Open Forum

Open Forum is your vehicle for comment and discussion. Anything goes within the bounds of courtesy and common sense and has something to do with chess. To post your contribution please email me patricksenior@blueyonder.co.uk. and put WCC Forum in the subject heading. Please use plain text and not html.

Mike Denison 10th of May 2008 12.27 wrote

3 More verses

Expenditure is running high
On rent and light and gas supply
And this is why I groan and sigh
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We've got young players, that's the stuff
We'll build them up and make them tough
But how do this without enough
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Before I put my pen away
There's just one word I'd like to say
And that is "thanks" to those who pay
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Mike Denison 24th of December 15.41 wrote

A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours. - Milton Berle
A committee is twelve men doing the work of one.
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

Mark Shelmerdine 24th of December 09.14 wrote

As we draw towards the end of 2007, I thought now would be an opportune moment for me to address the Open Forum with my reflections on the year.

2007 has, I believe been a tremendous year for our Club. There's no doubt in my mind this superb Website has helped us to gain new members and has raised the profile of our historic Club to new heights. New members, especially junior members help to ensure the future existence of our Club and bring vibrancy to our Monday club nights. I'd like to personally thank Patrick Senior for the constant hard work on the Website and the Yorkshire site too.

The creation of a new Evening League Team and a 'C' team in the Yorkshire Leagues has been tremendous achievement for a Club which 2 years ago was struggling to sustain the teams it had. I firmly believe, the more teams we have the greater the profile of our Club in the Chess community and the greater the opportunities we have to attract new members. Our members have more opportunities then ever to represent their City at chess. I, for one, am proud to do so.

Weekly attendance at Monday Club nights is consistently high. There's never a shortage of opponents for everyone of all strengths for a 'serious' game or simply chance to practice some of those new techniques! There's a real buzz about the Club on Mondays and it's great to see. The well organised in-Club competitions ensure we all actively seek out different opponents each week. In my opinion, the more people we play, the greater our skills and enjoyment becomes.

It's been marvelous to witness our members welcoming visitors when they have come to the Club for the first time. I remember it can be quite daunting to visit a Club for the first time. The first impressions we give are paramount in attracting return visits and I feel we have excelled at this throughout the year. Visitors have been welcomed with a friendly smile and we have been more than willing to give the visitors a game. Many visitors have become new members!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helps the Club succeed. I won't mention them all by name, for fear I may miss someone out. After all I believe members contribute to the continued success of our brilliant Club.

Looking forward now. I can't wait for 2008. I'm proud to be part of such a thriving Club and believe 2008 will be a successful year for our Club in so many ways. As stated above, I feel 2007 has been a great year for the Club. In 2008 we must continue to build the profile and success of our Club. New ideas are the life - blood of the Club and we need them to improve it further. Let's all continue to think of ideas to improve the Club further and share them with each other. Let's not hesitate to submit our ideas for Club improvements to any member of the Committee. Let's listen to ideas from new as well as long serving members. All suggestions will be fully considered and adopted where felt beneficial for our Club.

Here's to Wakefield Chess Club. 170 years young and stronger than ever!

Finally, I'd like to wish all members and friends of Wakefield Chess Club a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you all in 2008!

Mike Wilford 11th of December 21.54 wrote

Occurred to me this week, maybe one for the meeting Monday - should we have an annual dinner/social event, xmas? to include partners? - doesn’t have to be expensive, would maybe be nice to do something outside of the chess environment. Just a thought.

Patrick Senior 4th of December 14.25 wrote

Well played yesterday evening Simon. If you email me your game I will publish it. I hope you are now firmly back to winning ways.

Patrick Senior 4th of December 13.55 wrote

I agree with Ian that the acquisition of new boards, at least for matches, would be good for the WCC’s image and definitely a positive forward move. As for Strengthening WCC in the evening league, I do not understand exactly Ian’s point. If you could please clarify Ian, I would be grateful. As for travel expenses, it seems a fair suggestion to me.

Ian Johnson 4th of December 11.25 wrote

• Travel expenses - for those of us who are called upon to drive there is clearly a not insignificant expense over the year particularly as pump prices are steadily rising and there are a significant number of matches on our fixture list. Suggestion : £1-50 payment per person receiving a lift thus if two drivers + 6 passengers this would equate to £4-50 per driver per away match thus paying for about 1 gallon of fuel. Alternatively, drivers could claim expenses on an agreed mileage basis ?
• Strengthening WCC - As WCC is now progressing well in the evening league stakes, my belief is that we should now aim to strengthen our forces and thus unify as we do for Saturday chess. The development of a C team which I welcome for introducing new/young players to our club is a further example of this natural strengthening (growth) process. Consolidating our playing strength can only benefit WCC 's future......
• New Boards -I think the acquisition of new boards e.g. the quality we experienced at Alwoodley CC recently would be a positive forward move.

Mike Denison 24th of November 11.21 wrote

I propose that Peter Shaw becomes Competition Controller at the next AGM so that a Swiss System tournament can be introduced. We have sent in results for grading before when Donald Andrew insisted!

Peter Shaw 23rd November 20.15 wrote

Here are my thoughts on the club competitions...

All the time I've been at the club all the club competitions have been all-play-alls, and I bet there hasn't been one competition where more than 75% of the games have been played (other than the lightning of course). A tournament where the players play different numbers of games is a waste of time in my opinion, and this has been going on for at least 14 years! It's almost as bad as FIDE's attempts to run a World Championship.

Huddersfield run their club championship on a Swiss system, and I think we should do the same. It appears to work rather well. I suggested this in an AGM a couple of years back but it didn't seem to change anything. I would also like to see games submitted for grading.

Patrick Senior 13th November 12.45 wrote

You'd think I would be happy winning the Summer Competition and you would be right. But I can't help feeling that I'm a bit of a fraud.Let me explain. I scored 8.5 points out of 10, second placed Simon Skinner also scored 8.5 points, this time out of 13. Third placed Alan Holloway scored 6.5 points out of 10. However Peter Shaw who is not on the winner's podium won all his matches including all three against the above mentioned winners. Also Dave Toulson scored 5 points out of 6. Is it me or is something amiss?

Mike Denison 6th of November 14.02 wrote

As acting treas. of WCC
I've served the club to some degree
So why won't someone pity me
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I may not be a Reuben Fine,
A Morphy or an Alekhine
But I can say I've paid all mine
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Can you add a verse

Mike Denison 6th November 07.38 wrote 

Should a fee be charged for late payment of subscriptions ?