About

About Us

Our Mission Statement

The Arbiters and Organisers Commission (AOC) serves as the governing body for arbiters, organisers and fair play officials in South Africa. Our mission encompasses the following areas:

Management & Regulations

The AOC is responsible for managing the arbiter, organiser and fair play sector of Chess South Africa (Chessa). This includes, but is not limited to:

Defining the mission, vision, objectives, and strategy for the sector, in alignment with the overall objectives of Chessa and FIDE.
Regulating titles, classification, discipline, and licensing, as well as the working processes of the commission.
Ensuring the proper use of the budget assigned to the commission.
Reporting activities to the Chessa Executive Board and general members.

Operations & Administration

The AOC oversees the administrative and operational activities relevant to the arbiter, organiser and fair play sector, including:

Licensing of arbiters-, organisers and fair play officers at National, FIDE, and international levels.
Evaluating title applications and classifying arbiters-, organisers and fair play officials into categories.
Supervising Chessa Arbiter-, Organiser and Fair Play seminars, including endorsement, advertisement, and archiving.
Administering the Chessa arbiter-, organiser and fair play official’s database, including lecturers.

Development

The AOC is committed to raising standards of quality while considering various levels of development across the country. This includes:

Initiating and leading new projects to support sector development.
Deploying existing initiatives in collaboration with other Chessa bodies.
Encouraging collaboration and constructive engagement with other chess bodies.

Education and Training

The AOC is responsible for the education, training, and certification of Arbiters, Organisers, Fair Play Officials and Lecturers. This includes:

Designing the curriculum for seminars and examinations.
Providing reference documents for trainees and lecturers.
Organizing seminars, workshops, or joint training sessions with other commissions (e.g., Ratings Bureau, Events Commission).

Official Chessa Events

The AOC is responsible for appointing arbiters, organisers and fair play officials for official Chessa events, in collaboration with relevant Chessa commissions.

Communication & Recognition

The AOC handles communication relevant to the arbiter sector, including: