National Open Schools Championships

[ChessGuru]

Held over the weekend of December 3 & 4, 2005
At Bayview Conference Centre, Melbourne

Eligibility is limited to 5 schools from Victoria (host state), 3 from NSW, QLD and TAS, 2 from ACT and SA, 1 from each of NT and WA.
• The top team entered from each State receives FREE accommodation, food and coaching at the Finals (for 5 players and 1 adult supervisor).
• Great prizes; everyone wins something.
• Winners represent Australia at the Oceania Schools Championships
• 4 free high-level chess coaching sessions with International Master players
• All players receive free Private Tuition after their games with Master Coaches
• Friendly social atmosphere; BBQ, transfer chess and movie on Saturday night.
• All players get a National Chess Rating!
• Can your school become involved? Find out how; contact Chess Kids on interschool@chesskids.com.au or (03) 9578 6203.
• Held in 3 divisions; Open Secondary, Junior Secondary and Primary.

Any school may apply to participate – a selection process will be employed to qualify the allowable number of teams from each state.

Applications must be received by October 31 for a school to be considered. Schools will be notified of their qualification, or otherwise, after a selection process ending on November 8. All enquiries to David Cordover on 0411 877 833.

[pax]

Not to be confused with the Australian Schools Teams Championships, being held in Sydney on December 10-11.
http://www.nswjcl.org.au/AustralianS.../ASC_Index.htm

The ASTC is the ACF endorsed national schools championship event.

[jenni]

I think there is room for both competitions. The ASTC will always be the "prestige" tournament that kids compete fiercely to get to. However I know a few years ago when my primary girls team just missed out on qualifying, we would have been happy to take them to something like this as a reward for their hard work and to get them extra experience.

How succesful it will be, will depend on cost for the extra teams. Often you get one "professional" chessplayer who gathers a team around him.her and the others are not as committed.

[pax]

I agree. Maybe some (dedicated) teams will even wish to combine both competitions into the one trip?

It's very hard to judge unless you know the costs. I would assume that they might be considerable given that a conference centre is being hired.

Does anyone know anything about the Oceania Schools Championships? Another CK venture?

[jenni]

I agree. Maybe some (dedicated) teams will even wish to combine both competitions into the one trip?

Doesn't work so well when they are in different towns. Certainly a case for a team going to both, but consecutive weeks is a bit of an ask.

[ChessGuru]

With travel being so cheap (can I advertise for VirginBlue here?) the opportunity for these events to be well attended becomes much greater. The hope is that while the State Junior League will send one team to the ACFASTC the Open event will attract 2 or 3 teams from each state.

The added division of JUNIOR SECONDARY (Year 7-9 only) gives an opportunity for ease of transition from Primary to Secondary chess (with the hope of keeping more kids playing chess in the years we tend to lose 75% of primary numbers).

Another incentive is that the top team from each state gets FREE everything. Guaranteeing that anyone who can find $59 each way can fly into Melbourne and play.

The Maximum Cost that any team will be up for is $1000 - this will include 2 nights accommodation, all food, IM coaching, private coaching after games, entry fee, social activities (tennis, pool, table tennis, movies) and hopefully airport to venue transfers. A 'team' is defined as 5 kids and 1 supervising adult.

Maximum cost of $200 p.p. for a 2 day weekend getaway, food included, coaching included, plus an adult free? Well...if you find a better offer anywhere else please let me know!

I hope that this will be well supported and the start of a long-lasting and high-profile event. Details of the Oceania Schools Championships will be available shortly.

[Libby]

I do wonder a little bit why this is promoted in a way (in the flyer anyway) that would suggest - to the layman - that this is in fact our official National Schools Championship.

Further enhanced by the reference to the (no details yet) Oceania qualification status.

I have no problem with the event as an opportunity for players but some objection to the marketing spin.

ACTJCL will discuss the event at our meeting tomorrow and I expect we will distribute the information via our schools information list with a small note of clarification. Most of our schools are "laymen" and don't even consider the ASTC, let alone understand that this event is a (very worthy) private venture.

I have no idea if teams from the ACT will attend. You are aware that the Pacific School Games are in Victoria that weekend (and preceding week) and making significant demands on some school sport resources?

On the promotion side of things, this would probably work better for us (and possibly for ChessKids as well) if we were able to distribute such information to schools at a time in which they are actively playing our events rather than now, when they are thinking more about upcoming summer team sports.

[firegoat7]

How long will Guru be allowed to get away with these false marketing claims before the ACF does something about his behaviour.

IMO he should be rang on the phone and told to stop this misleading advertising. The ACF is not powerless, it can ban him from chess events if he continues to undermine their products through confusing media releases. It is simply not good enough and confuses schools,kids and players.

The ACF ought to have a simple little icon that says an event is ACF sanctioned or not. Those that are ACF sanctioned should have clear and concise advertising. There should be no doubt from partrons about what they are actually buying.

cheers Fg7

[Rincewind]

I agree though perhaps not quite as strongly. DC has every right to earn a living and if in doing so chess participation in Australia goes up then even better. However, it should be done with the right level of 'marketing puff'. Not sure that the ACF could generate enough of a brand awareness to make a logo work. But if it can be done for a low cost, it is probably worthwhile.

[Denis_Jessop]

How long will Guru be allowed to get away with these false marketing claims before the ACF does something about his behaviour.

IMO he should be rang on the phone and told to stop this misleading advertising. The ACF is not powerless, it can ban him from chess events if he continues to undermine their products through confusing media releases. It is simply not good enough and confuses schools,kids and players.

The ACF ought to have a simple little icon that says an event is ACF sanctioned or not. Those that are ACF sanctioned should have clear and concise advertising. There should be no doubt from partrons about what they are actually buying.

cheers Fg7

The ACF does have its logo which is usually (and is expected to be) on publicity information for ACF events plus the statement that the event is organised for the ACF - see, for example, the publicity for the forthcoming Australian Championships and Juniors.

DJ

[PHAT]

Guru,

The term "OPEN" implies open to all comers. Thus, "Any school may apply to participate – a selection process will be employed to qualify the allowable number of teams from each state," makes it an "INVITATIONAL."

Other than that, go for it. The more happy chess players, the better for Australian chess.

[Rincewind]

The ACF does have its logo which is usually (and is expected to be) on publicity information for ACF events plus the statement that the event is organised for the ACF - see, for example, the publicity for the forthcoming Australian Championships and Juniors.

Is it a registered trademark? If not, is there any protection from unscrupulous infringement?

I'm not for one moment suggesting that DC or anyone else has or would try to fake or infringe on the ACF logo. Just wondernig what protection the ACF has.

[Spiny Norman]

Is it a registered trademark?

I don't think it would need to be a registered (R) trademark to be effective ... just a regular, every day trademark (TM) would probably do? Anyone being unscrupulous could easily be identified if the ACF would list authorised/approved tourneys on their website so that people could verify them.

But I think there's room for a variety of tournaments, not just the ACF- approved flavour. Just as long as we don't end up like boxing (or FIDE!), with the need for reunification bouts.

[PHAT]

Just as long as we don't end up like boxing (or FIDE!), with the need for reunification bouts.

Think again! Imagine if chess could generate pay for view material like boxing does for Foxtel.

[FCP]

I got this email recently.

Dear Famous Chess Player,

We are running the National Open Schools Championships on the weekend of December 3 and 4 in Clayton (near Monash Uni). We are expecting 175 players from every state and territory in Australia (still working on NT - but I am hopeful).

We are trying very hard to make this the best event of the year for these kids. Our commitment to this is demonstrated by our offer of $12,200 in grants to attending schools so far, with more likely to come!

One extra-special way in which we think that this may be possible is to have a plethora of 'famous' chess players wandering around during the weekend, possibly just spectating, possibly analysing some games and maybe even providing a lecture. Most likely just playing table tennis, soccer, blitz or transfer chess would be the players preference!

So please accept this cordial invitation to attend the National Open Schools in whatever capacity you can manage.

If you are able to grace us with your presence during the weekend then I will do my utmost to provide you with some or all of:
a) A warm inner glow
b) Opportunity to spectate a Future GrandMaster
c) lunch at the venue
d) dinner and social evening (movie, table tennis, transfer chess etc) on Saturday night
e) a free entry to a weekender that Chess World is running (Mind Sports weekender, Drouin Open etc) or sponsoring (Elwood, Ballarat, Xmas Swiss etc)
f) cash payment (for lecturers only - to be negotiated)

Event details:
When: 3 and 4 December, 2005.
9am – 4.00pm on both Saturday and Sunday

Where: Bayview Conference Centre, Bayview Rd,
Clayton, Melbourne.

You are most welcome to just turn up - or you can email me to ask for more information or to let me know you are going to come along.

My contact details are cordover@chessworld.com.au or 0411 877 833.

Yours in chess,


David Cordover

When I read this I wipe a small tear from my eye as I realized my lifelong dream is fulfilled. I am a Famous Chess Player! Finally, after all this time I achieve recognition I have always wanted. Soon, there will be masses of reporters outside, who want to interview me. I go outside, putting on my dark glasses and balaklava so I am not mobbed. But phew, nobody is outside. No problem, in a few days the phone will be endlessly ringing as Time, CNN and Sports Illustrated try desperately to get an exclusive. I will be in the same class as the celebrities Malcolm Pyke, Trent Parker and Mr Bonham, who have had their photos in Inside Sport.

I do not care very much for watching future Grandmasters, as I am presumably going to be one soon myself, I do however look forward to Mr Cordover doing his utmost to provide me with a warm inner glow.