CFC Presidency

[Sasha Starr]

Re: CFC Presidency

The CFC got a sponsorship for the Olympiad team which pays the players appearance fees. This sponsorship is worth about $15,000 with possibilities for more since it is based on performance of the men's team. Since your wife is a member of the women's team she probably has some information that might enlighten you. The sponsor wishes to be anonymous at this time and has asked that he not be named. Please respect the confidentiality of the governors forum and the request of our significant sponsor from which your household is benefiting.

I understand that you have some challenges in the area of reading comprehension but it is all there in the confidential governors forum in which I see you are now posting. If you talk to the governor who has been feeding you confidential information about Hal Bond from the same forum perhaps he can explain it to you if he didn't sleep through that portion of the discussion.

You have a nerve to write about benefits to my household? Nava will get $500.00, and our airfares alone are almost $7,000.00 plus various hotel, food and other expenses are all well over $10,000.00. And one more thing about my wife regarding the accusations of her playing a few games etc. Last time she became Canadian Ladies' Chess Champion was in 2001, the tournament was being held in Toronto. There were 12 ladies paying $150.00 each for the total of $1,800.00. Her first prize was: $76.00, and one of the organizers is on the present executive board of the CFC. This is what we have... I rest my case.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: CFC Presidency

You have a nerve to write about benefits to my household? She will get $500.00, and our airfares only are almost $7,000.00 plus various hotel, food and other expenses are well over $10,000.00. And one more thing about my wife regarding the accusations of her playing a few games etc. Last time she became Canadian Ladies' Chess Champion was in 2001, the tournament was being held in Toronto. There were 12 ladies paying $150.00 each for the total of $1,800.00. Her first prize was: $76.00, and one of the organizers is on the executive board of the CFC. This is what we have... I rest my case.

Now you've disclosed $15,000.00 or so. And what abound the other $80,000.00?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Presidency

Now you've disclosed $15,000.00 or so. And what abound the other $80,000.00?

It sounds like that's for the winner of the CFC president election to figure out.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Presidency

I have made no accusations with regard to your wife. The $500 honorarium is more than has been given previously. Other members of the team are traveling at a cost on the order of $1900 or $2000 based on emails I have seen though I am not on the main email list for Tromso. The CFC is covering these reasonable costs from the proceeds of our fundraising effort. We don't have the ability to cover $7,000 to $10,000 for one team member which seems high. The Tromso hosts provide some accommodations for the delegations. If you choose to use or make alternate arrangements that is your right but also your expense.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Presidency

Now you've disclosed $15,000.00 or so. And what abound the other $80,000.00?

Read the governors forum.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: CFC Presidency

[B]Anyways Vlad if you win today congrats. I find it galling that one of your execs had the nerve to email me yesterday soliciting my sponsorship if you win after you screwed both Gary and me. I felt like using that two word expression about reproducing yourself but found a more suitable three word expression. I suggested that the whole lot of you can go there.

Sid, should Sasha lose this election and both you and he should be looking for some other opportunity to get involved in chess in Canada and elsewhere, my company will later this year be launching an international federation of players of a game that involves chess to a great degree but is very different in form from the current standard. This would be a competing federation to FIDE, because it would be asking chess players of all skill levels to enter events that will conflict with FIDE events. The goals of this federation are twofold: (1) get the players involved in a much more dynamic and exciting form of chess that will reduce the height of the skill pyramid and will see money flowing bidirectionally (instead of just bottom to top as in the FIDE chess world), and (2) to bring live events of this new game to mass media and thus bring major corporate sponsorship into events, enriching the entire player community.

All of this will take time and significant capital to put into place. Of course, if you're already invested in FIDE, then this would be a conflict for you, but otherwise I invite you to PM me here on this forum and we can discuss it. It will be about 4 months before I'm ready to begin raising capital for the operation. Significant equity in the federation business entity will be available.

Cheers,
- Paul Bonham

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Presidency

Sid, should Sasha lose this election and both you and he should be looking for some other opportunity to get involved in chess in Canada and elsewhere, my company will later this year be launching an international federation of players of a game that involves chess to a great degree but is very different in form from the current standard. This would be a competing federation to FIDE, because it would be asking chess players of all skill levels to enter events that will conflict with FIDE events. The goals of this federation are twofold: (1) get the players involved in a much more dynamic and exciting form of chess that will reduce the height of the skill pyramid and will see money flowing bidirectionally (instead of just bottom to top as in the FIDE chess world), and (2) to bring live events of this new game to mass media and thus bring major corporate sponsorship into events, enriching the entire player community.

All of this will take time and significant capital to put into place. Of course, if you're already invested in FIDE, then this would be a conflict for you, but otherwise I invite you to PM me here on this forum and we can discuss it. It will be about 4 months before I'm ready to begin raising capital for the operation. Significant equity in the federation business entity will be available.

Cheers,
- Paul Bonham

LOL. Talk about a conflict of interest.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Presidency

"I didn't know that. It has been such a long time since you sponsored anything and there has been such a turnover in the chess leadership that I don't know exactly what you did and probably no one currently involved in the CFC knows everything that you did. I have received emails from people involved in chess over many years and even they don't seem to know.

And a new CFC president arose who knew not Sid Belzberg. And Sid was wroth."

Here's the point. My first contact was Hal Bond who enthusiastically supported our goals that i presented in good faith. I was told by Hal he was going to Russia to be an arbiter for a FIDE candidates matches. He would get back to me afterwards but was sure that the executive would support his recommendation.

I wouldn't have put that spin on Hal's email. I have now seen it so I have the context of your outrage as does the rest of the exec and while somewhat supportive it is not a promise of endorsement. It is odd that you didn't see a conflict of interest then and yet you see one now.

Unbeknownst to me was that he was instructed to use my good faith offer as a negotiating chip to see what he could extract from FIDE while in Russia.

That is not an accurate statement.

The CFC acted in bad faith and that was the source of our so called acrimony "demands" and "disrespectful" behavior. At no point was i informed that my offer as a private sponsor and as a friend of Gary's was going to be used as a bidding war. This is not how you treat sponsors.

So your position is that we should only have talked to you on behalf of the GK campaign and not see what the KI people had to say?

Anyways Vlad if you win today congrats. I find it galling that one of your execs had the nerve to email me yesterday soliciting my sponsorship if you win after you screwed both Gary and me. I felt like using that two word expression about reproducing yourself but found a more suitable three word expression. I suggested that the whole lot of you can go there.

The election is spread out over a week. I will be asking your candidate about the breaches of confidentiality. I think I have it narrowed down to two possibilities.

[Sid Belzberg]

Re: CFC Presidency

"So your position is that way we should only have talked to you on behalf of the GK campaign and not see what the KI people had to say?"

It should have been disclosed to me up front that that I was to be used as a bargaining chip. My discussion with Hal was as a private sponsor that was trying to get an endorsement for my friend. As you saw in the email from Hal that you describe as "somewhat supportive" (with Hals permission why don't you post the email he sent me?) that way we can demonstrate to everyone here what your definition of "somewhat supportive" is.

You definitely have my permission to post the email. To put this email into context Hal stated to me when we talked that the execs generally will go with his choice. So yesterday I was told by one of your execs that while Hal is in Russia he was told to see what he can get from FIDE.
If that's the approach Hal could have given me the courtesy of letting me know. That way i could have informed Mk who would have talked to you directly. In fact I was never informed nor was MK that we were part of a competitive bidding process. Instead when it is endorsement time I had to chase Hal Bond who informs despite his earlier assurances that the exec is very skeptical without disclosing that he talked to FIDE and got a different offer.
To answer your earlier question about Hal being conflicted out either way, absolutely he is but this is who you told us we need to talk to.
As a sponsor I had donated hundreds of thousand of dollars to the CFC as well as actually providing employment to several members of our national team(that you so graciously diminish and told Hamilton you find hard to believe) without strings attached and i expected that I would be given the benefit of the doubt that i would be very good to the CFC whether Gary won or not.
As it happens you have selected to go for a pig in a poke as Kirsan has done zero for Canadian chess in the past. You have completely misrepresented to your voting members that the above is what happened. You know what Vlad, i am sick of your glib disingenuous lies to everything so as for your fellow execs email request yesterday that Gary and I get involved with sponsorship if you win you can take that request and put it where the sun does not shine.
You people really have no sensibilities at all! Unbelievably dense!

[Fred McKim]

Re: CFC Presidency

I find it galling that one of your execs had the nerve to email me yesterday soliciting my sponsorship if you win after you screwed both Gary and me. I felt like using that two word expression about reproducing yourself but found a more suitable three word expression. I suggested that the whole lot of you can go there.

Let's end any mystery by disclosing that I e-mailed you yesterday. I would consider it an extension of our phone conversation, initiated by you, on Monday. At that time you chose to try and "twist the arms" of three Executive members (one was me -I had initially abstained) to change their vote on the FIDE elections. You weren't successful with me, although I stated I had some follow up to do.

Subsequent to this call

1. Vlad contacted Foreign Affairs based on comments I made to him
2. I clarified details regarding your initial meeting with Hal (kind of a he said she said)
3. I clarified statements you made on CT back in May (and found out that I had not been mistaken)
4. I clarified that you only had received the backing of one of your previous contacts of the day, not both.

Clearly the existing Executive will not change their vote. We do not know for sure what is going to happen when there is a new Executive.

Regardless of the new Executive, I felt that there is still room for you in Canada. Your contributions and capacity for future efforts are by now well known. Why not concentrate on things you can do for youth chess in Canada ? Doesn't this tie in with stuff Garry is doing ? Why not be pro-active for 2018 WCF Presidency ? How about introducing some business friends to our cause ? Painting the CFC black for all time by a single decision of 7 people is beneath the person Robert H described to me (IMHO).

[Sid Belzberg]

Re: CFC Presidency

Let's end any mystery by disclosing that I e-mailed you yesterday. I would consider it an extension of our phone conversation, initiated by you, on Monday. At that time you chose to try and "twist the arms" of three Executive members (one was me -I had initially abstained) to change their vote on the FIDE elections. You weren't successful with me, although I stated I had some follow up to do.

Subsequent to this call

1. Vlad contacted Foreign Affairs based on comments I made to him
2. I clarified details regarding your initial meeting with Hal (kind of a he said she said)
3. I clarified statements you made on CT back in May (and found out that I had not been mistaken)
4. I clarified that you only had received the backing of one of your previous contacts of the day, not both.

Clearly the existing Executive will not change their vote. We do not know for sure what is going to happen when there is a new Executive.

Regardless of the new Executive, I felt that there is still room for you in Canada. Your contributions and capacity for future efforts are by now well known. Why not concentrate on things you can do for youth chess in Canada ? Doesn't this tie in with stuff Garry is doing ? Why not be pro-active for 2018 WCF Presidency ? How about introducing some business friends to our cause ? Painting the CFC black for all time by a single decision of 7 people is beneath the person Robert H described to me (IMHO).

Do you understand English??? THe CFC betrayed me and endorsed a thug. The CFC sold me down the river for a promise that I am very skeptical will ever come to pass. Then you ask me for handouts should this same group win? The "7 people" made the single worst decision ever in the 142 year history of the CFC. You parse words on these forums and conveniently forget that I clarified the fact that my offer was unconditional before the vote. As for foreign affairs the concern never was with the CFC at all it is with the candidate your beloved 7 have endorsed. One of who I am told rescinded his support. of your candidate.
As long as the same group of people are involved in the CFC your God damned right I will view it as black for all time. As I said you have no sensibilities.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Presidency

"So your position is that we should only have talked to you on behalf of the GK campaign and not see what the KI people had to say?"

It should have been disclosed to me up front that that I was to be used as a bargaining chip. My discussion with Hal was as a private sponsor that was trying to get an endorsement for my friend. As you saw in the email from Hal that you describe as "somewhat supportive" (with Hals permission why don't you post the email he sent me?) that we can demonstrate to everyone here what your definition of "somewhat supportive" is.

You definitely have my permission to post the email. To put this email into context Hal stated to me when we talked that the execs generally go with his choice. So yesterday I was told by one of your execs that while Hal is in Russia he was told to see what he can get from FIDE.
If that's the approach Hal could have given me the courtesy of letting me know. That way i could have informed Mk who would have talked to you directly. In fact I was never informed nor was MK that we were part of a competitive bidding process. Instead when it is endorsement time I had to chase Hal Bond who informs despite his earlier assurances that the exec is very skeptical without disclosing that he talked to FIDE and got a different offer.
To answer your earlier question about Hal being conflicted out either way, absolutely he is but this is who you told us we need to talk to.
As a sponsor I had donated hundreds of thousand of dollars to the CFC

That seems an order of magnitude higher than what I have been told that you donated to the CFC. If accurate, I can understand your emotional state at the moment. I would be annoyed too. You haven't been involved in the CFC in something like a decade or more I am given to understand. I understood that you had sponsored one or two Olympiad teams and one Canadian closed so I was under the impression that you had sponsored on the order of $50,000 worth of CFC chess projects more than a decade ago. That level of sponsorship did not warrant the deference that you seemed and still seem to be demanding.

as well as actually providing employment to several members of our national team(that you so graciously diminish and told Hamilton you find hard to believe)

Presumably they get paid for services rendered to you so while nice it doesn't really seem to enter into the equation. I don't see how I diminish the national team.

without strings attached and i expected that I would be given the benefit of the doubt that i would be very good to the CFC whether Gary won or not.

Too bad I am not a mind reader.

As it happens you have selected to go for a pig in a poke as Kirsan has done zero for Canadian chess in the past.

He did put international chess back on an even keel after your boy Gary did his best to destroy it at every opportunity over the last 20 years or so.

You have completely misrepresented to your voting members that the above is what happened. You know what Vlad, i am sick of your glib disingenuous lies to everything so as for your fellow execs email request yesterday that Gary and I get involved with sponsorship if you win you can take that request and put it where the sun does not shine.
You people really have no sensibilities at all! Unbelievably dense!

Have a nice day Sid.

[Sid Belzberg]

Re: CFC Presidency

"That seems an order of magnitude higher than what I have been told that you donated to the CFC. If accurate, I can understand your emotional state at the moment. I would be annoyed too. You haven't been involved in the CFC in something like a decade or more I am given to understand. I understood that you had sponsored one or two Olympiad teams and one Canadian closed so I was under the impression that you had sponsored on the order of $50,000 worth of CFC chess projects more than a decade ago. That level of sponsorship did not warrant the deference that you seemed and still seem to be demanding."


Like everything else you are full of sh*t. In those days we paid for plane tickets lodging meals and everything else for everyone. we also made sure the team had the top accommodation and meals on par with the best teams. We paid special cash rewards for players to win at a rate of over $2,500.00 for a win against some of the top players and $1000.00 a win for lower players.
In our first Olympiad with young non GM players except for Spraggett and Lesiege in the penultimate round we were in the top ten and it made headlines in Canada.

approx expenses


approx
2000 Olympiad 30K
2002 Olympiad 45k
2006 Olmpiad 45K
Canadian Closed 2005 10K
Canadian Closed 2006 10k
Chess Clock donation10K
total 150K Does not include direct sponsorship payment for GM coaches for members of the national team and other benefits.


I don't expect deference or even thanks. I do expect honesty and ethics.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: CFC Presidency

How could you say that Nava Starr's honorarium is more then given previously? Obviously you are not even aware of what the players' honorarium was when Sid Belzberg was a sponsor! And the teams were staying in the best hotels, had dinners in the 5 stars restaurants and the team's coach was one of the top coaches in the World, well known GM Lev Psahis.

Nava's first ever victory of Canadian Ladies' Championship was in 1978 in Victoria. It was efficiently organized by Lynn Stringer in the beautiful Empress Hotel with the first prize of $1,000.00. So in about 20 plus years we vent all the way from $1,000.00 first prize down to $76.00! And with the entry fee of $150.00 Nava by winning first prize was actually $74.00 out of the pocket!

With the people like you managing CFC the game of chess will have a very hard time - there is nobody has necessary skills and experience how to promote chess and raise the funds. The membership will shrink and the Foundation's money will be given to the Government or to charity. Please give a chance to a new generation, just stop the present nonsense! Do what you know the best: IT and teaching chess.

Nava and I have visited today an Aurora tournament. Nava has counted 52 kids playing! Give them a future! If I'll get elected all the top games would be broadcasted and shown on the web site in the real time with the top experts' comments. There would be corporate sponsors and advertisers lining up to participate! Please give Canadian chess a chance!

[Michael Waldorf]

Re: CFC Presidency

First of all, I wish that Sid would learn that Garry has two "r"s.

Second, the fact that the CFC is voting for the lunatic tinpot dictator of an unknown and unknowable Russian outpost instead of a former world champion, former best chess player who ever lived and a guy who frequently writes op-eds in the Wall Street Journal is just an unbelievable national embarrassment. This whole thread just shows that you're all utterly unfit to lead. I think you should put the entire administration of the CFC into the hands of the Annex Chess Club, and let the chips fall where they may.