanks for that. I got one e-mail from paypal, but nothing from paysubsonline and nothing from the ECF. I wasn't sure what to expect to get from whom, hence the question. I'll wait a few days longer as I suspect that some aspects of this are still being processed (despite the ECF spreadsheet).

That's exactly what I got too. I saw that I was on the updated membership list and left it at that.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Chris, the membership list is published on the ECF website and updated daily:

Notwithstanding the curious presence of 6th September 2012 expiry dates, all the Framework members should be about to disappear. That is unless the membership list becomes a membership and ex-membership list. There are still data entries with expiry dates in August 2012.

I had toyed with the idea of not renewing my membership until later in the year, and taking advantage of the back-dating, but then I remembered that nasty things might happen to my FIDE rating! Incidentally, if I had not renewed, what would have been the status of my games from the e2e4 Hinckley event (held a few days before my membership expired)? Would they have been both ECF-rated and FIDE rated, one or the other, or neither?

[Sean Hewitt]

Incidentally, if I had not renewed, what would have been the status of my games from the e2e4 Hinckley event (held a few days before my membership expired)? Would they have been both ECF-rated and FIDE rated, one or the other, or neither?

They would have been rated and graded as you met the requirements at the time of the event. However, you wouldn't have been able to play another FIDE rated event until you renewed.

[Roger de Coverly]

Incidentally, if I had not renewed, what would have been the status of my games from the e2e4 Hinckley event (held a few days before my membership expired)? Would they have been both ECF-rated and FIDE rated, one or the other, or neither?

It's generally understood that the August Bank Holiday Congresses were run under the old system, so your existing membership remained valid.

But you make a valid point. Had the tournament taken place in September and your renewal not have been processed, what does happen? We know that if you play in a "Silver" event and your renewal hadn't gone through, you would be treated as a Scotsman and the organiser would receive a £ 6 bill when the grading was processed. But what of a "Gold" event. We know that the ECF will treat you as if you have committed a crime against chess and threaten to suspend your rating, but what is their timing on this? The logical solution would be a "pay to play" fee for ENG players not currently ECF members. The problem with that is that whilst it would be allowed by FIDE ( Scotland do this), there's over ten years of the ECF and the BCF before it falsely claiming membership in the per head payment sense and even the guarantor sense to be a FIDE requirement.

[Greg Breed]

My previous membership expires at the end of October this year. Will I still be able to qualify to get my games graded for ECF congresses and FIDE rated events?

[Sean Hewitt]

My previous membership expires at the end of October this year. Will I still be able to qualify to get my games graded for ECF congresses and FIDE rated events?

If you were a standard member then yes, until the end of October.

[Roger de Coverly]

My previous membership expires at the end of October this year. Will I still be able to qualify to get my games graded for ECF congresses and FIDE rated events?

The way the system is supposed to work is that the ECF will send you a renewal notice inviting you to renew to 31st August 2013 at a price less than for someone new.

If you don't renew, you may not be allowed to enter future FIDE rated events, if you do play, the ECF might ask FIDE to remove your rating. If the organiser permits, you will be able to play in non FIDE standard play Congresses and all rapid-plays but the organiser will be hit by a £ 6 charge and will probably add this to your entry fee. If your county, league or club permit, you will be able to continue to play in county and league matches, but the organisers of these will be sent a bill for £ 2 per game, but not until September 2013 and not at all if you join by 31st August 2013.

Grading is supposedly for an event as a whole, although it remains possible for local organisers and graders to remove results from grading files before sending them to the ECF.

[Greg Breed]

I've got no problem renewing my membership now so long as the ECF compensate me in some way for the lost 2 months as it appears they want all memberships to run from and to a certain period, i.e. end of August.

[Roger de Coverly]

I've got no problem renewing my membership now so long as the ECF compensate me in some way for the lost 2 months

The (proposed) system is that they will ask for proportionate amounts up to 31st August 2013 or 31st August 2015. Would anyone with a 30th September 2012 expiry date be able to comment as to whether it's working?

[Sean Hewitt]

I've got no problem renewing my membership now so long as the ECF compensate me in some way for the lost 2 months as it appears they want all memberships to run from and to a certain period, i.e. end of August.

If you call the office you should be able to renew now until August 2013, paying 10/12 of the price.