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Contents
- Background
- Recruitment drive
- Coaching
- Entertainment/activities
outside chess
- Development
of an on-line store
- Creation/development
of computer software to read figurine notation
- Questionnaire
Background
Dear member,
The B.C.A. needs your help!
There has been much debate recently about the situation the B.C.A.
faces. Further development is essential if the organisation is
to survive. The Committee feel it appropriate to begin a program
of development to expand its membership and services.
In the Committee's meeting of September 2001, a sub-committee
was formed to support the development of the B.C.A. Its members
are Stan Lovell, Guy Whitehouse, Chris Ross and Richard Murphy.
Their contact details are as follows.
Stan Lovell (brl/tape/large print),
28 Gosforth
Avenue, Redcar, TS10 3LL.
Tel: 01642 775 668.
E-mail: s.lovell@braillechess.org.uk
Chris Ross (brl/tape),
5 Guest Road, Hunters Bar, SHEFFIELD S11 8UJ.
Tel: 0114 266 4297
e-mail: c.ross@braillechess.org.uk
Guy Whitehouse (brl/tape),
41 Victory Road, Beeston,
Nottingham, NG9 1LH.
Tel: 0115 917 2911.
E-mail: g.whitehouse@braillechess.org.uk
Richard Murphy (print/tape),
25 Henshall
Road, Bollington, Macclesfield
SK10 5HX
Tel: 01625 573 948.
E-mail: r.murphy@braillechess.org.uk
B.C.A. website: http://www.braillchess.org.uk
B.C.A. e-mail: customerservices@braillechess.org.uk
Five major areas we discussed were the following.
I) Recruitment drive;
II) Coaching;
III) Entertainment/activities outside chess;
IV) Development of an on-line store;
V) Creation/development of computer software for speech synthesiser
recognition of figurine notation.
This circular summarises our ideas. We are now requesting your
assistance to help us achieve our objectives. We are equally keen
to receive any other suggestions that might improve the services
the B.C.A. can offer. As a member of our organisation, your thoughts
are of great importance to us. All suggestions will be considered
and if possible, acted upon.
Please consider the points set out below and complete our questionnaire
at the bottom of this circular. Alternatively, contact any sub-committee
member in the medium of your choice.
2. Recruitment drive
As usual, the Committee asks any member who knows someone wants
to find out more about the B.C.A. to contact the secretary immediately.
He will provide information on our organisation.
However, we want to bring the organisation to people out there
instead of them looking for us. To do this, we need to hear of
any organisation, school, institute or any other establishment
that does contain or even might contain VI persons, whom we can
approach with information about the B.C.A.
As well as sending literature to prospective members, personal
contact could increase the chances of them joining. Therefore,
we are asking for volunteers to visit and meet prospective members.
We must insist though, that notification and approval to the sub-committee
must be received before any volunteer approaches a prospective
member. If any volunteer does not know anywhere he/she may find
someone to sell the organisation to, the committee will make the
arrangements for your visit. Our objective is to establish a network
of volunteers to sell the B.C.A.’s services
to the wider community.
3. Coaching.
Our objective is to set up a coaching program that will encompass
the range of players in our organisation. The sub-committee have
several types of coaching in mind:
A. Organising set coaching sessions
which every member can attend;
B. On-line coaching which any
member can access;
C. A network where coaches travel
around the country to coach our members.
A. Are you interested in attending coaching sessions arranged
as separate events? This is apart from the coaching programs we
already run.
Also, what type of coaching you
want? Tactical awareness, positional considerations, end-game/opening
preparation, or game analysis. Any other suggestions would be
gratefully received.
In addition, who you would like
as a coach: a professional chess grandmaster, a member of the
B.C.A., a "chess expert", or somebody of your own choice,
approved by the B.C.A.?
B. We aim to develop on-line coaching via the B.C.A. website.
The same questions as above apply to the website. Who would you
like to be your coach, what level of coaching do you want, and
what type of coaching would you like to receive?
In addition, are you willing to pay a small amount for your coaching?
Or would a "donation" be preferable?
C. We ask members to volunteer as coaches. The sub-committee proposes
to build a network of coaches to assist members who might benefit
from this service. Also, we would like to hear from members who
feel they would benefit from coaching.
4. Entertainment outside chess
Although chess is our principal objective, other services could
entertain our members and maintain their in interest the organisation.
We are thinking of times such as the Saturday evening at the autumn
tournament, evenings at our week-long tournaments and the Saturday
afternoon during our A.G.M. We are not proposing separate events
at present. Events/entertainment of various types can be organised
to cater for the varying tastes of our members.
Therefore, we are asking what type of activities you would like
the B.C.A. to investigate. These could include outings to bowling
allies, swimming pools, other sporting events, walks out in the
local area, trips organised by the local tourist office, discos/night
clubs, etc.
5. Development of an on-line store
Whatever we offer via our on-line store, everything will always
also be available by cheque or postal order. You are welcome to
continue paying for the B.C.A. services however you like.
However, the sub-committee believes that we should offer an on-line
store on the B.C.A. website. This will enable members to book
and buy things on-line. On-line services do not need to make a
profit. Examples could include booking for tournaments, coaching
facilities, chess sets and clocks, B.C.A. t-shirts etc. A bazaar
or auction store may be placed on the site, as well as being available
via the normal routes.
What the B.C.A. would like to know is:
A. Which products would you like
the B.C.A. to offer?
B. Are there any products/services that you are willing to offer
on-line?
C. Can you think of anything else the B.C.A. can offer on-line
or otherwise for sale?
6. Creation/development of computer software to read figurine
notation.
VI people do not have immediate access to chess literature. Many
periodicals, databases, programs, books, magazines etc. can be
obtained electronically. However there is no satisfactory system
that can read figurine notation from a book, after scanning, or
by viewing on a web browser. A system to convert a diagram into
text-based form is needed.
The sub-committee would like
to ask:
A. Can you think of any way in
which figurine notation can be converted and translated so that
speech/Braille output can recognise it?
B. Do you know anybody who is
willing and able to write/produce a program/software to provide
this facility?
7. Questionnaire
Please complete the following question in whatever method is convenient
for you. Your answers are of vital importance to us and they will
be treated with complete confidentiality and given full consideration.
Section a. recruitment.
If you answer yes to either of the following two questions, please
give details.
1. Do you know anybody who wishes or might wish to know more about
the B.C.A.?
yes/no
2. Do you know of any organisation, institute, establishment etc.
which could contain VI people we can approach to inform them of
the B.C.A.?
yes/no
3. Are you willing to join the B.C.A.'s proposed network
of volunteers to approach prospective members, to discuss, demonstrate
and invite them to our organisation? If so, how far and how often
are you willing to go?
yes/no
section B. Coaching.
4. Would you like the B.C.A. to arrange coaching sessions apart
from those already offered? If so, please give details on:
I) where you would like these coaching sessions to take place
II) for how long
III) with whom as your coach
IV) what type of coaching you would like to receive
V) whether the B.C.A. should charge anything for this service?
5. If the
B.C.A. were to set up on-line coaching, would you be willing to
participate in it? If so, please answer the questions posed in
question 4.
yes/no
6. Are you willing to join the proposed network of coaches who
would travel to give personal coaching to our members? This network
is similar to that outlined is question 3. If so, please give
details of distance and availability.
yes/no
Section C. Entertainment outside chess.
7. What type of activity you would be interested in participating
in, if the B.C.A. were able to arrange it? Please give as many
suggestions and as much detail as possible.
8. If the committee felt it appropriate to have a B.C.A. entertainment
officer”, would you be interested in the post? If so, how would you propose
to carry out your duties?
yes/no
Section D. B.C.A. store.
9. What products would you like the B.C.A. to offer its members?
10. Are there any products/services that you are willing to offer
for on-line/normal services?
11. Can you think of anything else the B.C.A. can offer on-line
or otherwise for sale?
Section E. Development of computer software to
read figurine notation.
If you answer yes to either of
the following two questions, please give details.
12. Can
you think of any way in which figurine notation can be converted
and translated so that speech/Braille output can recognise it?
Yes/no
13. Do you know anybody who is willing and able to write/produce
a program/software which could do this?
yes/no
Section F. further comments
If you have any other comments or suggestions that you feel will
help the B.C.A. sub-committee to develop your organisation, please
put all your thoughts down now.
Once again, we would like to thank you for your time and cooperation
and for giving us your suggestions or completing our questionnaire.
B.C.A. working sub-committee
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