Age Requirement to apply as a TD

Running Chess Tournaments
21

I know that when I applied to become a TD I was only 17 years old. Of course, I also had another TD who served as a mentor to me and he is now an ANTD. Now 5 years later I have directed around 20 events (mostly scholastic) and am ready for the Senior TD test.

I was actually qualified requirement-wise for the test last year, but I didn’t feel I was ready to take on that much responsibility. I say that to say this, if you don’t feel you are ready to do a higher test or if you don’t feel you can run certain tournaments then don’t. The best way to gain experience is to work under a more experienced TD.

22

That’s where I have a hard time understanding the logic. I can, as a Club TD, direct tournaments in an incompetent manner for 3 years. After nurturing incompetency for 3 years, I need to take a test that may or may not straighten me out on a couple of issues.

I haven’t read the driving book. In my state, you are required to pass both written and driving tests before you get your license. You aren’t allowed to drive a Honda for a couple of years (the only requirement being a promise to follow the rules of the road) and then pass a test allowing you to drive a Mercedes if you want to continue to drive at all.

23

Yes, there are over 7500 former club TDs in USCF records. However many of them are no longer USCF members as well.

Among those who are still current USCF members we have 1007 currently certified club directors and 3564 former club TDs.

We also have 560 local TDs and 1147 former local TDs, 223 senior TDs and 354 former senior TDs, 16 ANTD and one former ANTD, and 70 NTDs.
(Unlike other levels, NTDs don’t expire.)

24

When a director has a higher certification, the less active the director becomes. If it is my drive to be a senior director, would need to have a number of category C events (five category C with 4 rounds without substitutions). Having a category C event is nice, (category C 50 to 99 entrants) as it would be a large event in a number of states, and a huge event in others. Have been to a number of category C events in my life, and a few category B events also. In all fairness, have been to more category D events then the others.

If the local director has the goal to be a senior director, what is the goal of having a category D event. Its’ true a local director needs 4 tournaments in 4 years without needing to take the test over again. If the goal is being a senior director, there is zero norms for performing as a director for a category D events – for the 5th tournament during the term.

As category D events are common, the most experienced directors are not willing or do not care to perform these events. This would not give new club directors a role model to gain the experience.

At one time had a dream to be a senior director, but the more I look at it the less I care for the title. Do not see myself needing to be a senior director. At this time finding organization to have a category C event, were my certification would be needed is very few.

Im thinking of moving out west or Alaska in a few years. If I move to Alaska, when was the last time the state of Alaska had a category C event? Having any events in Alaska as a local director, would have one or two events needing my certification. It could be one event in every five years, and the organizer was not thinking or would break more then 50 entries. I have the right to take the senior directors test, if I move to Alaska, has the state ever had a category B event?

We lose something, if the goal is higher certification as we lose track of the members. The players should be more important, then picking larger events to serve my personal needs.

Feel this is the same reason why club directors are not willing, or do not care to be a local director. As being a local director is a certification they would never need to perform. Demanding club directors become local directors, only makes a larger pool of local directors not performing at their certification. It also force out a number of experienced club directors out of the pool.

The goal to force club directors into local directors, was to weed out club directors in name only. As there are a number of club directors that never did or never will perform as a director. Why not make it this way, if the club director has not performed one event during the term, then they lose their title as club director. If a club director is not willing to perform one event in 3 years, then they lose the title. If they did have one or more events, then they can have recertification. But stop this mission to have them become local directors if they did not want the title in the first place.

25

In my opinion, there is no reason for an individual to spend the time moving up levels. Club TD’s are running tournaments larger than they are supposed to. This is especially true in the scholastic area where leniency is a given. Maybe at the club level they should have less than the 25 allowed now. I think the USCF should help TD’s who have shown a willingness to go through the testing process. This would include enforcing the Club & Local TD requirements. As a Senior TD I have been held back from taking my NTD due to needing a Round Robin tournament. I don’t know about you guys but it was easier for me to get my National requirements in than to get the Round Robin. You just don’t see them anymore & to meet the requirements it would take a two day tournament. I feel if you are proficient as a TD a Round Robin is a no brainer. Again, there has to be some benefit to increasing your level. Until that happens, nothing will change.

26

Very well, we can push the driving analogy a little farther down the road. In my state, you take a simple written test to get a learner’s permit, which is good for one year. The learner’s permit requires that a licensed driver accompany you when you drive. By the end of a year, you must pass a behind-the-wheel-test; if you fail that, you lose your learner’s permit and you are required to wait a certain amount of time before you can re-take the written test, get another learner’s permit and start all over.

Yes, the idea is to allow people to practice driving under controlled circumstances, and if they can’t do it well enough; they have to take a break and reconsider how they’re going to approach the whole business of driving. Maybe read up on it…maybe observe others…maybe learn how to ride a bicycle…maybe take up walking…maybe mend their broken egos…whatever!

27
28

Official Rules of Chess, page 247 wrote:
A club TD may not be the chief TD for USCF Grand Prix or Category N tournaments and should not be the chief TD of Category A, B, or C tournaments, which includes any tournament, or section of a tournament, expected to draw more than 50 players. Computer-assisted club TDs can be the chief TD of any tournament, or section of a tournament, expected to draw up to 60 players with the aid of one assistant TD.

My comment should have said more no than 25. That was far from the pertinent part of the message.

29

There should be some change with the certification, how it should be changed, that is the question. If someone becomes a club tournament director without a established rating, would make the director only be able to be a assistant tournament director. When the club tournament director becomes a established player, then can be the chief tournament director. Would make the age to become a club tournament director 15, and only as a assistant tournament director. At the age of 18, the club tournament director can be the chief tournament director.

If the applicant wants to become a local tournament director, the director needs to be a club tournament director for 2 years. The applicant needs to be 21 years old or older. Needs to have 25 games in other tournaments, when the director was not as chief tournament director or assistant tournament director. The reason for this rule, as the 25 games is gaining the experence as a player in some other directors event. If the director only had the experence of the 25 games as a director, then the director was a playing director. The playing director game is not the same experence as a player in a game. Gaining the established rating as a playing director is cheating the experence of the director.

30

Hi Rob: I had a disagreement with Tim Just as regards the applicablility of quick events for the RR requirement. I had run several quick RRs - see A6050361 affiliate for Chilli Bowl events and Tim did not want to count them toward the requirement. The latest rules allow 2 quick as a substitute for 1 regular RR. My chili Bowl events were a G/15 8-12 player round robin held on Superbowl Sunday. It started at noon and typically ended just before the game started. I made about 20 guarts of chili which is where the name came from. Something like this is not too hard to organize and is a lot of fun but also running a state championship RR is also a possibliity. Consider having the first week where 2 sets of 4 players in a area play the first 3 games with a TD at each site you at one, and an assistant at the other. The following week, all 8 meet at one site for the remaining 4 games where you are the TD.

Regards, Ernie

31

[size=75]Hi Rob: I had a disagreement with Tim Just as regards the applicablility of quick events for the RR requirement. I had run several quick RRs - see A6050361 affiliate for Chilli Bowl events and Tim did not want to count them toward the requirement. The latest rules allow 2 quick as a substitute for 1 regular RR. My chili Bowl events were a G/15 8-12 player round robin held on Superbowl Sunday. It started at noon and typically ended just before the game started. I made about 20 guarts of chili which is where the name came from. Something like this is not too hard to organize and is a lot of fun but also running a state championship RR is also a possibliity. Consider having the first week where 2 sets of 4 players in a area play the first 3 games with a TD at each site you at one, and an assistant at the other. The following week, all 8 meet at one site for the remaining 4 games where you are the TD.

Regards, Ernie
[/quote]
[/size]
Ernie,

If memory serves those Quick events did not count back before the rules changed. That is when I seem to recall you first asked. That question alone made me rethink the rules and change them for the 5th edition (actually I believe about a year before the 5th edition was published the delegates pased the new rules for using Quick events towards upgrading TD certification). Once Quick events were counted you were able to use those RRs towards becoming an NTD.

Tim
[/quote]

32

  1. Sending in rating reports late: This ought to be enforced, but there are two serious dificulties. First, it can be done only for tournaments which are advertised in Chess Life. Most club tournaments are not. Second, how do you know which TD to penalize for this until after you receive the rating report?

  2. Failure to submit memberships: Easier to verify, but memberships are usually paid to affiliates, not TDs as individuals. What you are really asking for here is better internal management among chess clubs, and I doubt that can be enforced from above.

  3. Failure to pay prize money: Of course TDs should be suspended for this. Several have been. Can you cite any cases that have not been acted upon?

  4. Use of expired affiliate: This is the only one of your points that has some merit. This regulation has not been enforced, and probably ought to be. But this is a policy decision, which is currently being debated and may come up at the Delegates Meeting in August.

33

I advertise my events on the Michigan Chess Association web site. Even advertise in the Michigan Chess Association ‘Michigan Chess’. What director and organizer does not do any advertisment? If I did not send in my Western Michigan Opens, I hope someone would be reporting me to the rating department. There is evidence other then the TLA in Chess Life for past events.

There are a number of TD’s thats the president of the affiliate. I’m the President of the Grand Rapids Area Chess Club (A6020393), and the Chief Tournament Director of the Grand Rapids Chess Club. If I did fail to submit a USCF membership, the tournament is not going to be rated also. If I fail to submit a USCF membership, it does not matter if the USCF membership office wants to talk to the director or the president of the affiliate – its’ still me.

If the president of the affiliate and chief tournament director are the same person, there is no checks and balance. If the affiliate did hirer a director, its’ still the president of the affiliate that needs to pay for the memberships. For the very small events, the organizers have a very passive role in the event. Very few events have the the organizer at registeration desk. If the event has a large number of organizers, they are the players not the people behind the registeration desk.

Still the director is the person that has first contact with the memberships, and the information of the tournament. If I did give money to have a renewal of my memberships, the person I would be given the money to would be the chief tournament director or one of the directors in the staff. If I did go to the United States Open this year, I’m sure I would be given my renewal to a director, not the chief organizer President Beatriz Marinello.

The 2004 United States Open, last year failed to pay out the guaranteed prize fund. How many of the directors were suspended, none.

If the USCF will let expired affiliates rate events, why should the affiliates want a renewal. Members perform renewals just to play in a tournament, why not the affiliates also?

34

What is your basis for saying that the USCF failed to pay out all of the prizes at the 2004 US Open? That’s a rather serious charge, you better be able to substantiate that claim.

Technically a failure to pay out prizes is an affiliate problem, not a TD problem, since the affiliate is the one responsible for paying the prizes.

But as far as I know, the 2004 US Open prizes were paid out with the possible exception of some prizes to foreign nationals that by law cannot be paid out until the USCF has the proper documentation.

The new ratings programming does check for a valid and current affiliate ID, and that has caused some events to be delayed during validation while the affiliate is contacted to renew its membership or the TD is contacted to get a valid affiliate ID. Similarly, it requires the TD to have current TD certification, and that has delayed the rating of some events as well.

(Some leniency has been given in both situations since, after all, the USCF is in the business of rating events not trying NOT to rate them. But that’s mostly a transitional issue, in general the USCF does not accept reports that are not submitted through a current USCF affiliate and signed by a currently certified TD.)

35

Nonsense. There are half a dozen chess clubs in the L.A. area that run continuous weeknight tournaments. Most of them get 20-40 players per tournament. None of them ever advertise in Chess Life. Or the state magazine, or the state web page. The only way the USCF could know that such tournaments were not submitted for rating in a timely fashion would be for one of the players to notice it and complain. This does happen occasionally, but you’re a lot more likely to get something done by going to the club and reaming the TD.

If an official complaint of this sort were made to the USCF, it would be referred to the TDCC for action. Perhaps someone on that committee would like to comment as to how many ahve been received.

I agree that there should be some policy of sending out a query for tournaments with TLAs that are not received within a certain period. This seems like the sort of thing Mike will eventually want to automate. But the fact remains that the only name that appears on the TLA is the affiliate’s, not the TD’s.

36

You seem willing to make some pretty broad generalizations based on very limited experience. As a trivial example, at the 2001 U.S. Open memberships (and entry fees) were almost all collected by USCF employees, not members of the TD staff. (I thought stapling the money to the forms was a bit extreme, but it did give me one less thing to worry about.)

37

The Affiliate/TD relationship is an interesting one and one that can be somewhat clumsy.

The affiliate has the right to collect USCF memberships at the affiliate rates, not the TD.

The affiliate has the right to submit rating reports, not the TD.

However, the TD has to sign the rating report and is held responsible for its accuracy. Interestingly enough, though there is a place for the affiliate information on the paper rating report form, the affiliate doesn’t have to sign it.

As I interpret it, that means the TD is responsible for identifying the players properly and for reporting the games accurately, but the affiliate is ultimately responsible for collecting membership dues from non-members, as well as for paying out any prizes.

In practice, of course, the TD often does most of the work to identify any non-members and often helps to collect dues too.

That’s why the TD/Affiliate Support Area permits TDs to submit dues as well as rating reports, though in both cases there must be a current USCF affiliate associated with those transactions, one that has authorized the TD to submit memberships or rating reports using that affiliate ID.

To make matters more complicated, in many cases the TD is the sole person behind the affiliate, so he or she wears both hats.

38

John Hillery:

John, you look into events as a National Tournament Director. I’m looking into events at the scale of a category D events. Not that many members ever go to a tournament at the scale you run. If they did, there are directors left and right as checks and balance on each other; there are organizers that keep checks and balance on each other; there are directors and organizers keeping checks and balance between each other. Having a large event like a Category N or a Category A event, with so many directors and organizers, there is no way to cheat the membership out of a prize fund, or memberships, or having it rated.

Number of rank and file directors, are going to have category D events. Having a director in a category D event, is the place abuse of power is going to happen. Having a director control the affiliate, it is so simple for a director to have unlimited abuse of power. There are players, most are the stronger players not going to wast their time with a category D event. Its’ not the question of the money or the prize fund, its’ how the director performs the duty of their office.

Myself have been to poor events in my life, and they have been category D events. Except (category B) one Moter City Open, when the director quit or was fired during the first round. Have been to a (category D) event, it was advertisment as a Grand Prix event. It was not and there was no director, only two kids running the tournament. The tournament was sent it with a forged directors name.

Number of players do not want to go to a category D event, as there is no checks and balance. If the director is not going to send in memberships, or send in the tournament report. The answer I get from the USCF and the rank and file memberships, do not go back.

If having a tournament not in the TLA, if a member of the tournament calls the USCF about a membership, or a tournament not submitted for rating. The membership is trowing good money for bad on a wasted long distance phone call. If the USCF staff is not going to do anything, you can say anything you want to the director at the club meetings.

As a member have been burned by a director at a category D event. I know a number of players that do not like category D events, as they have been burned a number of times. I know a number of former USCF members, that had a number of bad experence at a category D events.

John, having a strong adult membership base, is not having larger events with huge prize money. If I want to go to the US Open, I’m not going to get upset at the cost of the membership fees or the prize money at the event. Its’ very much how we treat the membership at the category D events. We can talk about tournaments in the TLA and only the huge events.

Building a foundation has to have all the parts strong. The larger tournaments that you run John have checks and balance built into the event. For the simple category D events, number of them have no checks and balance during the tournament. If the USCF is unwilling to place a strong hand on the directors for late events, for late memberships. Then can see why the adult membership has little faith in going to a category D event.

39

Douglas, you appear to have a major chip on your shoulder.

Lighten up.

The overwhelming majority of USCF-rated events are quite small, more than half have under 20 players.

Further, the overwhelming majority of TDs do their jobs reasonably promptly and accurately.

It appears you’ve had bad experiences with some of those who do not.

I’m also waiting for you to substantiate your claim that prizes from the 2004 US Open were not paid. If you cannot do so, you may expect to have your posting privileges here curtailed or suspended. This is not a forum for unfounded claims. If that’s your cup of tea, you may want to check out rec.games.chess.politics, if you have the stomach for it.

Mike Nolan, Forum Administrator

40

Check the Presidents report in the issue of Chess Life. The one everyone calls Chess Lite. Sure at this time you have the prize money paid, but not right after the tournament. Sure I will google to give you more information!