Calling Crossville, Anyone Awake?

More on ICCF trends in rated games via post, email, and web server:

Year Postal Email Server
2005/1 7981 6907 166
2005/2 7059 8294 2215
2006/1 5921 6974 4040
2006/2 5440 4992 6923
2007/1 4452 3715 8995
2007/2 4046 4143 11850

Rated web server games have gone from 166 on the first 2005 list to 11850 on the second 2007 list. Web server games on ICCF now double the combined rated post and email games. Total rated games rose from 15054 to 20039.

Not only are serious CC players choosing web server over post and email, they are playing more games, an increase of 5000 games over two years.

Mike Nolan posted the following on 19 June this year at the USCF Forum:

Assuming my data is complete, comparing the 2005-06 FY to the 2006-07 FY:

Collins Class registrations are up from 109 to 214

Golden Knights registrations are up from 170 to 277

Electronic Knights registrations are up from 122 to 154

Walter Muir E-Quads are up from 42 to 150

The only events available on web server are the Muirs.

The USCF must do their part to resolve the ICCF-US issues and the USCF must get involved, either with our own server or via another such as ICCF's, in web server correspondence chess. The data is available for those open minded and wishing to evaluate it. In all three events I have entered in ICCF play there has been another USCF player with me. How many entry fees are we losing to ICCF and other servers?

Think about this: Every one of those 11850 games meant about $2 in entry fees for the ICCF. That is roughly $23,700 in entry fees in six months. The USCF charges $7 entry fee for each player in the Muir E-Quads (about $1.16 per game). Part of that goes to the ICCF for use of their server.

The USCF is missing the boat here through inaction.

Oh, yeah: The new ICCF Ratings list (2007/2) is out and available here.

The rated games data above was compiled by Dhanish at the ICCF Forum.