ICCF 2015-010: Eliminate Normal Leave Restriction
Michael Millstone, General Secretary
Eliminate Normal Leave Restriction
Proposal
Eliminate the normal leave "use it or lose it" provision.
This proposal supports ICCF Proposal 2015 -011.
Present State: the normal leave balance is refreshed to 45-days on January 1 of each year, regardless of the start date of the tournament. Any accumulated leave not used is forfeited.
Proposed State: much as accumulated reflection time is managed according to a player's personal needs, the accumulation and management of normal leave should also be left to the individual player.
Proposal: (a) a player may request (through the webserver) any amount of accumulated normal leave (no restriction to a maximum of 45-days per calendar year) and (b) normal leave will continue to accrue at the rate of 45-days per year or 8.11 days per month. Leave will only be forfeited at the completion of the tournament.
Rationale
Accumulated time and normal leave should not be viewed with a calendar year mentality, but with a tournament span mentality. Players should be allowed to manage their normal accumulated leave with no restrictions to amount taken or when.
In other words, if a player has accumulated normal leave, the player should be allowed to take it whenever he or she wishes. Normal leave should not disappear at some arbitrary date because it was not used. Some players have personal calendars and timetables that extend beyond a 1-year period, and accumulated normal leave should be left to the players to manage.
An added consequence of this proposal is that the rate of play may actually speed up. It is a common practice for many players to take large chunks of normal leave late in the calendar year under the notion that “I might as well take the leave than lose it”. If the proposal is accepted to continue to accumulate leave throughout the tournament period, then perhaps December will not be such as slow month for ICCF play.
Relevent Documentation
ICCF Playing Rules Server - Section 7a
- Change, "Each competitor may claim up to a total of 45 days leave during each calendar year"
- To, "Players may claim any amount of accumulated leave available"
ICCF Playing Rules Guidelines - Section 7a
- Change, "Regular leave may be taken for any reason and in any increments not to exceed 45 days in any calendar year."
- To: "Regular leave may be taken for any reason and in any increment up to the amount of accumulated time available."
Voting Summary
- A vote of Yes will means that (a) players will continue to accumulate normal leave at the rate specified by the tournament without loss at an arbitrary date, (b) normal leave will be allocated and managed on a tournament basis versus a calendar year basis, and (c) the restriction on taking a maximum of 45-days of leave in a calendar year has been replaced with the provision to take as much leave as accumulated.
- A vote of No will mean after discussion with the Federation players, it is the view of the Federation players that they prefer to less flexibility in managing their leave accounts, they prefer ICCF to remove unused accumulated leave at an arbitrary date, and they prefer to be restricted to the amount of accumulated normal leave they may want to take.
- A vote of ABSTAIN is not a vote but means the vote holder has no opinion and does not wish to represent the correspondence chess players of his or her federation in this matter.
Comments by Relevant Committees, Commissions, or ICCF Officers
Eric Ruch (EB)
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Eric Ruch (Rules)
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