US Chess to Require Safe Play Training for TDs

Running Chess Tournaments
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Here’s the data by activity level, though the sort order is kind of messed up:

events count club local senior antd ntd
------ ----- ---- ----- ------ ---- ---
0        784  569   145     30    2  37
1         75   60    10      3    0   2
10-14    210  136    58     14    1   1
15-24    127   78    31     12    3   3
2        132  108    18      2    0   4
20-24    113   61    39     12    0   1
25-29     85   42    26     12    0   5
3         68   44    18      3    0   3
30+      725  274   275    123    9  44
4         80   65    13      1    0   1
5         66   43    18      4    0   1
6         86   58    22      5    0   1
7         46   29    12      4    1   0
8         63   39    22      1    0   1
9         44   29    11      3    1   0

I’m not sure I trust the higher counts, I think online events are responsible for high counts because some of the online organizers are running 5-10 events/week, usually with the same TDs listed.

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*In response to questions and concerns raised by some Tournament Directors (TDs), we have created this additional FAQ list to supplement the original one in our August 9 CLO post.

SAFE PLAY TRAINING FAQS FOR TDS

Why are we doing this?

US Chess is committed to providing a safe environment for all chess players. This training is the standard that other organizations are following. We are aligning ourselves not just with the Olympic movement but other fields such as sports, scouting, and education to promote a safe and welcoming environment.

Why do I have to complete the training by October 1, 2023?

Not everyone has to complete it by October 1; this date only affects national events. US Chess will require TDs and other staff who work any national event that begins October 1, 2023 or later to complete the SafeSport training. All other TDs have until June 1, 2024 to complete their training in order to maintain their certification.

Why do you think TDs are the problem? Why are you putting the burden on TDs?

US Chess does not see TDs as the problem. Rather, we want to equip TDs with the best available information and training on how to identify and respond to misconduct of all types. TDs are our eyes and ears at tournament sites and are the event officials who are best suited to receive and address safe play complaints. This is also analogous to other sporting institutions that stress that this education is best done at a local, grassroots level.

Why isn’t US Chess paying for this?

US Chess is a non-profit organization with limited resources. At $19 for the initial training and $9 for the annual renewal, it can be more readily absorbed by individuals than were US Chess to incur a cost that could approach $100,000. Unlike FIDE, US Chess does not charge a fee for Tournament Director certification.

I’ve been a TD for many years. Why don’t you trust me to do what I’ve always done?

We value your expertise and experience. In a complicated and changing environment, the training will be a valuable addition to your toolkit. US Chess wants to equip its TDs with the best information available for recognizing and addressing safe play violations.

I have been through the Center’s training for another organization. Do I need to take it again for US Chess?

No, you will not have to take it again provided that it has been within the past year. We will provide a way for you to link your existing training to US Chess.

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This would mean that 1059 tournament directors, or about 40% of all tournament directors, have directed between zero to three events since January 2022. Presumably, most of these directors will not take the training, so our tournament director ranks will certainly fall considerably.

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At the club level, where all that has previously been required for certification is current membership and signing a form, we have always had a lot of people who get signed up as TDs but never actually work at any events. Local TDs and higher are those who’ve demonstrated some long term interest in being a TD, by working at sufficient events to qualify for advancement and then taking the TD test.

It appears the data is somewhat inflated by online events and also by counting the number of times someone appears in the tournament header as a TD (in any capacity) separately from the number of times someone appears in a section header (in any capacity).

This means someone who is the chief TD and also a section chief (perhaps the only certified TD on site) gets counted at least twice, once for the event and once for each section, including an ‘extra games’ section if used.

I don’t think that dramatically changes the point that we have a significant fraction of TDs who are either not active or who work only a few events every year, and they may find the certification process more than they’re willing to spend time on and pay for.

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Members are also required to read the rulebook before applying for Club TD status. How many actually do that, however, cannot easily be ascertained.

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I can think of some highly certified TDs who THINK they know the rulebook but I suspect might not be able to pass the senior exam closed book. But that’s a different issue, one I raised at more than one TDCC workshop.

Back when I was an active Parliamentarian, I used to slog my way through Roberts Rules every few years. It’s almost as interesting as reading a dictionary. And I think RONR is much better written than the US Chess rulebook, no offense intended to Tim or any previous editors.

As the late Ira Riddle once said, the purpose of the local exam is to help ensure that TDs know where to find the basic rules in the book. The purpose of the senior exam is to help ensure that TDs know what the rules really say. The purpose of the ANTD/NTD exams is to ensure that TDs know the reasoning behind the rules and when other reasoning should prevail.

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There’s a ‘Safe Play’ link on the home page, but the Tournament Directors landing page doesn’t have information on SafeSport yet, and presumably the TD certification requirements will be updated so that more than just sending in the club TD form will be required to become a club TD.

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Will the be information here or in an email blast when the class/exam is available?

Intellectually I strongly agree with Mr. Terrie, and I have great sympathy for his position, but at the end of the day it’s just not a big enough issue to me to avoid. YMMV.

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Not convincing. Most of this looks like CYA for the EB. Why not give us some local statistics for incidents covered by the Safe Sport guidelines—if you have them.

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I think for the long-time TDs, this is likely to be more of an inconvenience than a reason to quit directing, and I hope that Hal Terrie has a change of heart. But I’m really worried about our ability to recruit new TDs, especially club TDs, down the road. Once someone’s worked a few events as a Club TD, they’ll decide if they want to keep on doing it, as they have for years.

A strong argument was made at a Delegates meeting some years ago, when there was a proposal to require passing an exam before anyone could be certified as a TD, even at the club level, that this would crimp the supply of TDs in the future. Surely that argument applies here, where there’s an additional expense to become a certified TD.

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It’s a new environment, and ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’ doesn’t work for me either. There is a requirement for an annual update, and it is no different than professions that require annual CLEs or similar training. My employer requires annual ‘refreshers’ on topics like IT security - this is not unusual.

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With a few exceptions, most of the loss will be from people who otherwise would have become tournament directors because they are helping someone out (such as one’s local chess club or a friend who organizes local events). This will not be a problem for people who are personally motivated about the profession of directing chess tournaments. It is the people who are sitting on the fence, the borderline people, who will be pushed over the edge into the no zone.

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Referees for US Soccer Youth games are required to take the same course

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One difference is that referees for US Soccer Youth Games generally aren’t eligible to play in them, while there are often sections in a chess event that adults who are also TDs could play in. (It would not surprise me if soccer referees get paid better than TDs, too.)

Most TDs got into chess as players and many are still active players, but it is generally not a good idea for a TD to also be a player in the event they’re directing.

We used to have a group of players who took turns directing Nebraska events so that others in their group could play in them.

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Wow, good point, Nolan - I missed the recruiting angle. I suspect a decent chunk of the active TDs will go along with this, and most of the inactive TDs won’t. Recruiting new or returning Club TDs will be much harder though. Come 20 years from now, the ranks may well be crippled beyond repair. Alternate-rated or non-rated events will be the new norm for clubs.

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This statement concerns me. Are we TDs now responsible for addressing “safe play” conditions, and are we hence now liable for any damages resulting from missed violations? In other words, does this open us up to a whole slew of potential legal liability concerns?

Does taking the training absolve us of any legal danger? Or does it, in fact, expose us to more since the implication is we are now the police force for US Chess?

I’m not comfortable with being on the hook for any, and all possible harassment cases.

This is way, way beyond the scope of what I think we should be responsible for.

-Matt

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Neither said statement nor any policy of US Chess can make you liable for a failure to address safe play violations. Generally, the scope of liability to which a person is subject is determined through statutes, the common law and contracts, not the policies of a nonprofit corporation.

My inclination is that the training would not absolve anyone of liability or aggravate it. However, I do not know for sure if this is the case. I have not started law school yet and my legal knowledge mainly concerns constitutional and tax law.

If you are concerned about reducing your liability for safe play issues, I would suggest consulting competent legal counsel who specializes in this area of law.

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I’m somewhere between shocked and amused that having to take a 45 minute training course and shell out $19 is going to cripple our TD ranks. You already have to take a TD test, right? Does that cripple TD participation?

Really, if $19 and 45 minutes is the tipping point for supporting chess by TDs, the organization has far bigger problems than this training.

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Someome is not required to take a test to become a Club TD. The test is only required after the first three year term expires.

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…at my own expense, of course. :slight_smile:

To be clear, I’m not opposed to the cost, nor do I think this is a bad idea, necessarily. I’m just worried that US Chess is expecting us to become their “eyes and ears” for things far more serious than a game of chess. That is a huge responsibility to pass on to a person, who is likely volunteering their time and expenses. What happens if we have something reported to us and we forget to act on it immediately because there’s a time scramble on board 47, and pairings need to get done in 15 minutes, and I’ve been on my feet for 15 hours already, etc, etc? If something really bad happens, we might get hit with “You’ve been trained on what to do. Why didn’t you do it?”

I’m not sure I want to take on that responsibility, especially if sexual harassment in the chess world is as widespread as it seems.

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