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SCF ARB Commission 2025-2027

Announcing the SCF Arbiters Commission (SCF ARB) 2025-2027

We are pleased to announce the 2nd term of the SCF Arbiters Commission (SCF ARB), 2025–2027:

  1. FA Lau Yan Han (Chairperson)
  2. NA Bernard Carleton Lim (Vice Chairperson)
  3. IA Liu Yang Hazel
  4. IA Siew Kai Xin
  5. FA Khor Eng Yeow
  6. NA Renzo Phua (Secretary)

There is currently one vacancy. The SCF Governing Board may appoint another arbiter to this vacancy during this term.

Since the formation of SCF ARB in 2023, there have been concerted efforts to create a sustainable local arbiter seminar system, continually review and streamline existing arbiter policies, and securing international opportunities to grow local arbiters. In particular, SCF ARB and its Training Committee have supported the execution and certification of five series of arbiters seminars.

In Term 2025–2027, the SCF ARB seeks to fulfill a three-part vision:

  1. Ensure sustainability of the arbiter ecosystem

While the previous term’s focus was on rebuilding the arbiter ecosystem post pandemic, this term’s guiding principle is to steer the system towards sustainability. For example, we seek to achieve the following:

  1. Balance between holding our local arbiter seminars to a high standard and ensuring the workload remains manageable for the organisers and lecturers;
  2. Streamline existing operations (e.g. approval of local arbiter applications) and eventually hand over over selected parts to the SCF team;
  3. Be more deliberate in SCF ARB and its committees’ scopes, so as to manage every members’ bandwidths on top of their busy schedules.
  4. Promote desirable cultural shifts

The increased interest in chess arbitration has attracted individuals from various parts of the community to grow Singapore Chess together. Inevitably, there will be differing viewpoints. We hope to gradually steer the local arbiters community towards the following mindsets:

  1. To promote continuous learning among the arbiters community. The Laws of Chess changes regularly, and there are many situations subject to varying interpretation where experience helps with making an appropriate decision. Therefore, it is important for us arbiters to keep refreshing ourselves and always have a continuous learning mindset;
  2. To promote a culture of professionalism and teamwork among arbiters. This is important for increasingly large-scale tournaments where arbiters of different backgrounds work in a large team, with disagreements being inevitable. We urge SCF and other organisers to always take care of arbiters’ well being in such hectic conditions and recognise them appropriately for their contributions. At the same time, we will help to promote a culture where arbiters execute their duties in a professional manner, exercise restraint in difficult situations, yet be willing to stand up for themselves and one another should there be lines crossed.

SCF ARB will adopt the above 2 guiding principles in our decision making, arbiter seminars, and outreach efforts.

  1. Continual review of SCF Arbiter Policy

This will remain a core duty of SCF ARB. We are aware that some of the existing requirements may need further clarification, and will work on them accordingly.

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Individuals who are keen to further their interest in chess arbitration may find out more details through the SCF Website (https://singaporechess.org.sg/arbiters-portal/).

You are also welcome to join the SCF ARB WhatsApp channel (https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Van32Co5fM5TwPuBrS2m); all arbiter related announcements, such as policy updates and call for interest, will be posted in the channel.

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