Chess Federation of Canada Founder and President Bernard Freedman :)

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  • Chess Federation of Canada Founder and President Bernard Freedman :)

    In 1932 Bernard Freedman formed the Canadian Chess Federation ... now known as the Chess Federation of Canada.

    What ongoing efforts by the CFC are given to honor his ever lasting efforts?

    At the very least there should be an annual trophy ... Bernard Freedman trophy ... perhaps awarded to Canada's top junior player. He was a strong advocate of junior chess.

    And BTW...

    The CFC was NOT founded in 1872 ... LOL ... as declared on their current website.

    Irresponsibly false.

    Time to give credit where credit is due :)

  • #2
    The Canadian Chess Association was founded in 1872...it was renamed and reorganized in 1932. Both organizations were responsible for organizing National championships.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Hugh Brodie View Post
      The Canadian Chess Association was founded in 1872...it was renamed and reorganized in 1932. Both organizations were responsible for organizing National championships.
      We shouldn't let reality interfere with a good story.

      I think at this point more important is what happens in the next 148 years of chess in Canada.
      Last edited by Vlad Drkulec; Thursday, 30th April, 2020, 01:02 PM.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Hugh Brodie View Post
        The Canadian Chess Association was founded in 1872...it was renamed and reorganized in 1932. Both organizations were responsible for organizing National championships.
        Chess Canada Echecs #61 ...pages 10-11.

        And yes, once again, in 1932 Bernard Freedman formed the Canadian Chess Federation ... now known as the Chess Federation of Canada.

        *****

        And when things calm down ... take some time and head over to Canada's National Archives :) Request all the boxes & boxes which contain Canada's rich chess history ... pre-CFC.

        Paul (Maisonneuve) & me spent days there ... couldn't believe our eyes!

        R.I.P. Maisy!





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        • #5
          I believe Mr Freedman was a big part of the old Weston Chess Club (Keele & Eglinton, Toronto) years ago. The club championship trophy was named after him, if memory serves me correctly. I think he was also involved in the correspondence side of Canadian chess as well.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Sam Sharpe View Post
            I believe Mr Freedman was a big part of the old Weston Chess Club (Keele & Eglinton, Toronto) years ago. The club championship trophy was named after him, if memory serves me correctly. I think he was also involved in the correspondence side of Canadian chess as well.
            Freedman is one of the greatest Canadian supporters of chess. He wasn't running the Weston Club. but probably helped out in some manner such as donating trophies. He did run the Jordan Chess Club at Spadina and College then Queen City Chess & Bridge Club, organized the club of blind players at the CNIB which had a team in the city matches, taught chess in schools, subsidized sending Toronto juniors to the US Juniors, and .the first Canadian Olympiad team.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Neil Frarey View Post

              Chess Canada Echecs #61 ...pages 10-11.

              And yes, once again, in 1932 Bernard Freedman formed the Canadian Chess Federation ... now known as the Chess Federation of Canada.

              *****

              And when things calm down ... take some time and head over to Canada's National Archives :) Request all the boxes & boxes which contain Canada's rich chess history ... pre-CFC.

              Paul (Maisonneuve) & me spent days there ... couldn't believe our eyes!

              R.I.P. Maisy!
              So, Neil, do you suggest that we should ignore all the national meetings and championships from 1872 to 1932? Erase them from history? What exactly did the 1932 CCF do that was different than previously done? Before Chess Canada came along in 1969, not much.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Erik Malmsten View Post

                So, Neil, do you suggest that we should ignore all the national meetings and championships from 1872 to 1932? Erase them from history? What exactly did the 1932 CCF do that was different than previously done? Before Chess Canada came along in 1969, not much.
                Nope.

                *****

                For the Chess Federation of Canada to lay such an egregiously false claim does a lot of damage, Erik.

                1) Damage to the rich history of the Canadian Chess Association.
                2) Damage to Mr. Freedman.
                3) Damage to the CFC.
                4) Damage to anyone ... a parent ...a youth ...anyone who reads such a boldfaced lie as the CFC being founded in 1872!

                Change the text! Acknowledge those who came before! Acknowledge the founder of the CFC!

                Simple honest stuff, Erik. There's no shame in that.

                And you failed to mention Mr. Freedman's amazing FIDE contribution(s). He served as CFC FIDE rep from 1932-1957 (25 years!) and in 1947 he was FIDE vice-president!

                *****

                BTW, anyone know who was the Canadian FIDE representative before the CFC was founded in 1932?

                Thx.


                ..
                Last edited by Neil Frarey; Friday, 1st May, 2020, 12:50 AM.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Sam Sharpe View Post
                  I believe Mr Freedman was a big part of the old Weston Chess Club (Keele & Eglinton, Toronto) years ago. The club championship trophy was named after him, if memory serves me correctly. I think he was also involved in the correspondence side of Canadian chess as well.
                  Started conceptualizing a national trophy in his honor. To my understanding he was a diamond merchant(?) originally from Antwerp . A diamond is a multifaceted entity. And in 3D design terms it could be also known as a low poly. Merging all of that into a chess trophy would be rather thrilling!

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                  • #10
                    The CCA was one of the 16 founding members of FIDE in 1924. Stanley B. Wilson of Montreal was the CCA president around that time, so I assume he was the representative to FIDE (and was present at the initial meetings in Paris). Trans-Atlantic travel was expensive and time-consuming in those days, so the rep would have needed to be either wealthy, have a sponsor, or have a wealthy Federation behind him. Judging by Wilson's Westmount address in 1924 - he was wealthy. He was the CCF vice-president as late as 1936 (when Ephrem Brisebois was president). He was a draftsman by occupation, and a part-time artist (paintings are on the Web).

                    Ephrem Brisebois and J.B. Harvey were Quebec's representatives at the first CCF meeting in 1934. (The CCF was renamed to the CFC in 1947 to avoid ambiguity with the political party at the time).

                    More info: https://chess.ca/node/1286

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                    • #11
                      See http://chess.bc.ca/Bulletins/BCCFBulletin169.pdf, page 8. This was written 9 years ago, so I should revisit the topic. I can add that Smith was born in St. Mary's, Ontario and was also a prominent anti-vivisectionist; one of his papers on the subject was quoted in Mark Twain's Book of Animals.

                      "So by whose authority did Dr. Smith represent Canada at the formation of FIDE? Based on the scant sources currently available, apparently his own. Despite having lived over half his life in England Smith still competed in Paris as a Canadian - the line dividing the nations of the commonwealth has always tended to be blurry. By comparison, William Pollock had only spent a short time in Montreal when he represented Canada at Hastings 1895. Winter has noted that the Paris meeting was improperly planned and occurred largely as the result of a moment of enthusiasm; one can well imagine Dr. Smith stepping forth, possibly on the spur of the moment, as a signatory for the country of his birth. He seems to have done this on his own initiative –no evidence has come to light that he was acting as an agent for, or under the authority of, the Canadian Chess Association. For example Malcolm Sim, who was secretary of the CCA at the time and who presumably would have been aware of such an official undertaking, makes no mention of Smith in his [Toronto] Evening Telegram chess column."

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                      • #12
                        Thanks Hugh, thanks Stephen!

                        If memory serves me right, the last time I was over at the National Archives I saw a manuscript written by CCA President (1899) James E. Narraway ...just screaming to get published.

                        :))))

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                        • #13
                          There are skeletons in all closets.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Neil Frarey View Post
                            In 1932 Bernard Freedman formed the Canadian Chess Federation ... now known as the Chess Federation of Canada.
                            Looking at some historical pages, the federation had two more persons - President R.H.Unwin (maybe he formed he CCF), and Secretary H.A.Seymour (who probably took care of registering the organization). B.F was a Treasurer.

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