What do I expect GCCC v RCC April 7th, Lichess Fixed Roster Match to achieve?

[Kerry Corker]

If all goes as planned and the Board numbers connect and play chess with their opposites –

1.The viability of long-distance chess matches between clubs in real time will have been established, again.

(a) Redcliffe to Gold Coast is 111.5 kilometers.
(b) Redcliffe to Tokyo is 7,137 kilometers
The format is the same.
The time is one hour different.
The transmission time could even be the same if it has to bounce off a few satellites.
This idea is not new. And it is not mine. See, you’re sailing over hurdles already!
The first Telegraph chess match - between Washington and Baltimore in 1844. This is just a variation upon a theme.

2.Post Covid, the viability of approaching Coffee Club Australia to have their franchises host online matches
Playing outside their stores in the evening could be trialled. Coffee and mudcake while you are playing Perth. Yum!
Everyone brings their own laptop. Forgot your modem? – use the free shopping centre Wi-Fi.
First couple of matches for free – and then they pay from their entertainment fund.
Online shopping is draining customers from shopping centres, the same as online chess has almost completely drained Australia’s OTB players.
At least try and fight back.

Board One would also be played, in real time, using live pieces with local school chess playing children in costume.

Raffles would be conducted whilst the game/s were on.
Signed copies of the latest Australian chess book would be on sale with the author present.
His/her visit would coincide with local lectures, simuls, private coaching etc.
Eventually, someone would manage these appearances Australia wide, with several players on a circuit.

“When is the next Grandmaster coming to the mall Mommy?”
“Shut up and eat your fish”. (Julia Roberts fans will understand)

Banners for the local chess club and forthcoming events would be on display.

3.Rural Chess Clubs will hopefully see that they don’t have to drive from Rocky to Gladstone to play their match.

Good thing too, because Gladstone closed a while ago. Maybe Townsville v Rocky. Maybe Broken Hill v Byron Bay.
Honestly, you can organise these matches without leaving your house.
You just need Team Rosters, opposing usernames, time, date and rate of play – you don’t even have to turn up – at the moment,
because of Covid, you can play from home.

4.City Chess Clubs may be too far gone to take advantage of this old, successful idea. You need about 10 players.


Should I be doing this? Someone has to.
Should I be organizing State Open, Female and Junior Teams? Someone has to.
Should I be organizing State Junior Training Squads? Someone has to.
Should I be advertising the names of the National Chess Teams? Someone has to.

Should the best players in the country be commenting on these ideas?
Answer - Definitely not. They are making a fortune playing Chess in Australia – never change horses mid apocalypse.
I can fully understand why they want to keep things exactly the way they are.
150-200k per year for playing chess in Australia. Good on ya! Beats making partner by the age of 40.

[shadowshooter]

150-200k per year for playing chess in Australia. Good on ya!

Would you mind elaborating on how you arrived at that figure, Kerry?

[Patrick Byrom]

Would you mind elaborating on how you arrived at that figure, Kerry?

I think it's meant to be sarcasm

[shadowshooter]

I think it's meant to be sarcasm

As are many posts.

[antichrist]

I know a few players whon I think would definitely take the bait.

BUT how will you guarantee against CHEATING??

There is the Byron Bay Chess Club listed on Chess.com, advertise there for players I have not come in contact with. I have about seventy names and numbers.

[Kerry Corker]

Thanks for that Patrick. Finally, someone who understands me!

I am trying to lure more people into the discussion on how to get Australia into the World’s Top Ten.
I have tried academia. Always thought the ivory towers were designed to keep us out. Live and learn.

Next idea is to try to lure our Top 10 players into the debate. Hence the 200k.

Where are our “Young Turks”, beating at the walls of “the establishment”?
Every new generation is supposed to learn from the mistakes of the previous one and make improvements.
Once Australia goes over to a Teams Chess format, and we are now living through the alternative, then the top players benefit the most, financially.

How many “friendly” matches have our top players organized with os countries via the net?
How many online ex-Olympiad v Top 10 matches have they organized?
Do our Top 10 have a delegate who attends ACF meetings to put their pov forward?
How many new ideas are our Top Ten adding to the National conversation?

You can study 20 hours a day, but without fire in your belly, you are just keeping the seat warm for the next high school kid who sees things,
“just, a little bit faster than you”. Ask our former Top 10s for confirmation of this.
Watch out for the end of the bench! It stings a lot more than it should.

About 2730 FIDE is the entry pass you need to get into the big boy’s/girl’s section of chess.
Top 10 people, how about helping me to get the ball rolling. Australia attracts the world’s smartest immigrants.
Has done since the second World War. Why are we not in the Top 10 at the Olympiad?

Apart from the very good ACF Newsletters, Chesschat is the only media/discussion outlet Australian Chess has.
The ACF Newsletters are not meant to be a melting pot of ideas, they tell us what has happened with also a bit of what is coming up.

Let’s hear what you have to say about the following:

1.It is a good idea to change the national format from teams to individual at the end of high school.

2.It is a good idea to shun (and I do not use this word lightly), females by continuing to have tournaments in sterile environments such as school rooms.
In 1981 I organized the GC Open and it was held in The Mark Shopping Centre in the MIDDLE of Surfers Paradise. Did not have a clue how to run a tournament.
We got 34 players and all went well. Didn’t have any experience on running anything really – and yet – my first and only thought was,
“I’ll go and ask a shopping center if they want a heap of people visiting over the weekend”.
I was a Rube in the big city and got a multi-million-dollar venue for free. Where else would you go?
They got the local paper along, took pictures, got them to do a story and got them published in the local over the fence paper.
I still have the photos and clippings as proof.
Only thing I forgot to do was ask them for money. Now, they will give you more money because of the threat of online shopping.

3.Is it a good idea to have ALL your state and national organizers unpaid in 2022?

4.Is it a good media strategy to keep the names of our National Teams off the official websites?
Am I the only one who thinks this is VERY STRANGE INDEED?
Give me another sport that does not mention its top team’s names on its website.
I dares ya! I double dares ya!

5.Is it a good idea to have no State Teams of any sort. What other sport does that?
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I believe the strongest players to offer opinions on the problems I have raised are GM Rogers and IM Solomon, and I thank them for that.
As former Olympians and slayers of many a Grand Master, their opinion is like gold.
They both disagreed with me on different subjects but I got their opinion, and that’s the main thing.
It would have been a bonus to get alternative solutions, but one step at a time.
Please tell me if I have missed any other strong players – using a handle other than your name makes it harder to identify people.

We need opinions, ideas, plans and consensus.

At the moment we have two plans –

1.Wait for old chess players to die and leave us some money.
The relatives already have got Power of Attorney, so good luck with that.

2.The government should give us heaps of money. - Why?

“I can’t let you in if you’re not on the list”

“What list?”

Top Ten – Where are you – for that matter – Who are you?

[Kerry Corker]

We are on the way to Mars.
If we don't have the technology to stop a few idiot chess players who don't think they will be caught, we should turn around and come back.

Once people see the economies that are created by going over to the light side (Teams Chess), cheating problems are easily fixed.
Cameras, Hubs, algorithms, to tell if you all of a sudden start playing like Tal when you used to play positionally.

All Teams Sports have cheating. Ask the Australian Cricket Team.
You just manage it. You don't, not have it, because it might occur.

[Kerry Corker]

"As are many posts"

Is that sarcasm?

[Scott Colliver]

We are on the way to Mars.
If we don't have the technology to stop a few idiot chess players who don't think they will be caught, we should turn around and come back.

Once people see the economies that are created by going over to the light side (Teams Chess), cheating problems are easily fixed.
Cameras, Hubs, algorithms, to tell if you all of a sudden start playing like Tal when you used to play positionally.

All Teams Sports have cheating. Ask the Australian Cricket Team.
You just manage it. You don't, not have it, because it might occur.

Cheating can be controlled by multiple camera setups which are monitored, but to expect every amateur chess player to do so is excessive. I certainly will not be doing so.

[antichrist]

Thanks for that Patrick. Finally, someone who understands me!

I am trying to lure more people into the discussion on how to get Australia into the World’s Top Ten.
I have tried academia. Always thought the ivory towers were designed to keep us out. Live and learn.

Next idea is to try to lure our Top 10 players into the debate. Hence the 200k.

Where are our “Young Turks”, beating at the walls of “the establishment”?
Every new generation is supposed to learn from the mistakes of the previous one and make improvements.
Once Australia goes over to a Teams Chess format, and we are now living
I

Top Ten – Where are you – for that matter – Who are you?

You sound like GM Rogers regurgitating what the ACF hasn't achieved in the post covid era. But fantastically you are doing in the perfect forum where it may achieve results. GOOD ON YOU (hard to edit on phone)

[Kerry Corker]

These are my own thoughts. Been there as a volunteer. I am only attacking the structure of chess in Australia. Thanks for your comments.
Still nada from our Top 10. So it is 200k - I knew it!

[Kerry Corker]

"Cheating can be controlled by multiple camera setups which are monitored, but to expect every amateur chess player to do so is excessive. I certainly will not be doing so."

In one of the big online teams events in Europe, once you get to the semi-final stage, cheating precautions kick in.
You'd be a bit silly to be chopping everyone up online and then play to your rating OTB or when the world is watching.

[Scott Colliver]

"Cheating can be controlled by multiple camera setups which are monitored, but to expect every amateur chess player to do so is excessive. I certainly will not be doing so."

In one of the big online teams events in Europe, once you get to the semi-final stage, cheating precautions kick in.
You'd be a bit silly to be chopping everyone up online and then play to your rating OTB or when the world is watching.

People do sillier things every minute of everyday.

[Kerry Corker]

That's right. Game theory only works if everybody is acting rationally.

[shadowshooter]

"As are many posts"

Is that sarcasm?

Yes Kerry, it is sarcasm. Thanks for noticing. I sometimes forget that deadpan doesn't work so well on the internet. I guess I should have put an emoji on my first post as well!

PS Perhaps one way to attract the attention of top 10 players would be a suggestion to make titles no longer for life? We could switch to the system used in Sumo, where you only keep a title if you continue to perform at the required level. If not, you are demoted. And when you retire from regular competition, and have your ceremonial top-knot cut off, you lose any title at all. [And would have to pay entry fees! ]