85th FIDE Congress

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  • #16
    Re: Historic days

    What I find surprising is that some of GK's supporters seem to be quite out-of-touch. Rex Sinquefeld is a smart guy in all areas of life, how could he have thought that GK had more than a vague hope. Likewise some of the Canadian supporters.

    KI may be a weird semi-dictator, but GK would have been a disaster.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Historic days

      Agreed John! I would not want to be the one having to explain to Rex what happened. He is no stranger to lost causes - he supported several Tea Party candidates in the last US election and they all got spanked - but he knew what was going on. Perhaps they all believed their own campaign propaganda. Nigel Short was also shocked - muttering the word "catastrophe" when the vote was announced. A number of Federations said yes to Garry in order to get him off their backs.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Historic days

        Originally posted by Hal Bond View Post
        Agreed John! I would not want to be the one having to explain to Rex what happened. He is no stranger to lost causes - he supported several Tea Party candidates in the last US election and they all got spanked - but he knew what was going on. Perhaps they all believed their own campaign propaganda. Nigel Short was also shocked - muttering the word "catastrophe" when the vote was announced. A number of Federations said yes to Garry in order to get him off their backs.
        "A number of Federations said yes to Garry in order to get him off their backs."


        I guess that is a natural consequence of a secret ballot system where no one can be really sure how any delegate voted.
        The presumption might be that those federations who said 'yes' to get him off their back turned around and voted for IllusionOf anyway.

        In some way that approach is less honorable than the CFC approach (to publicly shun Kasparov).

        From all accounts Hal, you are an honourable person and I feel confident that you voted as instructed by the CFC
        (even though I personally would have much preferred the CFC abstain in this election).

        There are many examples in history where the devil you know wins against the devil you don't know...
        ...Mike Pence: the Lord of the fly.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Historic days

          Originally posted by Hal Bond View Post
          Perhaps they all believed their own campaign propaganda. Nigel Short was also shocked - muttering the word "catastrophe" when the vote was announced. A number of Federations said yes to Garry in order to get him off their backs.
          The Kasparov campaign was yet another example of groupthink in action. They had a cult like belief in their leader and seemed to be of the opinion that the end justifies the means. They also had an irrational belief that they had a realistic chance of winning the election. Can we finally admit that the claims that Kasparov was leading were rather foolish and wishful thinking. Anyone who did not agree with them was the enemy and was attacked through their social media allies and on boards like chesstalk. The same scenario was played out around the world. Bullying does not work in situations like this.

          A funny thing happened on the way to the coronation. A campaign with a secret ballot where you seem to be hoping to intimidate the voters will not work. They can pretend to go along with you and then vote for the candidate that they really want to win the election. Who came up with that Big Brother campaign that they ran in Tromso?

          Some will take issue with the way I handled this campaign. I should have been more presidential. I should have been above the fight. Well if you want that kind of president I suggest you find him or her and get them to run. The takeaway for those who seek to intimidate the CFC is that we won't be intimidated. We are not afraid of you. In fact, by taking on our detractors directly it was the Kasparov campaign that got the bloody nose. Two years from now no one will remember how to spell my name but they will remember that attacking the CFC through the media, on social media and through the discussion boards is probably not the way to accomplish something positive because the CFC will hit you back. Of course, if they were only doing it in Canada it might not have hurt them so much. My takeaway for this campaign is that the various social media outlets level the playing field.

          I would not have been able to continue the fight effectively if I didn't get so much support from players, former players and parents of players through email, face to face and through messages on Chesstalk. The silent majority did not approve of what the Kasparov supporters were trying to accomplish here on Chesstalk. Even those who supported Kasparov were embarrassed by the tactics employed here. In the final analysis we have to move on and start working on the things that really matter.

          The head of the Ukrainian chess federation tried to call last night on Skype but I was out giving a chess lesson. At least that is who I think tried to call. His name and Skype instant message is in Ukrainian so I can't read it. I didn't notice it until this morning.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Historic days

            Originally posted by Kerry Liles View Post
            "A number of Federations said yes to Garry in order to get him off their backs."


            I guess that is a natural consequence of a secret ballot system where no one can be really sure how any delegate voted.
            The presumption might be that those federations who said 'yes' to get him off their back turned around and voted for IllusionOf anyway.

            In some way that approach is less honorable than the CFC approach (to publicly shun Kasparov).
            In many cases, Garry bypassed federation officials and went to government officials in somewhat repressive regimes and tried to get them to pressure the federation officials. This did not go well. In the end the federation officials were the ones casting the votes.

            From all accounts Hal, you are an honourable person and I feel confident that you voted as instructed by the CFC
            (even though I personally would have much preferred the CFC abstain in this election).

            There are many examples in history where the devil you know wins against the devil you don't know...
            The problem for Kasparov and his supporters is that he already has a track record and it is not one that would inspire most rational people to support him at the helm of FIDE.

            Comment


            • #21
              Good thing this never happened in Canada.

              Originally posted by Vlad Drkulec View Post
              In many cases, Garry bypassed federation officials and went to government officials in somewhat repressive regimes and tried to get them to pressure the federation officials.
              Good thing this never happened in Canada. :D
              Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Historic days

                Originally posted by Hal Bond View Post
                Rex Sinquefeld showed up expecting a coronation for GK. Yikes - I hope his passion for chess can be salvaged!
                Rex Sinquefeld used to believe (maybe he still is) that WGM Jennifer Shahade is the best women chess player in the history of chess!

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Historic days

                  So when do we get our first Interstellar Chess tournament? You know since the aliens were in touch with Kirsan and all that.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Historic days

                    Originally posted by Hal Bond View Post
                    Today will be the start of the General Assembly. We shall see what tactics GK has in mind. The propaganda has revved up on both sides throughout the Olympiad. I am staying at "Kasparov's" hotel, presumably to see if Canada's vote could be changed. The persuasion has been gentle and not too frequent - one offer and 2 discussions.
                    I like how that kind of stuff is reported casually. It tells a lot about pretty much everyone involved in the whole thing.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Historic days

                      I wouldn't over think the reason he lost. Basically, if he was seen as the USA choice and having full backing of their chess federation I would bet against him.
                      Gary Ruben
                      CC - IA and SIM

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Historic days

                        Originally posted by Mathieu Cloutier View Post
                        I like how that kind of stuff is reported casually. It tells a lot about pretty much everyone involved in the whole thing.
                        The role that Hal Bond played in this, and the personal opinions that he is alluding to here, all on top of the fact that he has not responded to Sid Belzberg's accusations of breaking his word to Sid (without any explanation), has severely lowered my opinion of Hal. Kerry Liles still considers Hal an honorable person, but his part in all of this seems anything but honorable.
                        Only the rushing is heard...
                        Onward flies the bird.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Historic days

                          Originally posted by Paul Bonham View Post
                          The role that Hal Bond played in this, and the personal opinions that he is alluding to here, all on top of the fact that he has not responded to Sid Belzberg's accusations of breaking his word to Sid (without any explanation), has severely lowered my opinion of Hal. Kerry Liles still considers Hal an honorable person, but his part in all of this seems anything but honorable.
                          I've seen the work that Hal has done and is doing and I've seen what you do. Enough said.
                          ...Mike Pence: the Lord of the fly.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Historic days

                            Any chance of moving on? The election is over.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Historic days

                              Why? We often analyze chess games longer than you seem to want this election analyzed.
                              Gary Ruben
                              CC - IA and SIM

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Historic days

                                Originally posted by Paul Bonham View Post
                                The role that Hal Bond played in this, and the personal opinions that he is alluding to here, all on top of the fact that he has not responded to Sid Belzberg's accusations of breaking his word to Sid (without any explanation), has severely lowered my opinion of Hal. Kerry Liles still considers Hal an honorable person, but his part in all of this seems anything but honorable.
                                The role that you played in this, and the personal opinions that you have shared here, all on top of the fact that you have not responded to my accusations of having too much time on his hands (without any explanation), has severely lowered my opinion of you. Sid Belzberg still considers you a tolerable person, but your part in any of this seems anything but tolerable.
                                Shameless self-promotion on display here
                                http://www.youtube.com/user/Barkyducky?feature=mhee

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