New Met League

What is New Met League?

Competition

New Met League is a grass-roots bottom-up national chess league dedicated to providing OTB Clubs a forum and venue for competition via webserver correspondence chess. This enables OTB Clubs to compete without the necessity of either, travel and lodging, or the requirement of everyone being online at exactly the same time. Games are played via webserver correspondence chess, so they still conclude quickly allowing for future championship cycles.

The first four New Met League OTB Clubs have already started competing.

Newsletters

2008 - Aug - 15   New Met League - Newsletter #1

2008 - Oct - 3  New Met League - Newsletter #2

Who is New Met League?

New Met League is a national chess league built on partnership and trust.

New Met League, with the help of CCLA, works with OTB Clubs to create matches between OTB Clubs.  Members of the OTB Clubs are organized by Team Captains to play in competition with other members of OTB clubs, with games visible to the public.  CCLA sets up the games on the ICCF webserver, provides a helpdesk, and rates the games using the CCLA rating system.

CCLA (Correspondence Chess League of America) organizes correspondence chess players in webserver, postal and email competition.  In addition to its own championships, it also nominates players to the United States Correspondence Chess Championship and higher level ICCF competition.  It has a well-established rating system including over 600 players.

ICCF (International Correspondence Chess Federation) organizes national correspondence chess federations and their affiliates (such as CCLA) in international competition.  It is the world correspondence chess body that holds competition to determine the World Correspondence Chess Championship.  ICCF owns and operates the ICCF webserver, and offers its webserver and technical assistance to the national federations and their affiliates.

New Met League maintains ratings for the players, using the player’s USCF rating as a start.  The results of games are reflected in CCLA ratings, not USCF ratings.

Therefore the players have zero USCF rating risk, and can use New Met League as an opportunity to play the best chess they can, without rating anxiety!

OTB Clubs select a Team Captain who then recruits a team. The OTB Club is the member of New Met League (not individual players), which gives the OTB Club the freedom to adjust their roster of players as needed between matches. Substitutions during a match should be restricted to cases of personal emergencies. The Team Captain works with New Met League to arrange matches and pay OTB Club annual dues, match entry fees, etc.

Resources, News, and Contact Info

Organizer: Harvey Reed, use the New Met League blog (below) to contact me

• Punxsutawney CC: (no website)
• MetroWest CC: http://metrowestchess.org/
• CCLA: http://chessbymail.com/
• MACA: http://www.masschess.org/
• PSCF: http://www.pscfchess.org/
• Greater Worcester CC: http://www.chesspals.com/index.html
• Univ of Connecticut CC: http://www.timhartley.com/ChessClub/index.htm
• Boylston CC: http://world.std.com/~boylston/
• Boston Univ CC: http://buchess.org/
• Sven Brask CC: www.svenbraskcc.org

• New Met League: http://newmetleague.blogspot.com/  
• Correspondence Chess In Cyberspace: http://correspondence-chess-in-cyberspace.blogspot.com/
• Boylston CC (highly acclaimed): http://boylston-chess-club.blogspot.com/
• MetroWest CC (new, trial): http://www.metrowestchess.org/Blog/index.htm

FAQ

1. What is webserver correspondence chess?
Webserver correspondence chess uses an internet browser to make moves. Each move sends an email to your opponent reminding them it is their turn. Players can make their move whenever they want, at their convenience, within the clock limits. It is fun, fast, and easy to follow with crosstables and completed games available online.

2. Why use webserver correspondence chess for Club vs. Club Matches?
Webserver correspondence chess is uniquely suited for this type of play. Unlike the USCL where high rated chess celebrities schedule the same block of time to play simultaneously in the same playing hall (ICC via internet); Club vs. Club play happens over time where players make their moves when they have time. The typical clock time is 30 days for each 10 moves, left over time accumulated. This allows them to think deeply about their games, play better chess, and compete without rearranging their regular schedule. You can even continue play during vacation. In addition, the webserver correspondence chess ratings are separate from regular USCF ratings so there is no “rating risk”. This makes Club vs. Club via webserver correspondence chess an ideal venue for the OTB Club player.

3. Have OTB Clubs done this before?
Yes, but typically via email, and in a “casual” mode (such as IYT – “It’s Your Turn”) or via team email correspondence matches such as those organized by Conrad Goodman of IECC (International Email Chess Club). In the IECC Team Match page you can see games from OTB Clubs such as MetroWest CC and Sven Brask CC, as well as traditional correspondence groups. The MetroWest CC matches can also be seen from the MetroWest CC home page under “Compete” on the right hand side.

New Met League offers a forum and venue for OTB Club vs. OTB Club competition via webserver correspondence chess. The theme going forward will likely be board#-vs.-board#, however for the inaugural matches we used two different formats to test drive our process. Players are invited to give feedback.

Match Organization

The matches are played on the ICCF webserver, managed by CCLA, and organized by New Met League (part of CCLA). The Team Captains of the OTB Clubs manage their player roster and communication with their OTB Club players.

Time Control

Time control is 40 days per 10 moves, with extra time accumulated. Most players play a lot faster than this, and we anticipate going to 30/10 going forward.

Ratings

Ratings are managed by CCLA[1]. Players accrue a CCLA rating, although the initial rating for a players first match is their USCF rating. There is no feedback loop to a players USCF rating, so there is absolutely no rating risk for OTB players. They can play absolutely the best chess they can muster, take risks where they deem appropriate and/or instructive, and learn as much as they can without rating stress.

Membership

OTB Clubs are members of New Met League, not the players or Team Captain. The Team Captain organizes plays in a roster, which s/he shares with New Met League for the purposes of organizing a match. The Team Captain therefore has the freedom to adjust the roster prior to the match without concern over membership adjustments. Adjusting the roster after a match has started should only be done in the case of personal emergency. An OTB Club can engage in multiple matches, with different rosters. The annual New Met League membership fee is $19.00 USD per OTB Club.

Match Entry Fee

The entry fee is paid by the OTB Club per match and is $6.00 USD per player. Currently matches require a team of four(4) players, so the total match entry is $24.00 USD.

TD Services

TD services are provided by CCLA. This includes setting up the match on the ICCF webserver, starting the match, and assuring the match ends. Additionally the CCLA TD answers questions and provides help getting started. The ICCF webserver is very intuitive, so generally a player can get started and play games right away.

Players

Players are required to have a USCF rating to seed the initial CCLA rating. Most OTB Clubs are USCF affiliates, so this is the case by default. Additionally the player is required to have internet access and an email account. All coordination is done over the internet (website, blog, email). The TD may also require a postal address as backup.

Crosstable

Once the match is setup, the crosstable of game activity is viewable by the public on the ICCF webserver. While the games are in progress the active game is represented by a rather small dot. Click on the dot, and you can see the game. When the game is complete, the dot is replaced by the result (1, 0, ½). You can then click on the result to see the finished game.

Games

The games are viewable by both the players and public, with a five(5) move delay. Games where the players are the opponents are viewable and playable with no delay. The delay discourages kibitzing. Players are allowed to use books and databases to research openings and positions. Players are not allowed to use computer playing engines or other people for consultation on what move to make next, evaluate the position, etc. These are the same playing rules that CCLA uses, and they are posted on the CCLA website.

Results

Results are posted immediately on the ICCF webserver. CCLA ratings are updated periodically.

First Two Matches In Progress!

Match #1 is Punxsutawney CC vs. Sven Brask CC and is an all-play-all format. Match #2 is Greater Worcester CC vs. MetroWest CC and is a Board#-vs.-Board# format. We are soliciting player feedback to determine what format to use going forward. My money is on the board by board match format.

Match #1

OTB Club – Punxsutawney CC

Town – Punxsutawney PA (claim to fame is “Ground Hog Day”, and the name is derived from the Native American word for sand flies…)

Population – Greater Punxsutawney Area (11 townships + Punxsutawney borough) – 17,867

Picture – Mayor of Punxsy holding up the ground hog J

Roster[2]

Team Captain: Daniel Lines

Board 1: John Caliguire (1754)

Board 2: Blaise Hodgson (??)

Board 3: Jason Smith (1410)

Board 4: Daniel Lines (1270)

OTB Club – Sven Brask CC

Town – Plainville MA (It has rural charm and numerous public and private conservation areas and horse farms creating a pastoral setting)

Population – 8000

Picture – Rural setting. The church is where the club plays.

Roster

Team Captain: Eric Berkey

Board 1: Eric Berkey (1824)

Board 2: Jim Aspinall (1757)

Board 3: Jim Sfougaris (1700)

Board 4: Gerry Fortier (1542)

Crosstable and Commentary

A snapshot of the “all-play-all” crosstable before results came in is below. You can see the crosstable and all results and games at:

http://www.iccf-webchess.com/EventCrossTable.aspx?id=12374

Spoiler alert: John Caliguire of Punxsy took the first two points!

Match #2

OTB Club – Greater Worcester CC

Town – Worcester MA (Second-largest city in New England. Worcester has evolved into an education, medical and research center)

Population – 175,500

Picture – Worcester is very scenic. However, the club doesn’t play in that fancy building J

Roster

Team Captain: Donna Alarie

Board 1: Vishwa Krishnamurthy (1925)

Board 2: Donna Alarie (1778)

Board 3: Richard Marseglia (1620)

Board 4: David Rivera (1550)

OTB Club – MetroWest CC (largest in New England)

Town – Natick MA (Home to the Soldiers System Lab for the U.S. Army, as well as Henry Wilson, 18^th Vice-President of the U.S.)

Population – 31,259 

Picture – The front part of the Kennedy Senior Center where the MetroWest CC is located.

Roster

Team Captain: Harvey Reed

Board 1: Michael Barry (1748)

Board 2: George Duval (1632)

Board 3: Steve Wollkind (1408)

Board 4: Joseph Murphy (771)

Crosstable and Commentary

A snapshot of the “Board#-play-Board#” crosstable before results came in is below. You can see the crosstable and all results and games at:

http://www.iccf-webchess.com/EventCrossTable.aspx?id=12975

Spoiler alert: All games in play, no results yet!