Chess Admins Who Cannot Admin

At the recent (fabulous) Sydney International Open, an ad hoc meeting was arranged to determine if/when/where Australian chess would have a Championship this year. The emergency meeting was not advertised, but for a few black and white A5 notices placed on a table at the SIO, a day or two before the meeting. Several head honchos sat in a room and decided that a proposal by the Australian stalwart Peter Parr might have legs.

So what? I will tell you. We have official admins who cannot admin.

The championships are due to be played only 8 months from now. Usually a good 24 months are required to secure a sponsor and venue. Despite the looming deadline, the ACF and NSWCA practically ignored the lifeline that Parr threw to Australian chess late last year. Why has it taken half a year for our chess knobs to actually go with the Parr proposal?

Reason 1. The ACF and NSWCA are not being run in a professional manner. As important and appreciated volunteers are, their good will is not a substitute for competence.

Reason 2. The chess community is excluded from choosing the "best person(s) for the job(s)." The sooner there is a national membership provisions for the ACF, the sooner we have accountability.

The Sydney International Open was a great success - the strongest tournament ever held in Australia. Run by Brian Jones as a not-for-profit, I reckon it was good *because* the officials in this country had little to do with it.

Blogs with SIO entries :

http://closetgrandmaster.blogspot.com/

http://thechessnut.blogspot.com/