Chess Scotland Noticeboard

Daniel Rocks

Hypothetical study aimed at how there seems to be titled player apathy in Scotland and how we consider their value.

Very difficult to word. Obviously voters of Options C and D would also apply to Option B. Please select the option which would accurately represent the highest option which would keep you interested enough to pay.

Edit: The hypothetical lectures are not individually based, so eg a group of people or in video format. Obviously one to one coaching with a titled player you are looking at upwards of £10 an hour.
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Daniel Rocks

David Deary · Queen Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 98

I would be very skeptical at taking the votes on this message board as indicative of the 580 members of chess scotland let alone the number of total chess players.

My own personal view is if it was pitched at the right level and the right price I would be interested.
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AMcHarg · Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 8:56 am Post subject:

I was thinking of online training lectures the other day as they are clearly more convenient. Removing travel/parking etc is a big attraction, and I don't see it weakening the lectures too much. Practically everyone has a PC with Internet now and webcam+mic is inexpensive and a one-time purchase.

Angus McDonald · King Joined: 08 Apr 2009 Posts: 162

Good idea to canvass opinion on this kind of coaching.

If a group of 20 interested were created would a GM coach for £30 to £40/hour?

I'd certainly be happy to put up £1.50 to £2/hour as part of a group of 20.

There would likely be 3 of us participating so I'd go to the £5/hour for a GM for the three of us.

AMcHarg · Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 11:35 am Post subject:

It's particularly beneficial for talented juniors who are not located in the central belt, ideal for you Angus.

Come to think of it, you wouldn't even need webcams or microphones, simple seeing a board on the screen and hearing the GM speak about the positions would be enough. Students could type in a question if they had one.

There is software out there which can do all of this at a relatively low cost. The fees would more than cover the cost of the software and the GM time. I was researching software last year that can do this sort of thing for another project I was working on.

JR · King Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 447 Location: Edinburgh

Has this not been tried before? I seem to recall there was limited interest, but I could be wrong.

You would be lucky to get a strong GM at anything less than £40 an hour, so the idea of playing less as a group is a good idea.

I still don't think the benefits are anywhere near as good as face to face coaching, but it's better than nothing.

Angus McDonald · King Joined: 08 Apr 2009 Posts: 162

Andrew,

Cutting down the travel is important for us. Time and costs mount up!

The beauty of the technological revolution is that it brings people together so easily! Just like most of the fantastic life changing inventions of the last 100 years or more.

It would be nice to get a Scottish GM or even The Scottish Champion Smile

Daniel Rocks · Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 5:14 pm Post subject:

What is the importance of live coaching in comparison to eg video/dvd coaching? Do people consider live coaching to be more valuable? I have always found eg a video to be the best way to learn for 2 main reasons 1) I personally find it too tedious to read a chess book 2) You can watch the video as much as you want (unlike with a live lecture) and it is usually edited to be of higher quality.

So roughly, DVD or Live Broadcast (eg like the various ones on Playchess or ICC, which is best?

Also, what importance does the player's Title have on your interest? In other words, does the FM title not seem "worthy" enough (hate to use subjective terms like this but oh well!) I always have considered IM to be the real cut off between elite and very good, as it is based on acquiring norms (which requires strong performances against great opposition) as opposed to just a rating.

(P.S) Obviously nothing beats playing as far as learning is concerned, but apart from that...
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Daniel Rocks

robin moore · King Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 164

http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2011/04/chess-and-italy-what-could-be-better.html

Everyone,

This is a review of the tournament Gary Gillespie and I played in recently at Ravenna in Italy.
Could I suggest that Sarunas Sulskis may be the type of player we may be looking for if enough interest. Gary and I really enjoyed his company and his cv speaks for itself.

Robin.