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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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I don't understand the reasoning behind the Selection Committee's choice, but I would say that, with the possible exception of Kevin Spraggett, no other single player ever has made a bigger contribution to the increase in skill of the pool of Canadian players than you have.
Tremendous consistency, a never-say-die attitude and a willingness to play daredevil chess, all in one package. A great example for all serious players.
The general sentiment seemed to be that the decision was motivated by the CFC-FQE agreement. On the surface, having an FQE representative on the Selection Committee seems to a formality- there is no doubt that the Canadian team should have Quebec representation. However, a couple of posters have noted that the FQE may not consider yourself or GM Kovalyov to be Quebecois, i.e. this year's team would have had no Quebec representation without GM Lesiege!
Most people appreciate your active involvement in the chess community. Hopefully you will retain a desire to represent Canada in future olympiads.
Bator said "Well, if I'm not welcomed I will never play for the National team again." so it seems unlikely he will retain a desire to represent Canada in future...
I hope otherwise too, but I am not too optimistic.
I am not sure why you state "there is no doubt that the Canadian team should have Quebec representation" - I don't see that requirement anywhere and I don't think it should be one of the guiding principles of the selection process. I think province of residence is quite irrelevant compared to playing strength (form) and ability to play in a team effort.
I was referring to the strength of players in Quebec. At the time of the original CFC-FQE agreement, 4 of the 5 Canadian Resident GMs lived in Quebec so why would the CFC mind if there was an FQE member on the selection committee?
Having "any other reason deemed important by committee" as a selection criterion completely devalues the other criteria.
There are studies that show that when a publicly traded company does a secondary offering for "General Corporate Purposes" that it has a negative impact on the value of the company's stock price. Being vague does not inspire confidence!
1. Bator S ( GM )
2. Razvan P ( IM )
3. Leonid G ( IM )
4. Aman H ( IM )
The IMs are in need of norms and elo points for them to get to GM. Probably they will be hungrier than team 1 and could perform better than team 1. Just a thought anyway...
I agree. The selection committee is just a bad idea. Throw it out.
Exactly. Dump! Along with all the hierarchy that enshrined this
discriminatory concept, and all the arcane ways of it's moribund
functioning - chains of quadriplegic "governors"....gimme a break!
When you have a mathematically precise method of determining
positions e.g. a closed tournament, how the heck do you bow to
a "selection committee" who sadly, are only human after all!
By definition only the strongest five can and must represent a nation -
and as Lasker (and Fischer, and innumerable luminaries) have insisted,
this must be proven across the board, where "lies and hypocrisy will
not survive long." I am incredibly fatigued reading these awesome
inane posts by bitter grizzlies drinking dark coffee, every Olympiad
year, of a, b, c, players having played x, y, z, games, and therefore
being qualified to represent us at the Olympiad! Whaaaat??
And these worthies go and get creamed by 12-year olds!! Aren't
we even the slightest bit embarrassed to go on perpetuating this?
Just to add something on a semi-related note which I haven't seen mentioned anywhere: is Bareev eligible to play for the Canadian Team? How many tournament games has he played in the eligibility period? I see only 9 games from Kitchener, and no others from FIDE or the FQE.
The Kitchener Masters was a Scheveningen double round tournament. Bareev played 5 players twice each, for 10 games. I had to request a postponement of his approved transfer to until September because we needed another flag for Kitchener.
In this case I should say sorry to Vlad. But it doesn't change second part of my post. If you chose Razvan I would get it. He is young and has a chance to become GM. I respect a lot Alexandre but currently I am stronger. There is no any objective reason (ratings, activity etc), so I come to conclusion that it's something personal.
Its certainly nothing personal from the CFC's end. I hold you in the highest regard. You are one of the most accessible, gentlemanly GMs in Canada who plays in a lot of tournaments and is generous in sharing your assessments of a game or position.
Its certainly nothing personal from the CFC's end. I hold you in the highest regard. You are one of the most accessible, gentlemanly GMs in Canada who plays in a lot of tournaments and is generous in sharing your assessments of a game or position.
If it's not personal then I don't even know what to think. I have higher rating (FIDE, CFC, FQE), I beat Alexandre in personal encounter (2 out of 2), I was first in a tournaments where we both played. What else you need? Tell me one criteria.
Anyway, I don't need any explanations or excuses. No problem. Good luck.
I agree. The selection committee is just a bad idea. Throw it out.
Yup! In the other thread, I was one of the people who eventually agreed that if you're going to have a selection committee then its deliberations should be private. Now that it's clear that not only was the committee's decision odd, to say the least, but that a top player was hurt in the process, the selection committee concept should be dumped in favour of: the Canadian champ + four by rating, subject to activity requirements. If some young up-and-comer wants a spot on the team then s/he'll have to earn it via rating improvement.
"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." - Aesop
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato
"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination." - Thomas De Quincey
Tom, I always respected you as a player, individual, perhaps a friend (hey, you slept on my veranda once!). Yet, you seem to neglect GM Suttles, GM Yanofsky, GM Ivanov, "GM" Anderson, to name a few, and there are many others, who, perhaps in earlier times, certainly provided significantly to chess in Canada. Personally, I would put GM Suttles at the pinnacle - there is no doubt in my mind that excepting some new phenom, GM Suttles will be written/talked about much longer than any other Canadian player to this point in history.
I purposely chose your post to answer - quite honestly, I am biting my tongue/fingers to stop myself from attempting to respond to the mostly moronic posts, especially those denigrating the team - how ridiculous. It is little wonder there is no support for the idiosyncratic world of Canadian chess, and, as exampled by posts in this thread, no chance of a turnaround.
PS - As always, I am open to in person debate...the opposing side buys the first beverage however...
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