by Colin Solloway

Agenda for the Annual General Meeting of Milton Keynes Chess Club, to be held at 19:45 on Thursday, 5th September 2024 in the Berrill Café at the Open University.

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Welcome

3. Minutes of the last meeting

2023 AGM Minutes

4. Secretary’s Report

5. Treasurers Report

This will include recommendations for the level of subscriptions for the 2024/2025 season.

6. Internal League Report

7. Safeguarding Report

8. Bedfordshire League Captain’s reports for the 2023/2024 Season

9. Election of Officers

  • Chairman
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Tournament Secretary
  • Safeguarding Officer
  • Deputy Safeguarding Officer

10. Election of Bedfordshire League Team Captains

11. Junior Chess at Milton Keynes Chess Club

12. Any Other Business

(a) Old Mechanical Clocks

There has bee a request from Baird McClellan to remove our old unused mechanical clocks and donate them to the chess clubs of the local schools that Baird is involved with.

(b) Milton Keynes Chess Club Website

Dominic Watson and Micheal Page would like to propose that we form a website steering group or an on-line presence steering group (to include social media). They feel that we need to defend against the ‘bus’ factor; there needs to be more than one person with access to the running of the website/social media accounts.

Dominic and Micheal would also like to propose a revamp of the Milton Keynes Chess Club website, including the creation of a member’s area which, among other things, could include:

  • (i) Member’s news and information
  • (ii) Online membership applications
  • (iii) Tournament pairings, with email notification when new pairings are published
  • (iv) The ability to garage games
  • (v) The ability to report the results of games
  • (vi) Library book bookings

(c) Bedfordshire Chess League rule change on game timing proposed by Colin Solloway

If this proposal is approved by the members of Milton Keynes Chess Club, it will  be carried forward for approval at the Bedfordshire League AGM.

Proposal to change the Bedfordshire League rules for the timing of games - By Colin Solloway.

FROM: 35 moves in 70 minutes followed by a 10 minute Quick Play Finish, plus a 10 second increment on every move.

TO: All moves in 80 minutes plus a 10 second increment on every move.

My argument for this change is that our current system was designed for use with mechanical clocks decades ago, when there was no increment. The quick play finish was brought in to avoid external adjudication of unfinished games, which was costly to clubs.

With the advent of digital clocks featuring the facility to include an increment, the old time control followed by a quick play finish is unnecessary. Implementing this old system on digital clocks is confusing to a number of players. For example, as captain of a team in the League, I have had a number of enquiries during matches from players wondering why the 10 minutes was not added to their clocks when they reached the 35 move mark. They expect their clocks to count moves, which they do not.

ADVANTAGES OF USING THE ‘GAME IN 80 MINUTES PLUS A 10 SECOND INCREMENT’ SYSTEM:

All of the confusing aspects of the old system on digital clocks is removed. Players would no longer have to know, and agree with their opponents, when they have completed 35 moves. The average length of games played under the new system would be the same as under the old system. The initial setting up of the digital clocks would be simpler.

(d) Further Bedfordshire Chess League Proposed Rule Changes

Proposed Rule Change 1

The League Controller is proposing the following change to the Bedfordshire Chess League rules (removal of superseded rule):

Current Rule:

  1. Matches must start at 7:30pm unless both captains agree in advance to a different starting time. Matches should last at least three hours. Clocks are to be started at 7:30pm (or pre-agreed starting time) or if not available at this time the lost minutes are to be deducted from the time of the home team when actually started. Prior to start of any match the captains shall agree the time to stop play, subject to the above conditions.

Proposed New Rule:

  1. Matches must start at 7:30pm unless both captains agree in advance to a different starting time. Matches should last at least three hours. Clocks are to be started at 7:30pm (or pre-agreed starting time) or if not available at this time the lost minutes are to be deducted from the time of the home team when actually started.

Proposed Rule Change 2

The League Controller is proposing the following change to the Cordon Trophy competition rules (correction):

Current Rule (first sentence):

  1. Each team shall consist of 4 players. Players within teams should be ranked according Beds league rule 12a

Proposed New Rule (replacing the first sentence):

  1. Each team shall consist of 4 players. Players within teams should be ranked according Beds league rule 12b

Proposed Rule Change 3

Luton Chess Club are proposing the following change to the Bedfordshire Chess League rules:

Current Rule:

  1. Sufficient chess clocks must be provided. The normal rate of play being thirty five moves in one hour and ten minutes plus ten seconds per move, followed by the rest of the game in any unused time, an additional ten minutes plus ten seconds per further move. Any time remaining at the end of the first time period shall be carried forward to the final time period. This procedure is to accord with ECF rules for allegro finishes. There will be no adjournments or adjudications.

Proposed New Rule:

  1. Sufficient chess clocks must be provided. The normal rate of play is all moves in one hour and twenty minutes plus ten seconds per move. There will be no adjournments or adjudications.

Proposed Rule Change 4

Milton Keynes Chess Club are proposing the same rule change as Luton Chess Club. See ‘(c) To Discuss:’ above.

Proposed Rule Change 5

Bedford Chess Club are proposing the following change to the Bedfordshire Chess League rules:

Current Rule:

  1. Sufficient chess clocks must be provided. The normal rate of play being thirty five moves in one hour and ten minutes plus ten seconds per move, followed by the rest of the game in any unused time, an additional ten minutes plus ten seconds per further move. Any time remaining at the end of the first time period shall be carried forward to the final time period. This procedure is to accord with ECF rules for allegro finishes. There will be no adjournments or adjudications.

Proposed New Rule:

  1. Sufficient chess clocks must be provided. The normal rate of play is all moves in one hour and fifteen minutes plus fifteen seconds per move. There will be no adjournments or adjudications.

Proposed Rule Change 6

Leighton Buzzard Chess Club are proposing the following change to the Bedfordshire Chess League rules:

Current Rules:

  1. Any club may enter one or more teams in the competition. Teams shall consist of five players. Matches played in the lowest division may feature teams of a greater number of players provided both captains agree so in advance of play. No player may play for more than one club in a season.
  1. No player who has played above board 3 in any division may play for any other team in that or any lower division. No player who has played in any division may subsequently play for a team in a division, which is two or more divisions lower than that one, if his club has a team in an intermediate division. For the purpose of this rule, any name that appears against a board number on a team list drawn up by that team’s captain (or acting captain) is deemed to have played.

Proposed New Rules:

  1. Any club may enter one or more teams in the competition. Teams shall consist of five players. Matches played in the lowest division may feature teams of a greater number of players provided both captains agree so in advance of play.

8. (a) No player who has played above board 3 in any division may play for any other team in any lower division. (b) No player who has played above board 3 twice in any division may play for any other team in that division. (c)  No player listed above board 3 in the first match played by that team may subsequently play for any other team in that division. (d) No player who has played in any division may subsequently play for a team in a division, which is two or more divisions lower than that one, if his club has a team in an intermediate division. (e) No player may play for more than one club in a season. For the purpose of this rule, any name that appears against a board number on a team list drawn up by that team’s captain (or acting captain) is deemed to have played.

Updated:

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