International Selection Procedures

The purpose of this note is to clarify the criteria that will be used in selecting teams to represent England in competitions such as Olympiads, World Team Championships and European Team Championships. It does not apply to Junior events.

1. Teams will be selected by a Selection Panel comprising strong players with a good knowledge of the English and International chess scene.

2. No players who are themselves candidates for selection will serve on the Panel.

3. The primary consideration in selecting a team will be playing strength as defined by the FIDE rating list.

4. A further consideration will be the player’s recent activity. As a guideline, any player who has played less than 15 FIDE-rated games in the prior calendar year is likely to be considered inactive by the Panel and will not be considered for selection. The Panel may also consider the standard of the events that the player has competed in when assessing activity.

5. Players representing England are expected to conduct themselves appropriately, to make a positive contribution to the team, and not to behave in such a way that discredits the reputation of the ECF. The Panel may consider a player's past conduct when making a selection.

Peter Sowray
ECF International Director