This week brought the unfortunate but extremely predictable news that the ECF has lost it's government grant. However, we reckon there's an alternative way for them to trouser at least £45,000 a year.
Of the 37 grandmasters currently registered for England, at least 7 are inactive or retired. That's nearly 19%, fact fans. Forget all the energy-saving rubbish that you're inundated with - we're wasting our grandmasters to a ruinous extent. Les Savy-Fav, editor of the popular magazine And Then I Blundered Everywah, has predicted that, by 2020, a dozen more will fall by the wayside, choosing a profession that actually brings in a reasonable income and the potential of raising a family. Madness.
So how can we change this worrying trend? Well, at the recent Olympiad, we noticed just how many nations were lacking top people and sent mere IMs and FMs to represent them. Hark! Pity the child! Good gravy, even! This will not do.
We have therefore sent an envoy to the ECF Office with a demand that, in time for the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad, the grandmasters who have deserted our flag will have been sold to needy countries. The presence of sub-2500 coffee-house players at such a prestigious event is a practice that must be eradicated. I wouldn't be surprised if we see GM Kumaran of the Lebanon or GM Stean representing Nepal before too long.
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