British Champs Entry Fees

[Matthew Turner]

I assume that Nick is an accredited coach, so I think his first name is actually Graham. His last ECF grades were 173 (E) in 1996 and 185 (D) in 1995. He is clearly a strong player, but I would have hoped that either a more local player to Canterbury could be employed (to save money), or given that this is funded by the JRT a younger coach could have been found.

[Ben Purton]

Well quite, hence my suggestion, was a former junior who happened to be in the era of 2 olympiad playing GM's therefore had no shot at the £1000 bursaries that the top U21(?) or U18(?) players got given. Making him an ideal candidate, that coupled with the fact he is semi local originally(Sussex).

[Paul McKeown]

This interesting and important discussion is in the wrong section. Carl, please may I suggest that you move the thread to Junior Chess.

I agree that this is
a) interesting
b) important
c) belongs in Junior Chess.

Carl?

[Paul McKeown]

Ben,

I know I have in the past called you the "ra ra man", for your stout - if occasionally one-eyed - defence of your friends. Here, however, it would appear that you have a strong case to plead.

Tom Rendle is:
a) local
b) experienced in junior chess
c) an experienced coach
c) strong by the standards of all the juniors that he might be asked to coach

[This, without wishing to make adverse comment on Nick Nixon, clearly also a chess player and coach with his own merits.]

Best Regards,
Paul

[Leonard Barden]

I've now found the John Robinson Trust accounts for 2007-8 (the latest year available).

Grants totalled almost £28,000.

The sum granted for junior coaching at the ECF congress was £2000 (£3000 for 2006-7).

Under the heading of grants to the ECF other than the congress there is junior coaching £3400 (£6670 in 2006-7).

The Trust also paid £5000 in each year for 'support' of the ECF congress.

[Michele Clack]

Thomas Rendle does sound very impressive. I notice on his website that he is currently at Warwick University and living in Coventry. Ben I thought you said he was your housemate but don't you live down south? Has he finished at Warwick Uni now?

[Ben Purton]

He is full time chess coach now residing in Reading. My house is quite amusing, if I had a team of the top 8 players to have stayed here, Tom would not even be close to the "Chatton Close" Select.

He coaches at Junior 4NCL's, alot of local people.......I think hes quite a good coach, I know thats ra ra, but he tries very hard with his chess prep etc.

There is indeed a difference between coaching strong juniors to a group of beginners. Hence why I was slightly bemused with the entire coaching list for the 2 "big" junior events.

Is one to assume Nick Nixon has previously been funded by the JR fund.

[Richard Bates]

He is full time chess coach now residing in Reading. My house is quite amusing, if I had a team of the top 8 players to have stayed here, Tom would not even be close to the "Chatton Close" Select.

He coaches at Junior 4NCL's, alot of local people.......I think hes quite a good coach, I know thats ra ra, but he tries very hard with his chess prep etc.

There is indeed a difference between coaching strong juniors to a group of beginners. Hence why I was slightly bemused with the entire coaching list for the 2 "big" junior events.

Is one to assume Nick Nixon has previously been funded by the JR fund.

Presumably. And if reports are to be believed, highly successfully.

http://www.britishchess08.com/reports/reports.htm

So it seems reasonable that he should be retained. The fact that other people might also be able to do an excellent job doesn't necessarily change that.

Anyway i doubt the brief is really "coaching strong juniors", in terms of close to 200 grade players. Most of the target audience will probably be U8s,9s,10s,11s etc.

[Alex McFarlane]

Firstly apologies if I seem more blunt than usual here but I've had a busy day at the Edinburgh Congress and still haven't fully recovered from my spell in hospital.

Richard Bates is correct. Nick has had glowing endorsements from juniors and parents at previous events. A number of the people mentioned will surely be playing in the Championship and therefore not available to do coaching when it is most needed. Much of the coaching is not aimed at the really top juniors but at everyone who takes part in the event.

Leonard. I do not know you but I am afraid that you do appear to me to be always taking pot shots at the ECF and its events. As a Scotsman I cannot totally disapprove of this attitude but to be honest it does not seem to present you in the best of lights.

In a previous posting on another thread I asked you to support a statement that you made in relation to the middle Sunday of the British. Perhaps you missed my posting as I am still awaiting an answer as to why you reached the conclusion you did. Hopefully you will be good enough to now give me an answer to that question. I eagerly await your response.

With regard to potential sponsors, I would of course be happy to hear from anyone but it may be more appropriate to contact Adam Raoof in the first instance.

[Rob Thompson]

Can i just say that as a junior who's had some time with Nick at the last 2 british championship events, i would say that he is excellent there. He is enthusiastic, especially with younger juniors, and is excellent at coaching to any level that i've seen, though admittedly i've not seen him with players of much more than about 180 standard. As for whether more coaches are needed at the British, I don't think I've ever seen more than about 10 people watching him go through games with others, but even this is enjoyable enough (i've happily watched him coach a young junior of a pretty poor standard for about 20 minutes and been entertained for the whole time by it.). I wouldn't say, from my own personal experience, that there is sufficient demand to warrant a second coach. And his "6 words of endgame technique" i have attempted to adhere to wherever possible, despite the fact that I was only watching them being drilled into a U-12 who was receiving coaching at the time.

With regard to Tom Rendle, i have no doubt that he would be excellent as well, but i think it is a case of why change something if what is already in place works. Nick is an excellent coach, and there is no need for any other in his place at the British, imho.

[Matthew Turner]

Rob,
It was very good to hear from somebody who was there and it is great that you found the coaching useful. I have two questions

1. The coaching cost was £2000 in 2008 and in 2009 there were 204 players in the junior sections (excluding the U8's which is a one day rapidplay). So roughly speaking then that is £10 per entrant for coaching, is that good value for money?

2. Would more players have attended the coaching if it had been a more high profile player?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but this is JRT money that is being spent, so Rob, in a sense it is 'your money' - what do you think?

[Mike Truran]

Actually in a sense it isn't Rob's (or your) money. That's not how trusts work.

[Matthew Turner]

Mike,
The Trust's job is to promote/support junior chess and Rob is a junior chessplayer. Doesn't that mean it is supposed to help Rob and juniors like him.

[Mike Truran]

Indeed. But it's still not his money.

[Leonard Barden]

Hopefully you will be good enough to now give me an answer to that question. I eagerly await your response.

Alex
Forgive me, the tone of your earlier response seemed to indicate that the matter was closed so I did not pursue it further. But since you raise it again, the subject was my suggestion that an English blitz championship (which could of course be open to non-English) might replace one of the ECF congress rapidplays.

Your answer was that very strong players would not be interested. But it seems to me that the present situation of an entry fee of £18 (no free entries for titled players) and a prize fund of only £250 is itself a sufficient deterrent to strong entrants be it rapidplay or blitz.

From where could a higher prize fund could be found? The John Robinson Trust gives £5000 in 'support' to the congress in addition to the £2000 for junior coaching. If that £5000 was increased to £5500 or £6000 (surely possible in the context of the Trust's £28000 total annual grants) and the extra £500-£1000 went to the blitz championship (along with free entry for IMs/GMs and the strongest juniors) you would have a realistic event.

Try it for one year, if it still fails you can drop it.