It’s interesting to read your achievement in chess Tyson, and we are glad that
you share your expertise to us.
Nene
From: mordue andrew
Sent: 23 March 2021 11:07
To: usbca_chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; JT
Subject: [usbca_chess] Re: List Moderator Sends: Please Read and Acknowledge
Receipt
Hello Jim,
Thank you for this, Well expressed, and I must admit to being one of those who
wasn't aware that you were the moderator.
With regard to the paragraph that reads "Anyone, regardless of skill level, who
wishes to submit a game for review may feel absolutely free to do so and should
feel confident that analysis will be done in as accurate and constructive a
manner as possible and will never be done in a derogatory or demeaning tone." I
fully agree with this and I hope that other people on this list concur, and
also that they agree that my analysis is accurate and constructive and, adding
my own words, as objective as possible and that it's not done in a demeaning
tone. Someone once wrote "All the mistakes are there just waiting to be made."
Welll, they are waiting to be found as well by anyone who wants to look, and
that includes both players.
However, I do have many calls upon my time so there is no guarantee that I will
be able to look at every game posted. Then again it is more likely that I would
look at a game which is already annotated by (one of) the player(s) concerned.
There is more value to be gained out of a game which was played, say, last
week, has been studied and annotated over the weekend, and then posted with
notes the following week rather than just posting a game in the evening saying
'Look at what I just played'.
A period of reflection is usually a good thing. As you rightly wrote "Even
Grandmasters are still learning and studying and making mistakes." In fact I'm
aware of an instance where Botvinnik discovered an improvement in the notes to
one of his games some 33 years after playing it!
Did I ever achieve Grandmaster status? Thank you for asking. The short answer
is no. The long answer is below for those who want to read through!
The international ranking hierarchy goes:
Grandmaster (short form GM and sometimes IGM), usually with a 2500 FIDE Elo
rating or above at some point,
International Master (IM), usually with a 2400 FIDE Elo rating or above at some
point,
FIDE Master (FM) which can be claimed by a player whose published FIDE Elo
rating has been 2300 or more,
and Candidate Master (CM) which can be claimed by a player whose published FIDE
Elo rating has been 2200 or more.
There are also Women's titles (WGM, WIM, and WFM) which can be awarded at lower
ratings. All titles are awarded for life.
My peak FIDE Elo rating was 2317 in 2008 so I'm a FIDE Master. Chris (Ross) has
had a FIDE Elo rating in excess of 2200 for many years now and so is a
Candidate Master. It is still his ambition to break through the 2300 barrier
and claim the FM title. I did it at the tender age of 46 and I know of several
players who got GM and IM titles at older ages. I also hit every single rating
point between 2290 and 2299 before finally getting over the 2300 mark. So for
Chris this is still an attainable target. Incidentally his current ECF grade is
215 which is equivalent to an Elo rating of 2320.
However, FIDE Elos and national grades can vary significantly. I know of one
Brit (David Mooney of Sunderland whom some UK readers may recall) who had a BCF
grade of 240, equivalent to 2520 Elo, but didn't have a FIDE rating at the time
because he had never played in a FIDE event.
There are several VH players around the world who have IM status. They are
generally East Europeans. The UK's IM Colin Crouch became one of these after a
stroke affected his eyesight around 2005. He played in the IBCA European
Championships in 2007 and also for the (UK) BCA in the Four Nations Chess
League (4NCL) on top board above Chris and myself. Sadly Colin has passed on.
Most of these IMs are partially sighted. It is said that Chris Ross is the
world's highest rated totally blind player. There is a Ukrainian IM called
Sergei Wassim who I believe is also completely blind but currently has a lower
FIDE rating than Chris.
Other notable Brits are Graham Lilley, who is no longer active but once claimed
the scalp of Tony Miles, and Paul Benson whom the group will be familiar with.
Both of these have had FIDE ratings but not in excess of 2200 as far as I'm
aware.
Finally, FIDE Elo ratings were formally introduced in 1970. The only VH player
on the list then was Yugoslavia's Dragoljub Baretic with a rating that went
bewteen 2200 to 2300 for several years. He did feature in several international
events. Amongst his opponents have been World Championship Candidates Pal
Benko, Miroslav Filip, Borislav Ivkov, Henrique Mecking, Laszlo Szabo and Lajos
Portisch. In the 1975 Novi Sad event he drew with the Soviet player Oleg
Romanishin who had an Elo of 2560 and was the world's strongest IM at that
point. Romanishin did well to draw the game in an event where he otherwise
cruised to first place!
There are 70 of Baretic's games available to view at chessgames.com. There are
also 48 Chris Ross games and ... exactly none of mine! So you won't find
Mordue-Purry, 1984 anywhere but here.
I hope I haven't bored everyone to tears with this diversion into history but
maybe it puts a few things into perspective.
Regards,
Tyson
On 22 March 2021 at 19:15 JT <hazelnutt2001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
All,
There seems to be some confusion as to whether this List is moderated. I
believe it was from Alan Dicey that I accepted the role of moderator, back when
the List was still on yahoogroups. In fact, moving it from yahoogroups to
freelists was one of the first things I did. Since I choose to moderate with as
light a hand as possible, I am not surprised that folks are unaware of, or have
forgotten about, my position. I have personal issues with authoritarianism, so
I avoid wherever possible coming down in an authoritarian posture. But,
sometimes, there are circumstances…
First: as to the guidelines for this List:
This List is of, by, and for blind chess players. It is the purpose of the US
Blind Chess Association, and it is the role of the usbca_chess List to
encourage, promote, enable, and, where possible, improve chess played by all of
our members.
To foster and promote a healthy and safe learning environment, I intend to
maintain the policy that games of any quality may be submitted for discussion.
This List is not now, nor has ever been, nor will ever be, exclusively for
expert players. Therefore, ridiculing, derogatory, or disparaging remarks will
not be tolerated. If anyone feels that a particular game is unworthy of their
time and attention, then simply be quiet. Saying so is entirely unnecessary,
and is, in all likelihood, counterproductive.
Next, Members have, in the past, expressed concerns over discussions involving
remuneration. However, coaching is a significant, even critical, aspect of
improving one’s play. Until quite recently, there has been virtually no
expressed desire, however, for active coaching. In fact, members may recall
that not so long ago, both our mentors, Chris Ross and Tyson Mordue, and a
couple other members, raised concerns that no one seemed willing or interested
in submitting games to our List for discussion. I, for one, am delighted that
we are finally experiencing a surge of interest for such coaching and analysis.
I propose the following guidance:
Anyone, regardless of skill level, who wishes to submit a game for review may
feel absolutely free to do so and should feel confident that analysis will be
done in as accurate and constructive a manner as possible and will never be
done in a derogatory or demeaning tone.
Anyone desiring to engage a personal coach is certainly encouraged to say so on
the List. However, please keep discussions of financial considerations Off List.
Participation on this List is voluntary. So, too, is performing the service of
providing analysis, annotation, and even competition. I, for one, operate on
the assumption that if someone has made the decision to spend time doing
analysis, annotation, etc, then that person has made the responsible decision
that he or she has the time, energy, inclination to do so. Appreciation should
always be expressed. Posts aimed, however, at drumming up business for someone
are not appropriate. Nor are insinuations, however veiled, of “freeloading.”
Finally, I do not have time or inclination to screen and approve or disapprove
every post that comes along on this List. I sincerely hope that no one actually
desires such micromanagement. If anyone feels differerntly and wishes to take
on the task, just say so. For myself and for the benefit of all our Listers, I
expect each and every one of us to be cognizant of the amount of post traffic
that we generate, I expect everyone to use respect and kindness as their guides
as they choose commentary and wording, and I paraphrase the guidelines of the
Toastmasters International for annotation and analysis: Remember to try to
point out what someone does well at least as often as we point out what needs
improvement.
Even Grandmasters are still learning and studying and making mistakes. To my
knowledge, there just ain’t any Grandmasters in this group. Although, hmmm,
Tyson, did you achieve Grandmaster status?
Thank you all for your attention and participation.
Yours in chess,
Jim Thoune, List moderator, USBCA Assistant Tournament Director.
Email: hazelnutt2001@xxxxxxxxx
Phone: 971/242-9991
Whatsapp: 001 Country code plus above phone number.
