LETTER FROM MARTIN REGAN

From: Martin Regan
Sent: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 5:07 pm
Subject: ECF CEO statement

Dear Chess Colleagues,

Yesterday I along with Peter Sowray, the director of international
chess, Claire Summerscale, the director of international chess, and
non-executive director Mike Truran resigned our positions within the
English Chess Federation, although we will stay on, if required, until
the end of May to ensure a smooth handover for our successors.

The decision has been immensely difficult. Since the new board took
control in a contested election in 2006, it has made substantial
progress in improving both the profile and activity of the ECF. It has
made mistakes along the way, but generally, I hope you will agree, it
has been a board which had the interests of English chess at heart.

However, in order for English Chess to achieve that of which it is
capable, more fundamental changes are needed. This is what the board
was elected to deliver.

We were under no illusion about the hurdles that would need to be
overcome, nor were we even sure that the Federation itself would wish
to embark on major change.

However, it was clear from the first that in order to progress this
agenda two fundamental conditions were required: A unified board and a
Council wishing to hear the debate with an open mind.

I regret to say that neither condition could be met, despite my best
efforts.

At Finance Council it became depressingly clear that a minority - and
I do stress the word minority - had little intention of grasping the
opportunity for debate. Unfortunately, voices within the ECF which
speak loud and often have a disproportionate influence.

At the same time, over the past year, it has become clear that not all
the members of the board wished to support the type of changes that
the large majority of the board believed were essential, indeed were
implacably opposed to them .That is their right,of course, but
seeking to persuade the Federation about the need for change with the
background opposition of key figures is impossible. I am not a
magician.

It is an huge privilege to be a director of the ECF and to serve a
Council which on the whole, in my view, tries its best. But with
this privilege comes the responsibility to leave the Federation in a
better position than when one took office. This needs to be recognised
more. And as your CEO, as I could no longer guarantee this, I felt
the only honorable course was to resign.

In saying this, I make absolutely no criticism of those directors who
have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me but have, for the present,
decided to remain in post. I thank them for their support. As I say,
this has been a period of soul-searching for us all.

In the case of Claire, Peter and Mike, the ECF has lost three of the
hardest working and most effective officers it has had for many, many
years. I am proud to have worked alongside them. As indeed I have been
proud to work with many ECF delegates and officers.

I should like to thank all those who have helped the board during the
past 18 months, and those hundreds of volunteer organisors, members
and players whose voices are rarely heard, but without whom there
would be no Federation.


Thank you all

Martin Regan


wrote:
MESSAGE FROM GM RAYMOND KEENE

"I neither noticed any difference when they were appointed nor when
they resigned."

-- Ray



News - Motzarella wrote:
Five senior directors including the CEO resigned over the weekend - anybody
know the details?

www.englishchess.org.uk

Those that resigned appear to be blaming the forces of conservatism in
English Chess for inhibiting them from driving forward the grand vision. Do
we know who are these forces and what the grand vision was/is?