The USCF has had a chronic illness for years. Now it will soon die.
The ultimate cause of its demise, other than extremely poor and
inefficient management, is something over which it had no
control,namely,the COMPUTER.This invention has eliminated the main
reason for the USCF in that no longer is it necessary to attend
tournaments to play. Furthermore, internet servers like FICS
and ICC(if you want to pay a membership fee) have removed the long,
often boring,onerous, and often costly week-end Swiss tournaments. I
have played more people from more countries than on internet chess
than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?

There is no doubt that computer chess created a lot of competition for the
USCF. It also hopefully brought more people to the game, who might not
otherwise have played.

I think there is a financial model under which the USCF can survive and be
stable, but I think it is somewhat scaled down from what we currently think
of as the USCF. Mike Nolan seems to be doing a great job of helping guide
USCF down that path that makes that future possible - incrementally through
technology automation.

There will always be people who like to meet and play chess in person.

---
Douglas Stewart

President, Mississippi Chess Association

"ray doetsch" wrote in message
om...
The USCF has had a chronic illness for years. Now it will soon die.
The ultimate cause of its demise, other than extremely poor and
inefficient management, is something over which it had no
control,namely,the COMPUTER.This invention has eliminated the main
reason for the USCF in that no longer is it necessary to attend
tournaments to play. Furthermore, internet servers like FICS
and ICC(if you want to pay a membership fee) have removed the long,
often boring,onerous, and often costly week-end Swiss tournaments. I
have played more people from more countries than on internet chess
than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?

than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?


Two Comments:

1. USCF has the best rating system for those who want this.

2. Chess life and chess products, other sources not withstanding, for those who
send time studying, reading about, and analyzing the game. One can take only so
much " I-just-want-to-play," "speed chess," and chess online.

Okay! a third comment. The question as to if chess is a science, life, art, a
sport, or "just" a stupid game is far from settled. The comuter is but one
answer but not the only answer. An association of some sort is necessary to
address all of these issues and to give one a well rounded chess life. There
will be a place for a chess organization such as USCF for the near future at
least. American should support our national organization to the extent that
they are able to do so.

I totally agree. The thing with computers though...while they are so to
speak "convenient"...one really doesn't know for sure the person on the
other end. With OTB there is not that problem. What I am getting at, I might
be playing someone I would probably cross the street and run from in the
"real world". All one has to do, is look at some of the postings one sees in
newsgroups.

"PJDBAD" wrote in message
...
than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?


Two Comments:

1. USCF has the best rating system for those who want this.

2. Chess life and chess products, other sources not withstanding, for
those who
send time studying, reading about, and analyzing the game. One can take
only so
much " I-just-want-to-play," "speed chess," and chess online.

Okay! a third comment. The question as to if chess is a science, life,
art, a
sport, or "just" a stupid game is far from settled. The comuter is but one
answer but not the only answer. An association of some sort is necessary
to
address all of these issues and to give one a well rounded chess life.
There
will be a place for a chess organization such as USCF for the near future
at
least. American should support our national organization to the extent
that
they are able to do so.

"ray doetsch" wrote in message
om...
The USCF has had a chronic illness for years. Now it will soon die.
The ultimate cause of its demise, other than extremely poor and
inefficient management, is something over which it had no
control,namely,the COMPUTER.This invention has eliminated the main
reason for the USCF in that no longer is it necessary to attend
tournaments to play. Furthermore, internet servers like FICS
and ICC(if you want to pay a membership fee) have removed the long,
often boring,onerous, and often costly week-end Swiss tournaments. I
have played more people from more countries than on internet chess
than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?

Ray,

I may be totally old-fashioned for feeling so, but as far as I am concerned,
the only "real" chess is over-the-board, a clock next to it, with an initial
time control of two hours.

While online chess has been a blow to the viability of the USCF, and may
ultimately do it in, serious management errors for many years prior to the
wired era had the organization in trouble years before.

Bob Musicant

I think the original poster is correct. Mismanagement and the rise of
the internet have apparently pushed the organization to the brink. I
welcome this, my hope is that a better national organization rises
from the ashes of the long troubled USCF. I get my playing needs met
on ICC now, although I do miss the craziness of OTB competition.

I may be totally old-fashioned for feeling so, but as far as I am concerned,
the only "real" chess is over-the-board, a clock next to it, with an initial
time control of two hours.

I agree with you one hundred percent!! Thats the one true way to play. Sure
it's nice to play online. As a matter of fact a guy I played with years ago, I
met at an otb tournament today. We were talking about the same thing. He told
me "You never know who or what you're playing on the net." Which is absolutely
true. People like to have the computer make moves for them so they can pretend
they're grandmasters. Not everyone does this, but they're out there. Then you
have the other faction that just wants to play 2 and 5 minute games. What is
the point of a 2 minute chess game? I like playing at LEAST G/45 and even
longer when I do play online. But if given a preference, otb all the way.


Regards,
Jeff

"Bob Musicant" wrote in message
...
"ray doetsch" wrote in message
om...
The USCF has had a chronic illness for years. Now it will soon die.
The ultimate cause of its demise, other than extremely poor and
inefficient management, is something over which it had no
control,namely,the COMPUTER.This invention has eliminated the main
reason for the USCF in that no longer is it necessary to attend
tournaments to play. Furthermore, internet servers like FICS
and ICC(if you want to pay a membership fee) have removed the long,
often boring,onerous, and often costly week-end Swiss tournaments. I
have played more people from more countries than on internet chess
than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?

Ray,

I may be totally old-fashioned for feeling so, but as far as I am
concerned,
the only "real" chess is over-the-board, a clock next to it, with an
initial
time control of two hours.

While online chess has been a blow to the viability of the USCF, and may
ultimately do it in, serious management errors for many years prior to
the
wired era had the organization in trouble years before.

Bob Musicant





Over the board chess is called "over-the-board" chess. Online chess is
called (you guessed it) "online chess". Neither one is more "real" than the
other, just different. If OTB was so much more "real", then why is it losing
so much ground to it's online counterpart?

Personally, I enjoy both forms of the game. OTB is nice for it's visceral
and social qualities, and online affords the convience of play at any hour,
any time control desired, any strength of opponent, and the opportunity to
play people from around the world. Just like the ridiculous suggestion that
blitz/bullet chess is somehow "not chess". Usually the only people making
such absurd remarks are those that have no ability at that form of the game,
and so to protect their fragile egos, they claim it isn't real chess. Chess
is chess, whether its played underwater, blindfold, or at fast time
controls.

".... my hope is that a better national organization rises from the ashes of
the long troubled USCF... " (gr2001tx)
============
I think the ideal format for a national chess federation would borrow some
features from Mensa's set up.
In its adaptation for chess, a fairly significant portion of the national
dues would be shaved off and sent to one Metro District umbrella org that would
caretake the chess needs of the metro area. The Metro Distict org would
function as the associative form of the "promoter - organizer of first and/or
last resort as the need be in its operating territory."

RSHaas

"newsgroup__mail" wrote in message
news:VVe0c.624087$JQ1.289366@pd7tw1no...

"Bob Musicant" wrote in message
...
"ray doetsch" wrote in message
om...
The USCF has had a chronic illness for years. Now it will soon die.
The ultimate cause of its demise, other than extremely poor and
inefficient management, is something over which it had no
control,namely,the COMPUTER.This invention has eliminated the main
reason for the USCF in that no longer is it necessary to attend
tournaments to play. Furthermore, internet servers like FICS
and ICC(if you want to pay a membership fee) have removed the long,
often boring,onerous, and often costly week-end Swiss tournaments. I
have played more people from more countries than on internet chess
than I ever did as a USCF member. True, the play is not quite like
OTB, and there may be some cheating, but all in all this is the coupe
de gras for the USCF. Comments ?

Ray,

I may be totally old-fashioned for feeling so, but as far as I am
concerned,
the only "real" chess is over-the-board, a clock next to it, with an
initial
time control of two hours.

While online chess has been a blow to the viability of the USCF, and may
ultimately do it in, serious management errors for many years prior to
the
wired era had the organization in trouble years before.

Bob Musicant





Over the board chess is called "over-the-board" chess. Online chess is
called (you guessed it) "online chess". Neither one is more "real" than
the
other, just different. If OTB was so much more "real", then why is it
losing
so much ground to it's online counterpart?

Personally, I enjoy both forms of the game. OTB is nice for it's visceral
and social qualities, and online affords the convience of play at any
hour,
any time control desired, any strength of opponent, and the opportunity to
play people from around the world. Just like the ridiculous suggestion
that
blitz/bullet chess is somehow "not chess". Usually the only people making
such absurd remarks are those that have no ability at that form of the
game,
and so to protect their fragile egos, they claim it isn't real chess.
Chess
is chess, whether its played underwater, blindfold, or at fast time
controls.

For once I agree with Jason. He made a good point of describing the pluses
for OTB play and On-line play.
Leopold