Hans van der Zijden wrote:No, a meeting where the CSVN as we know it now will stop. Unless of course enough programmers will enter next tournament.
I suggest you read article 14 of the CSVN statutes. It is the members that decide to liquidate, not the board (and if the board consists of 4 elected members, as the agenda of the past annual meeting suggested, taking a look at article 8.1 would not hurt either).
Hans van der Zijden wrote:If "by bridging the gap" you mean the board should comply with ICGA's ban of Rybka and maybe step down for a whole new board, then forget about it. That will never happen.
The open letter of the programmers to the CSVN members should have made clear that there's a conflict between the CSVN board and a large group of programmers. It would have been much easier to just stop participating and be quiet about it (as many already did in the years before). But by writing that letter the programmers showed that they cared about the tournament and that a change in the current course was required. Unfortunately this letter was not understood as such but there wasn't much else the programmers could do. The next step needed to be taken by the CSVN board.
So:
Bridging the gap means that the board actually listens to the programmers that attend their tournaments.
Bridging the gap means that if suggestions from well-meaning programmers are put to the attention to the board that these are taken seriously and not dismissed with a simple: This will not work.
Bridging the gap means that the board listens to complaints of their participants and act accordingly
Bridging the gap means that the board recognizes the changed times. Participating in a CSVN tournament is no longer a privilege. It is the CSVN who should be happy with the participation of the programmers as the internet, the abundance of available programs, online tests and the limited commercial interest in tournaments like those in Leiden has really changed the need for programmers to participate.
Hans van der Zijden wrote:The board made enough effort I think to draw programmers to their tournament. But everywhere organisers of tournaments struggle to go on. A new board is not going to change much.
I'm afraid the current board is not going to change much. So far they failed to adapt to the changed circumstances. Let's try our luck with a new board that does want change in how the CSVN operates. I still think the CSVN could fulfil a significant role in computer chess by hosting events for both users and programmers. But things need to change. This should be obvious to everybody.
Hans van der Zijden wrote:It has been a nice 4 decades. Time to do something else.
We can use the same words, but we probably mean something else by them ...