UTP boasts a wonderful campus, and other than being a little out of the way and having only limited nearby accommodation, it is a brilliant location for the National Age Group Championships, and the seminar room provided for the National Arbiters Seminar lacked nothing too!
This seminar was modeled on the FIDE Arbiter Course, the only difference being that the methodology used was to primarily educate while also training, and as lecturers, we encouraged the sharing of both individual and collective findings and experiences amongst the participants.
We see this seminar as Part 1 of three, the second being a workshop on the Swiss Pairings System and the use of Computers for pairings, and the third, practical training at a National event under the supervision of an International Arbiter, only after which the title of National Arbiter would be awarded and from then on, for those interested, becoming a FIDE Arbiter would not be too difficult a next step!
On the other major topic, Tournament Regulations, I understood that no amount of time would be enough if the approach included explaining and giving insights and tips on 25 years of successful organising of tournaments of all types and levels but I think a lot of useful help together with tools was imparted.
Here I would also like to take the opportunity to congratulate my three competition ready students at the National Age Group Championships on their success. Roshan Singh for retaining his title, Goh Jie Yi for continuing her unbroken record of victories at this event, and Tan Jun Ying who should not be too disappointed on a very good second place finish.