Should James Cobb be selected to play for Wales at the forth coming Olympiad, if he is available and wants to play? Whilst by certain measures James is not very "Welsh", he appears to make a very good effort to be active in Welsh chess (he plays for Cardiff, plays in the Welsh Champs, the S.Wales International, the W.C.P.L. etc) and appears to be "Welsh" in a chess sense, given that he is registered as Welsh by FIDE and is currently our highest rated player and (Joint) Welsh Champion. I think he should be selected. Anyone else?
17/6/08 23:30
Mark Adams
Dave - I couldn’t agree more. To have the Welsh champion not being eligible to play in the Olympiad is tragic. I believe the new management board will be looking at eligibility rules so hopefully we can have a realistic set of criteria. The board is planning to open up a debate on the subject soon so we all can have our say.
21/6/08 10:30
Meg’s Mum
I assume he is not eligible even if he does want to play . It is only right that someone who shows dedication and an expertise in his sport should be encouraged & supported, and hopefully selected to represent his federation. However, it is not your friends and supporters who will be challenging you to ensure your place at the board is legitimate. If Mr Cobb does not meet the eligibility criteria, it is important that if Welsh Selectors want him to play - then everything must be dotted and crossed. My daughter played a lot of female team events for Wiltshire when she was younger, (eligibility due to being born there) and even at this junior level, people would march to the arbiter or even challenge her ! as to whether she should be playing (agreed - no one wants to face the British Junior champion if you don't have to ; )
