CFC Presidency

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Presidency

Gary - does the name "Shterenberg" ring a bell? The couple were named Nava and Isaac Shterenberg earlier in their lives (and their chess careers).

Of course I knew of Nava's chess accomplishments. I have no knowledge of the personal lives of most of the chess players and had never heard of Sasha until recently, under either name.

If he has the chess organizational qualifications for the CFC presidency I will stand corrected.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: CFC Presidency

Just with respect to leaders and getting ones hands dirty, I've always been a fan of this poster.

http://whatwillmatter.com/wp-content...s-v-leader.jpg

Garland, there's another way to view that poster. What if in the bottom portion the business was being dragged towards an abyss and neither the leader nor the workers could see this from their viewpoint?

Whereas in the top portion, the leader can see where things are going and can redirect the workers, ensuring the survival of the business.

I think that is the leader's responsibility. Set the direction and ensure the survivability of the business, so that the workers can keep working. The best leader would not be a slave drive, and would ensure that his or her workers were happy in their work. That doesn't require being down in the mud with them. In the case of the military, having the leader fight alongside the soldiers is great for morale... until the leader gets his head blown off. Then you have a bunch of soldiers asking "What do we do now?"

You don't see the CEO of Ford Motor Co. working on the assembly line. And I mentioned Ford for a reason: they were the North American car company that didn't need a bailout. That was good leadership.

Garland, how many good, successful companies can you point to that have the leader working right alongside the workers and not spending any time actually directing the company? And don't mention startups because their success might be a blip in time.

[Bindi Cheng]

Re: CFC Presidency

Bindi likes to troll me occassionally. Nowhere in my posts did I advertise myself as either "prominent" or "businesman" or "successful". In fact, when it comes to the term "businesman", I am only now making my first foray into business and I have a lot to learn, but I have some very good associates that are teaching me a lot. We are forming plans that will be taking advantage of cloud technologies and the newest web technologies (HTML5, various Javascript libraries on both the client and server, jQuery). We anticipate having to be ready for rapid scale-up since we will be using social media to promote our new offering. Which by the way, is NOT the Option Chess that I designed for the Chessbase article. I am still pursuing Option Chess as an amazing and beautiful game in its own right, but it would not solve the problem of getting non-players to want to watch an event either in person or via television. For that, I have devised something completely different (but still using chess skills very strongly).

Because Bindi used the word "trash" in regards to my posts, we can see that he is biased and not open-minded enough to really consider the seriousness of this election situation and the abuses that Vlad has used to create his cult of personality. For many, Vlad's techniques are working, as we saw Gary Ruben post that he likes Vlad better than the others. But Gary Ruben has no stake in the future of chess in Canada, he's just an observer and he's used to voting in elections based on personality. Others besides Ruben have said they like Vlad because he 'gets his hands dirty'. Well, for getting your hands dirty, all it takes is shaking hands with Kirsan. But besides that, someone who gets their hands dirty usually makes a better EMPLOYEE than leader. Vlad himself recognizes this each time he talks about his work with kids in Windsor. Continuing as CFC President would actually diminish Vlad's contributions to Canadian chess: the Windsor kids would suffer without him, and the CFC membership would suffer with him.

What' needed for leadership is flexibility, openness, honesty and integrity, people skills and Vlad has none of these.

That's all nice and dandy Paul but you still haven't answered my question - how do you have time to respond to all of these posts on chesstalk and still design so many creative and inventive products like your famous alternative chess creation posted on Chessbase? What's the secret?

[Sid Belzberg]

Re: CFC Presidency

That's all nice and dandy Paul but you still haven't answered my question - how do you have time to respond to all of these posts on chesstalk and still design so many creative and inventive products like your famous alternative chess creation posted on Chessbase? What's the secret?

Why are you not asking the same question to any one else that posts here? Where do you get off thinking that you are entitled to having people account for their time to you?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Presidency

You don't see the CEO of Ford Motor Co. working on the assembly line. And I mentioned Ford for a reason: they were the North American car company that didn't need a bailout. That was good leadership.

I bought Ford stock for under $2. and it went down farther. Later sold it for grocery money or something. How sweet it was!!!

[Paul Bonham]

Re: CFC Presidency

Why are you not asking the same question to any one else that posts here? Where do you get off thinking that you are entitled to having people account for their time to you?

Very good point, Sid. And in sync with that, we could ask Vlad Drkulec how it is that he has so much time to post here and how does he make a living? Is he independently wealthy?

There's a lot about Vlad's past that isn't anywhere in the public domain. That's generally not a good thing when you're running for office.

Vlad has more than once mentioned Dale Carnegie and his 1936 book " How to Win Friends and Influence People". I'm almost of the opinion that Vlad has never held any leadership post in his life, and is now viewing the CFC Presidency as his big opportunity to use what he learned from Dale Carnegie to get people to fall in line with him. Furthermore, I think it possible he chose this most controversial direction (endorsing Kirsan) purposely to create this schism and make himself rise above it as a godhead type of figure.

If it's not the case, then perhaps Vlad can enlighten us all by giving us some details of his past. You are running for a public office Vlad: secrecy is not a good thing for you any more.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Presidency

Boy the caravan does move on and the dogs continue to bark. Busy day today. I am going to be concentrating on the AGMs for the next few days as that is where the battle will be won or lost. I have to stop staying up late as posting when tired is not a good idea.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: CFC Presidency

My main issue is that in the face of a highly polarized community, both voting members and Executive, Vlad forced things in the direction that assured MAXIMUM CONTROVERSY. He should have pushed for abstention. I asked him to explain why he chose endorsement of EITHER candidate over abstention, and he ignores that question. If he were to answer it, he'd likely say something like absention leaves us out of the decision or sends the wrong message or something vague of that nature. But the truth is, abstention sends the RIGHT message, that both candidates have too many warts and FIDE needs to clean up its act. Imagine if every voting federation abstained: FIDE would lose all credibility in the chess world.

Vlad has terrible judgement. I predict more controversy, more bad decisions, and more loss of adult membership in CFC's future if Vlad is re-elected.

I should add that my biggest disappointment in all this is the role of Hal Bond. I'm not referring to the conflict of interest thing. I mean that Hal Bond appears to be equally as influential as Vlad in convincing the Executive to go with Kirsan. And according to Sid, Hal did this after first telling Sid that he (Hal) would speak to the Exec about endorsing Garry. And now at the AGM, we have Hal Bond seconding Vlad's nomination for President, despite all the acrimony and controversy and misdirection and bad judgement that Vlad has dragged into the CFC.

And we have Robert Hamilton implying that Hal held back or at least delayed the information getting to Vlad that Robert is Garry's spokesperson in Canada.

It would appear that Hal Bond needs to address these allegations from Sid and from Robert. Hal isn't running for President, but he is for FIDE Rep? Or is that an elected position? I'm not sure, but regardless, these are serious allegations that definitely take away from Hal's hard-earned reputation for integrity, while Hal's support for Vlad and Kirsan is just bad judgement not worthy of such an honorable person.

Personally I'd like to hear Hal justify supporting endorsement of Kirsan, given the polarization on the issue and the acrimony and embarrassment to Canada the Kirsan endorsement has unleashed.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

There once was a grassy knoll of snipers, firing in all directions at once...

Boy the caravan does move on and the dogs continue to bark.

New collective noun for the day:

Snipers are usually well-hidden, crack shots. Sometimes they're neither. In such a case, a grassy knoll of snipers might convey exactly the sort of indiscriminate, ammunition-wasting, Elmer Fudd-like blasting away that achieves little.

Watch out for those stray, fluke shots, Vlad. Firing in all directions at once is usually a sign of panic but sometimes it meets with the most unlikely of successes.

I once got bitten by a small, yappy dog who accompanied two much larger dogs. I was eyeing the two carefully, for obvious reasons, and the little runt snuck up and took a bite.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: CFC Presidency

I should add that my biggest disappointment in all this is the role of Hal Bond. I'm not referring to the conflict of interest thing.

I don't know the man and I haven't had any discussions with him that I recall.

Being an ICCF IA who directed events for the ICCF tournament office for close to a decade, I do know a person has to be considered competent, be impartial, do a good job, and be acceptable to the players to get the kind of events Hal does, in the ICCF. I would assume the same is true in FIDE and that Hal is all those things.

That's my opinion.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: There once was a grassy knoll of snipers, firing in all directions at once...

New collective noun for the day:

Snipers are usually well-hidden, crack shots. Sometimes they're neither. In such a case, a grassy knoll of snipers might convey exactly the sort of indiscriminate, ammunition-wasting, Elmer Fudd-like blasting away that achieves little.

Bushwhackers might have been a more accurate term.

Watch out for those stray, fluke shots, Vlad. Firing in all directions at once is usually a sign of panic but sometimes it meets with the most unlikely of successes.

Well stranger things have happened. One of my old friends and a former CFC governor said in an email he isn't sure whether to wish me good luck or bad luck in the CFC election.

I once got bitten by a small, yappy dog who accompanied two much larger dogs. I was eyeing the two carefully, for obvious reasons, and the little runt snuck up and took a bite.

I would have been watching the little runt. I know dogs.

The worst thing that can happen would be to win the CFC presidency and have to deal with Michael Barron on a day to day basis. I predict Bob Gillanders will go crazy in that scenario. The second worst scenario is for the Kasparov people to win and gain control of the CFC. Of course they will then have to run it without any people skills with the exception of Nikolay. Hopefully the safeguards which require a vote of the regular members if they try anything too drastic will protect the CFC but I am predicting a thousand years of darkness if Sasha Starr and Michael Barron win. So far either Ken Craft or Nikolay Noritsyn will be a new member of the board and Vice President. I really like Ken's promise to be an active VP and get involved and pitch in to do the required work. I am sure that working with Nikolay would be fine as well. I can usually work with anyone.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: There once was a grassy knoll of snipers, firing in all directions at once...

This is my reply to one of the executives:

It's a busy day for me so I'll not go into detail on all topics you raise but quickly try and answer a few.

First, when I mentioned the CFC needing input from professionals I did not mean to suggest that it doesn't benefit from the contributors who are already there. I was speaking of additional individuals such as professional fund-raisers.

I completely agree with you that it is important the federation be truly national and include Quebec. Prior to the current initiatives in Quebec, I was of the mind that the CFC should simply be running CFC events there and those who chose to play and be CFC members could. Now things have changed a little and I would like to see more done.

I also agree that the CFC needs value added initiatives to attract new members. When I mentioned the banks as an example I was referring to establishing partnerships with several entities. The Stratford Festival has it's own credit card and many national federations have arrangements with insurance companies etc. to give added value to members.

Regarding the CFC nomination for Kirsan I'm very much of the mind that Hal and Vlad have wanted FIDE to win from day one and some of the strategies implemented clearly seemed be based on quickly getting the endorsement in place. You may be concerned about some of the Kasparov campaign tactics, but at the same time Vlad and others are ignoring the merits of Kasparov and long time wrong doings of Kirsan.

I don't think anyone at the CFC can feel too proud about the membership dive that's been occurring in recent years and I feel it's time to make many changes aimed at getting the CFC on a rapid upward growth trajectory.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: There once was a grassy knoll of snipers, firing in all directions at once...

I think you wrote you would increase the membership to 5,000. That's an increase of roughly 3,000 players.

Would you mind telling how roughly how much of an increase we can expect in each of the provinces? All you have to do is list the provinces and how many new members of the 3,000 will come from each province. Really quite simple.

[Sasha Starr]

Re: There once was a grassy knoll of snipers, firing in all directions at once...

I think you wrote you would increase the membership to 5,000. That's an increase of roughly 3,000 players.

Would you mind telling how roughly how much of an increase we can expect in each of the provinces? All you have to do is list the provinces and how many new members of the 3,000 will come from each province. Really quite simple.

I have an election to take care of, and will appreciate your help. Please!

[Sid Belzberg]

Re: There once was a grassy knoll of snipers, firing in all directions at once...

I think you wrote you would increase the membership to 5,000. That's an increase of roughly 3,000 players.

Would you mind telling how roughly how much of an increase we can expect in each of the provinces? All you have to do is list the provinces and how many new members of the 3,000 will come from each province. Really quite simple.

The CFC needs to raise significant money in order to execute on its plan. Sasha has far greater access to sponsors through his allies then the incumbent. Before you worry about the details why don't you ask the incumbent how he plans to raise money that would make such an expansion even possible? 80k earmarked for a few tournaments from a sponsor with a track record of not delivering will not cut it.