How? - A Career/Job/Laurels to Chess Canada?

[Shiva Chakkoli]

Dear All,

Sharing a Thought on what each one of us can do to mark Chess for Canada in the World map. How can we create a job opportunity for those Canadian GMs, IMs and other Titled players who work hard to bring laurels to the Country

It is a Topic which everyone is aware of, at some point the previous generation might have put efforts and with mounting challenges might have left half-way through, closer to Goal but gave up! Any inputs, thoughts shared can help a long way for a better future for our Chess Wizards.

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-he...rt-canada.html

Before you read through below, please go over the above link

Anyone tried, what the Canada Government is offering, any success that can be shared for the new generation stars who might be able to compete better with a positive career in the future?

We currently have 13 GMs, 38 IMs and 200 Titled professionals. How it can be assured from various banks, Government openings, Manufacturing, Hydro and other Units coming forward with some job offers to these elite Chess fraternities who want to focus on Chess and bring laurels to the Country? How their future can be ascertained for the hard work they have put in?

Few of the links below which talks Chess in High Regards.

• http://theconversation.com/judges-se...-results-96172
• http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml
• http://www.ajedrez21.com/circulares/...nEducation.pdf

Can someone share some answers for the below or feel free to add on to the questions, throw some light on how collectively we can create a better future for the Chess Community?

• Availing the Government Sports Aid in the initial link. What is the criteria?
• Any mailers to MPP or Government officials sent which can create some opportunities for the Chess Elites?
• Any thoughts that can lead to successful Chess Career growth?
• What can the CFC do for the Elite if their profile reaches them for any job opportunities? Anything more than just the reference check?
• For a very bright Chess fraternity like our GMs and IMs, can they keep pursuing chess with their financial aspirations taken care?

Please feel free to respond to this thread or want to provide any pointers can do so to my personal email below to consolidate the thoughts and present at some point with a meeting in 2-3 months. Anyone who want to be invited can separately email to me. I will sync up with CFC too and check how we can formulate a plan of action.

Regards
Shiva
647-463-1711
Email: schakkoli@gmail.com

[Larry Bevand]

Hi Shiva,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

I hate to read (hmm...maybe I came from the Trump dynasty LOL...can you give us the Coles Notes version of what you posted as well as where we go from here.

I sincerely do appreciate your post!

Larry

[Shiva Chakkoli]

Thanks Larry, In brief, want to understand what can be done to create a job platform for the talented Chess professionals for them to focus on Chess and bring laurels to the Country and worry less about how to go about securing their future.

Few action plans
1. To understand what Government offers for sports professionals? University Grants, Scolarships, Government Jobs
2. What CFC can do to help?
3. How MPPs can be approached to get Job opportunities created? etc

[Hugh Brodie]

I don't think we can assume that all our titled players are professionals. Some are and some may want to be one...but others are professionals in other fields and treat chess as a fun pastime.

[Hans Jung]

Hi Shiva, I hope you get lots of emails. I will be sending you one.

[Gary Hua]

I would love to hear from our Chess Governing bodies in Canada especially from CFC and other provinces bodies like OCA / BC etc on the above.

Thanks Shiva for highlighting this issue where most people will dismiss as something impossible to achieve. Pretty sad and grim situation...

[Erik Malmsten]

Although IOC recognized chess (FIDE), Canadian Sporting organizations do not because it does not involve a major muscle group. Once chess is included, the doors will be open for checkers, backgammon, bridge, poker, World of Warcraft, etc.

But chess counts as an athlete for income taxes:

http://noc.esdc.gc.ca/English/noc/Pr...l1=5251&ver=16

And chess doesn't qualify for cultural funding, perhaps as it isn't tied to one heritage language.

[Bob Armstrong]

In Quebec, FQE receives provincial government funding.

I thought it was through the Ministry dealing with cultural activities - am I right on this?

If not, which part of the provincial government funds FQE and why?

The Alberta Chess Association also gets provincial funding I believe. Same questions - which ministry & on what grounds?

Bob A

[Paul Leblanc]

I consider myself a strong supporter of chess in Canada but I'm not sure I want my tax dollars spent on "creating job opportunities for Canadian GMs and IM's".

[Vlad Drkulec]

I believe somewhere in the fine print that the sports in question have to be physical and part of the Olympics program in order to receive funding. That was the situation when I looked at this a few years ago. I believe you also have to be in realistic contention for a medal to get funding. I have talked to MP's who have been supportive of chess under the mindsports umbrella based on the idea that people with physical handicaps can compete on an equal basis with everyone else but those were not members of the government. I do believe the cultural area is one where there might be funding for chess festivals.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Although IOC recognized chess (FIDE), Canadian Sporting organizations do not because it does not involve a major muscle group.

That is not strictly correct. The CFC is recognized as the National Sports Organization which regulates chess in Canada by the Canadian Olympic Committee. This has already led to dividends in getting invitations to the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance conference which led to several tournaments and community sponsorship for those. We will be talking about this starting this meeting at the voting members meeting which runs Sunday to Sunday. The real limits are in willing organizers to take advantage of opportunities to do something with the sponsorship opportunities available. There was pushback from at least one organizer annoyed at us for stirring the pot.

Once chess is included, the doors will be open for checkers, backgammon, bridge, poker, World of Warcraft, etc.

But chess counts as an athlete for income taxes:

http://noc.esdc.gc.ca/English/noc/Pr...l1=5251&ver=16

And chess doesn't qualify for cultural funding, perhaps as it isn't tied to one heritage language.

[Neil Frarey]

The CFC is recognized as the National Sports Organization which regulates chess in Canada by the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Complete exaggeration ... as usual.

The only chess in Canada that the hapless Chess Federation of Canada ... 'regulates'... is of and within their own CFC brand. And certainly no further than that.

As an example ... Chess'n Math Association brand of chess is not regulated by the Chess Federation of Canada's brand of chess.

Etc., etc., etc..

[Paul Bonham]

I consider myself a strong supporter of chess in Canada but I'm not sure I want my tax dollars spent on "creating job opportunities for Canadian GMs and IM's".

The original poster of this thread seems to be pushing for a "utopia" where Canada's chess elite receive money from somewhere, presumably taxpayers, to allow them to do nothing but play / study chess, but then the original poster also mentions jobs for these elite players.... here is one of his statements in the original post:

"Government openings, Manufacturing, Hydro and other Units coming forward with some job offers to these elite Chess fraternities who want to focus on Chess and bring laurels to the Country?"

How can they have full-time jobs AND have enough time for chess studies / play to be successful in "bring laurels to the Country"???

It could be that the original poster is wanting chess elites to "bring laurels to the Country" through some kind of high-profile jobs, not through chess, but I don't think that is his meaning. He genuinely and naively thinks these elite players can have full time jobs AND can win tournaments around the world at the same time.

One of our best GMs, Mark Bluvshtein (sp?), left chess to take on a full time financial job. It was an either / or choice.

The current world economic climate is not good. Economies the world over are slowing down and the next recession in on the horizon. This is not the time for taxpayer dollars to go towards giving a free pass to chess elites to do nothing but study and play chess. There is no economic payoff to that.

There is a better way for chess: turn it into a business and actually have it create jobs. To do that requires a far more open mind than is currently out there in the chess world.

I'm currently getting involved with a technical jobs incubator, using the latest AI technology to create new clean energy companies and the jobs that go with them. We battle against the Trump model of cutting renewable energy and going back to the days of coal, a truly naive view that going back to the past "glory" days is going to restore America. The chess world is stuck in that kind of mentality too, that the past was great and we have to go back there. That road doesn't go anywhere. Greece fell and Greece never came back. Egypt fell and Egypt never came back. Rome fell and Rome never came back. Greece, Egypt, Rome and chess all continue to exist, but none of them will return to their best days.

In the past I've indicated I have something for chess, a way forward (no, not Option Chess, something much broader), but like Mark Bluvshtein, I have real world priorities. And since the chess world is so stubborn and intractable, I can only put so much time and effort towards helping it before I have to say, screw it, get back to the real world. I can tell you right now, this thread and all its talk about laurels and new money for chess is a total waste of time.

Organized chess is the author of its own misfortune... even so I continue to care about it.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Complete exaggeration ... as usual.

The only chess in Canada that the hapless Chess Federation of Canada ... 'regulates'... is of and within their own CFC brand. And certainly no further than that.

As an example ... Chess'n Math Association brand of chess is not regulated by the Chess Federation of Canada's brand of chess.

Etc., etc., etc..

Your hatred blinds you. The CFC is recognized as the national sporting organization for chess within Canada by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), just as FIDE is recognized as the international sporting organization for chess by the International Olympic Committee. No amount of pontificating by wannabe presidents like Neil Frarey will change that fact. I believe that the CMA has enjoyed some benefits from that fact because we have been able to transfer some sponsorship opportunities to the CMA which would not have been uncovered had we not been so recognized by the COC..

[Erik Malmsten]

I believe somewhere in the fine print that the sports in question have to be physical and part of the Olympics program in order to receive funding. That was the situation when I looked at this a few years ago. I believe you also have to be in realistic contention for a medal to get funding. I have talked to MP's who have been supportive of chess under the mindsports umbrella based on the idea that people with physical handicaps can compete on an equal basis with everyone else but those were not members of the government. I do believe the cultural area is one where there might be funding for chess festivals.

Thank you Vlad for your input. But Sports Canada funds many that are not Olympic, although some are trying to get included: boccia and goalball only paraolympics, broom ball, cricket, football, lacrosse, lawn bowling, ringette and squash!

I consider myself a strong supporter of chess in Canada but I'm not sure I want my tax dollars spent on "creating job opportunities for Canadian GMs and IM's".

In Quebec, FQE receives provincial government funding.

I thought it was through the Ministry dealing with cultural activities - am I right on this?

If not, which part of the provincial government funds FQE and why?

The Alberta Chess Association also gets provincial funding I believe. Same questions - which ministry & on what grounds?

Bob A

The money is not from taxes but from lotteries and casinos.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation gives out over $100 million a year! They have given OCA money for chess clocks, and $21,300 to Kapuskasing back in 2003. Some organizations receive money every year to teach kids things like Curling.

Cultural Festivals also receive money such as when chess was at Nuit Blanche 2010, bringing in Charbonneau and Shahade to play a game of wine chess.