FIDE Election for President

[Sasha Starr]

Re: FIDE Election for President

Thanks for clarifications Mr. Zeromskis. I had doubts it is a real person, as I have never seen an avalanche of blue text postings here before.
"You must serve in order to lead" is a principle Kasparov does not know. He never served. Hugging kids in Jamaica for the media does not prove anything. It is shallow. The more he acts, the more he distance himself from the "iconic" chess player that destroyed Kortchynoi in the 1982 Olympics with black pieces. He can't make a good FIDE president.

Yes, I was in Lucerne watching this remarkable game being played! Is it your opinion that Kirsan has an experience to serve? Oh well, doesn't matter anyway!

[Sasha Starr]

Re: Executive Power or Governor Power?: Canada's Vote in FIDE Election for President

Hi Sasha:

There may be some delay on this.

On the CFC Governors' Discussion Board (confidential), I have raised an issue:

it is my position that the vote decision is not to be made by the Executive. It is to be made by the Governors.

There are as a result, as you might imagine, a lot of comments going in all directions at the moment, and unfortunately, I am not free to delve into the nature of the debate, the pro's and con's seen in my position, etc., because the discussion there is confidential.

However, if the governors (or anyone) wish to debate the issue here, I am willing to participate, and then the issues will become publicly known.

Anyone have any views for or against my proposition, and please give rationale for your position.

Bob Armstrong, GTCL/Ont. CFC Governor

Thank you, Bob, I'm already aware of the battle going on. The problem is that for the first time, and it could be as well for the last one (in 4 years Gary will be 55 and may not be inclined to run again) chess World could benefit indeed from someone of Gary's caliber to become FIDE's President. Chess has an enormous global following and with Garry Kasparov as a President I believe chess has a tremendous opportunity to realize it's full potential. Hope that even without Canada's endorsement and/or vote Gary will succeed!

[Laurentiu Grigorescu]

Re: FIDE Election for President

Thanks for clarifications Mr. Zeromskis. I had doubts it is a real person, as I have never seen an avalanche of blue text postings here before.
"You must serve in order to lead" is a principle Kasparov does not know. He never served. Hugging kids in Jamaica for the media does not prove anything. It is shallow. The more he acts, the more he distance himself from the "iconic" chess player that destroyed Kortchynoi in the 1982 Olympics with black pieces. He can't make a good FIDE president.

[Garland Best]

Re: FIDE Election for President

Just as a point, Paulson himself responded to the allegations regarding said agreement. If you want to refer to Spragget's blog, then you can bring up all the relevant postings on the blog with http://kevinspraggettonchess.wordpre...&submit=Search.

I found Paulson's response against Nigel Short's accusations interesting reading as well. What happened in England was nasty politics.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: FIDE Election for President

Sasha,as a tip, lay off the large colorful fonts. You come across as if you are shouting. It's poor netiquette. To be honest, it's making me view your posts quite negatively.

Yes, I've noticed that nobody here is using the large colorful fonts. Thank you for advise.

[Bob Armstrong]

Executive Power or Governor Power?: Canada's Vote in FIDE Election for President

Just one question. At what point are we going to be informed about CFC's vote?

Hi Sasha:

There may be some delay on this.

On the CFC Governors' Discussion Board (confidential), I have raised an issue:

it is my position that the vote decision is not to be made by the Executive. It is to be made by the Governors.

There are as a result, as you might imagine, a lot of comments going in all directions at the moment, and unfortunately, I am not free to delve into the nature of the debate, the pro's and con's seen in my position, etc., because the discussion there is confidential.

However, if the governors (or anyone) wish to debate the issue here, I am willing to participate, and then the issues will become publicly known.

Anyone have any views for or against my proposition, and please give rationale for your position.

Bob Armstrong, GTCL/Ont. CFC Governor

[Garland Best]

Re: FIDE Election for President

Sasha,as a tip, lay off the large colorful fonts. You come across as if you are shouting. It's poor netiquette. To be honest, it's making me view your posts quite negatively.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: Endorsemeent over Vote: FIDE Election for President

Attention. Interest. Conviction. Desire. Close.

Those are the steps of the selling process according to the Dale Carnegie Sales course which I took in 1982.

Not a satisfactory reply. Nobody is selling anything to anybody here. It appears to me that majority of CFC members would prefer Gary as a President of FIDE. All GMs who were FIDE Presidents in the past (Euwe, Olafsson) were decent people, dedicated to chess, and Gary, understanding the Western World, writing for the Wall Street Jornal, could bring chess to the new hights given a chance.
However the time for the endorsement has probably already passed away, so lets stick with whatever our executives will decide. Just one question. At what point are we going to be informed about CFC's vote?

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: Who has a Role in Debate?/Who Decides?: FIDE Election for President

4. Ever since I became a governor in 2009, and thoroughly read and examined the whole CFC Handbook, it has been my published view that any good legal review of the Handbook will result in a legal opinion that the appearance that the 7 Board of Directors runs the CFC is a "sham". It will be obvious that the main locus of authority in the CFC is the 61 CFC Governors. As such, it is my view that in the case of a lawsuit against the CFC, it is likely that all governors (that includes the executive) will be joined as defendants. The CFC would be obliged to hire counsel to defend them. In the case of an award of damages, since there is no CFC Liability Insurance, the governors personal assets would be at risk to pay the damages award. I have accepted this in my 5 years volunteering time to CFC as CFC Governor and CFC Public Relations Coordinator. I would be interested to hear legal opinions from other lawyer chess players on this. I am not sure of the CFC pro-bono lawyer (Les Bunning) position on this. It would be interesting for CFC to have a legal opinion on this, to assist in the CFC governance debate. I have published an article to this effect for years in the now-defunct Scarborough Community of Toronto Chess News & Views (official newsletter of the Scarborough CC). I also used to regularly then post the article here on Chesstalk. It never generated rabid opposition, in fact almost none. I will find the article (I don't think I've yet published it in Toronto Chess News [TCN - my own chess e-newsletter]). I will do any updating needed and publish it in the next TCN. Then I will publish it here.

I certainly believe that if we follow your formula that the governors would expose themselves to liability. I do not believe that following the NFP compliant rules that were just passed by the governors would generate a similar liability.

5. I am not demanding that the CFC Executive make an endorsement which you are against or that you don't do due diligence. The executive role is to educate the CFC Governors for their decision-making and to make recommendations to them on such decisions. I am arguing that it is not your decision. It is the CFC Governors decision.

On what basis is it the governors decision? It has never been in the past as far as I know. It was not a governors decision in any of the years where I attended the AGM or in the time that I have been involved in the CFC. It is not in the handbook which lays out which decisions are reserved to the governors. It is not in the new articles or bylaws which were recently passed.

That decision will be by majority vote, like in all issues. Once the vote is decided, it is the decision of the CFC, regardless of the fact that some CFC Governors may have voted against the decision.

You really should have made more of an effort to place this interpretation in the new articles if that is what you intended. Since you did not we are left with what was put in and voted upon and also the default provisions of the new NFP act.

6. I am arguing that an endorsement is preferable to Canada remaining mute, and just voting privately in August at the Congress, with no one knowing the CFC vote in advance. If CFC is voting for a candidate, support their election by giving an endorsement useful in their campaign.

Since notice has been given that you intend to assert governor control over this how exactly do you propose that we provide an endorsement that can be later withdrawn by either the incoming or outgoing governors, or both if your constitutional amendment is successful and passes muster with the government?

7. If the vote is the prerogative of the CFC Governors, then should it be done by mail vote immediately, so that the earliest endorsement possible can be published?

You would need to change the constitution in order for it to become the prerogative of the CFC governors. And what would be the point given that the vote could change twice if you are correct. It could be changed at the meeting of the outgoing governors and then once again at the meeting of the incoming governors. In theory then the executive could make its decision only to be over-ruled by the mail in vote, which could then be over-ruled by a vote at the outgoing meeting which could once again be over-ruled by a vote at the incoming meeting. Add to all this the question of whether the ordinary non-voting members right to be heard might not be triggered by such a fundamental change to the constitution. We could be sued over this and would lose because I don't see how you could make it compliant with the NFP act.

What has changed since our last meeting when you could have brought this up? What will change between now and the AGM that makes this a priority now? A mail vote is problematic even if I thought it was a good idea because we are likely to change over to the new NFP act in the middle of it which will immediately render it null and void. In my opinion you are proposing a constitutional amendment which triggers certain requirements in a mail vote which will be technically impossible to meet if recent governor voting patterns and participation persisted. In any case, you would have to convince the executive that a mail vote was a good idea.

Or must it await the July CFC AGM? If the AGM, should the vote be by the "outgoing governor AGM" or the "incoming Governor AGM"? What are the factors that should determine this - those who have had a full year of experience governing the CFC?

Bob Armstrong, CCC Coordinator, CFC Governor, Canadian CFC Member

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: Endorsemeent over Vote: FIDE Election for President

Also you've written earlier that "The prize of the endorsement is available" - PLEASE EXPLAIN!

Attention. Interest. Conviction. Desire. Close.

Those are the steps of the selling process according to the Dale Carnegie Sales course which I took in 1982.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: Endorsemeent over Vote: FIDE Election for President

I don't think it's funny. Even Kennedy and Kruschev weren't crazy enough to start a nuclear war. It's not realistic to think it could never come to that.

Agree, today's danger is much greater then in the old days. At that time USSR had a certain appeal as an alternative to the Western capitalism, and approximately equally strong military machine. Today Putin's Russia is seeking revange for losing Cold War and is getting ready its war machine, besides, its getting more and more backward technologically, its economy is heavily depending on the West, and if oil prices will start moving South of $100.00 dollars per barrel its economy probably will not be able to withstand it. Could be that here are only 2 years left until all that will start to unravel...

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Endorsemeent over Vote: FIDE Election for President

Some people here believe that everybody in Russia is laughing at the West imposed sunctions. But not Mr. Putin!

I don't think it's funny. Even Kennedy and Kruschev weren't crazy enough to start a nuclear war. It's not realistic to think it could never come to that.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: FIDE Election for President

:)Sure, I've already put some info about myself! Enjoy!

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: FIDE Election for President

I see there has been no answer so far; perhaps IllusionOf is posting via a pen name? Seems rather like a shill for IllusionOf at the very least.

To me it seemed that Laurentiu Grigorescu asked Turkmenbashi but in threaded mode it shows he replied to Sasha Starr. Sasha Starr is a real name of a real person, you might dig his picture from one of the recent Hart House tournaments.
FYI: he'll become the CFC Governor from the GTCL in July.

Of course he might write his biography too :)

[Kerry Liles]

Re: FIDE Election for President

Who are you? Never seen your posts here on other subjects...also on your profile there are no details...

I see there has been no answer so far; perhaps IllusionOf is posting via a pen name? Seems rather like a shill for IllusionOf at the very least.