Thank you to all of you (and your Club Members) who attended the League AGM, yesterday. For those who had exams and other engagements, full minutes of the meeting will come from Malcolm in due course; however, just a brief few words from me, as I stand down.
First of all, the new officers of the Management Committee were elected as follows, and special thanks goes to our Hon. President Mike Johnson, who will take on the role of Chairman, in an acting capacity for the coming season 2023-24. The intention is that we find a custodian in 2024, open to chairing the League for 2-3 seasons in the future, as we find our footing with a seamless season, and stabilise post-pandemic.
Malcolm Harding will continue his excellent work as League and Records Secretary.
President: Mike Johnson [Coventry]
Chairman: Mike Johnson [Coventry] mike.j.johnson@hotmail.co.uk
General Secretary: Malcolm Harding [Rugby] malcolmharding@mail.com / msharding57@gmail.com
Treasurer: David Filer [Coventry]
Records Secretary: Malcolm Harding [Rugby]
League Delegate: Meghana Mohan [Warwick]
Secretary for Junior Chess: Ed Goodwin [Coventry]
Digital Marketing Officer: Hok Yin Stephen Chiu [Warwick]
Assistant Records Secretary: Jonathan Fowler [Coventry]
Independent Examiner: Mark Page [Kenilworth]
Big thank you to Jonathan, who is happy to continue managing the Shadow Grades system.
Well done again, to Kenilworth for winning the League Championships 2022-23. Full results, scroll down to my last email.
In terms of fixtures, the latest date that we are looking to accept entries will be mid-September 2023. New clubs please get in touch with Malcolm (Gen. Secretary) and Mike (Chair), [malcolmharding@mail.com / msharding57@gmail.com / mike.j.johnson@hotmail.co.uk].
I understand from the instinct of the meeting that the sooner teams can be submitted, the earlier Malcolm can circulate a draft fixtures list / skeleton for the league calendar, so that clubs may be able to book rooms sooner and make plans around special League events on free Tuesdays.
Therefore, late entries, will be at Malcolm's discretion only (for example, if there are odd numbers in the fixtures, etc).
It may be unlikely in the foreseeable future that the League will be joined by Balsall Common, Coleshill, Daventry, or Leamington at this stage, however we encourage good club-to-club relations. Please get in contact with Mike/Malcolm, if you are interested in joining the League: [malcolmharding@mail.com / msharding57@gmail.com / mike.j.johnson@hotmail.co.uk]
Friendly matches between Coventry League clubs should be encouraged with Balsall Common, our closest neighbour.
Universities (Coventry & Warwick)
Please make sure you introduce your new captains and important dignitaries, to Malcolm, i.e. name and email, especially if you are to be included in his regular email circulation, and gain LMS access.
Anyone who (1) gets emails from me, and (2) does not get emails from Malcolm, and (3) wishes to get emails from Malcolm, should probably email Malcolm, asap!
In the routine tidy-up of the Constitution, it was reflected that there was some confusion over the status-quo on Board order rules.
The status quo, maintains that teams must keep a constant Board order throughout the season, and their initial order - the first time they play in a team - should be based on a player's September rating (within the 80 point rule), or if un-rated, based on the shadow rating submitted by their captain to the Shadow Rating form (and approved by Malcolm/Jonathan).
Changes to a player's board order may be sought by any captain, with permission from Malcolm/Jonathan - by a submission of a new shadow rating. This could be for (1) someone with an existing September rating that is widely inaccurate (too high or too low, if their captain shows evidence, ie Congress performance, Online, etc), or (2) someone without a September rating, and was inaccurately estimated at the start of the season. You may email or use the submission form.
The exact etiquette of shadow rating re-submissions (to allow board order changes) is not strictly written down on paper, however, we do not reasonably expect any player to be re-evaluated more than once in a season.
And really, minor changes of strength does not necessary justify a re-evaluation; as a personal point, if I was a Captain, I would not ask for a new shadow rating to be re-approved, unless I believed the player's real strength was over 160/240 points out from their status-quo rating (i.e. 20-30 points out in the old system; a 120 playing at a 140-150 level).
Naturally, this comes down to the exercise of Malcolm's/ Jonathan's judgement, so any captain (in particular, the Universities) with any concern about League rules, should email them in first instance. The likely outcomes is that the League will come to a constructive and reasonable solution for each and every case. Always email/ring, if there is a query.
I hope I have done a reasonable job for the past 8-9 months, and look forward to supporting Malcolm, Mike, and the Management committee, in a much reduced capacity overseeing the website and digital platforms.
Hok Yin Stephen Chiu
Outgoing Chairman 2022-23
Coventry & District Chess League.
