Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

[Peter McKillop]

Frank is up to his old tricks: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5762

[Caesar Posylek]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Coming back to the point, I think it was definitely NOT necessary to disclose his name! The harm is much bigger done to his reputation than his sally is. Also, there are costs to be carried by him, for instance - no future invitations to play in prestigeous tournaments etc.
:(

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Frank is up to his old tricks: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5762

I guess we are talking about the player whose initials were B.N. and the disclosure was by Frank? Sorry that wasn't overly clear at first.

It seems a no-brainer that FIDE should adopt some clear rules for arbiters on this (if they are already clear, then someone should explain them to the arbiter in that recent tournament!) Then, upon reflection, we *are* talking about FIDE here and suddenly I realize the futility of wishing for common sense.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

I played in that Canadian Closed. During the event, I thought the player who woke BN up made a mistake. Over time, however, I have changed my mind. The argument about whether the player is sick, or perhaps having e.g. a heart attack, etc. is a very good reason to ignore the strict chess rules. Nevertheless, BN (just like Tkachiev) should still have been tossed out of the event. I think that if a player claims that they were ill (as Tkachiev has on Chessbase) the onus is on the player to provide some sort of proof. If they can't, then for the health of the player and the other players (what if he has something contagious?) he should be tossed.

[Heather Carbone (Nickolof)]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

I happen to agree with Tom ( and always have ) that players who are intoxicated at a tournament should be tossed.I wonder how different Bryon's chess career might have been if he had to choose between drinking and chess.He got away with this behaviour for decades and I have had numerous conflicts with organizers for allowing same.I did not attend this particular tournament because I knew who Bryon would be staying with and what the activities would entail! That said,Frank Dixon apparently is and will always be an ass!

[John Coleman]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Frank Dixon apparently is and will always be an ass!

Reminds me of that Churchill quote:

-- (replying to Lady Astor's comment 'Sir, you're drunk!')
Yes, madam, I am drunk. But in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.

[Jordan S. Berson]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

We tend to forget that alcoholism is as much an illness or disease as any other. Addiction comes in many forms, and alcoholism is one of the most common as it is an easy fix at a local bar or convenience store.

There are undoubtedly many stories of chess players coming to tournaments in a drunken state, and I have witnessed more than my share as well. There's no need to repeat the incidents or name any names... it's just not necessary.

I hope everyone understands that although it seems like the alcoholic is doing it to him/herself, unless you have dealt with severe addiction youself, then you cannot possibly understand what it is like to be the victim of any type of addiction.

I have personally dealt with severe addiction. Fortunately for me, it was not related to drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. While I have no particular sympathy for those who know they have a problem but refuse to get help for it, I also understand where that attitude comes from, and I also understand that sometimes the help that they receive is not enough.

So before anyone passes judgement on the alcoholic or drug addict, please keep in mind that until you have walked a mile in someone's shoes, there is no way to understand what he or she is truly experiencing.

Peace,

Jordan

[Frank Dixon]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Everyone who has so far posted on this topic forgets completely about several important points.

1) Chess tournaments at high levels, like other significant events in other aspects of life, don't just happen. Some interested group, usually volunteer-based (in Canada especially, where funding for chess is very difficult to obtain), has to plan, often years in advance, to arrange the details, such as the playing site, accommodation, sponsorship, tournament staff, prize fund, equipment, logistics, media coverage, and so on. They do it mainly for the love of chess. So, when IM Bryon Nickoloff (or anyone else who behaves badly) can't control his behaviour, his alcohol consumption, or (as happened in the 1992 Kingston Zonal, which I as head organizer had spent more than two years planning) his bodily functions at the board during a tournament round, it simply shows utter disrespect to everyone else associated with the tournament, and to chess itself. PERIOD. That has to be paramount. If someone is suffering enough from alcoholism (or any other serious condition) that they can't behave at a standard indicative of and expected for a national championship chess event, fine; I'm sincerely sorry. SO DON'T ENTER!!! Don't waste organizers' effort, time, and money. Don't endanger future tournaments, site booking privileges for organizers, sponsorship potential, and other aspects of chess. Don't take up a spot in an elite 12-player Zonal field which could have been better utilized by someone else (any one of probably two dozen Canadian Masters at that time).

During the Kingston 1992 Zonal, I took two weeks out of my life to try to make it a success, working as a volunteer organizer and arbiter, and this happened. That's right, unpaid. Nothing that anyone may say or do can ever make it up to me the utter disrespect that IM Nickoloff showed all throughout that event. Everyone else behaved well. He never bothered to apologize to me.

The ChessBase submission I wrote, as retrieved by Peter McKillop and linked here, was a response to current debate on the topic at the ChessBase site, where a true solution for this problem has been long delayed. Perhaps we can get one now, as FIDE will have to act, in the face of evidence from around the world. Other relevant submissions listed names of offending players, including GMs; I saw no reason to omit the name of the guilty in mine.

2) I agree that alcoholism is a serious condition. It's a major health care issue around the world, no question. But, people who wish to try to conquer alcoholism HAVE TO WANT TO GET HELP, before anything positive can happen in that direction. Nothing can change unless and until the suffering patient agrees that change is necessary. Even then it can be very difficult. I know several friends who are either dealing with the challenges, or have dealt with them, successfully in some cases. It can be done. The repeated controversial incidents involving IM Nickoloff, over a period of decades, showed not only his lack of respect for people putting together chess events, and for his fellow competitors, but, for someone who supposedly had an IQ of 180, his astonishing lack of intelligence as to what the true problem was, and how to solve it.

So, for those who would insult me and other chess organizers who had to put up with IM Nickoloff's atrocious behaviour, try to separate yourself from the personality cult which this strong Master built up, and from the personal friendships involved, and think of how you would yourself feel and act in the same situation I faced. Put yourself at arm's length, be objective, and really think about it.

[Jordan S. Berson]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Nothing that anyone may say or do can ever make it up to me the utter disrespect that IM Nickoloff showed all throughout that event.

Frank,

With all due respect, Bryon Nickoloff passed away five years ago. If you can't forgive someone who is dead, then the least you can do is bury it and move on. I am not trying to start anything with you, but I must say that bringing up his name on the Chessbase article was uncalled for.

Forgiveness can be very liberating... but if you are not in a forgiving mood, then try to find closure some other, more constructive way. There are people on this site who had a lot of respect for Bryon. Now that he's passed on, dragging his name through the mud is really unnecessary. Please, let the man rest in peace.

Jordan

[Sheldon Ab]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Frank,

With all due respect, Bryon Nickoloff passed away five years ago. If you can't forgive someone who is dead, then the least you can do is bury it and move on. I am not trying to start anything with you, but I must say that bringing up his name on the Chessbase article was uncalled for.

Forgiveness can be very liberating... but if you are not in a forgiving mood, then try to find closure some other, more constructive way. There are people on this site who had a lot of respect for Bryon. Now that he's passed on, dragging his name through the mud is really unnecessary. Please, let the man rest in peace.

Jordan

I cant believe im saying this but Jordan is right. Frank when you talk about the dead like that and mention there name in this context it makes you look and sound like a douche bag. When talking about the deceased you might want to mention their good points as opposed to their utmost negative ones.

Sheldon

[Heather Carbone (Nickolof)]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

Mr Dixon I ask you as I have asked other organizers why you did not have the fortitude to eject Bryon from the tournament?This was obviously the course of action which should have been taken.If he refused to leave the police could have been involved.Instead you continue to whine decades later.As others have mentioned,THE MAN IS DEAD !You can do him no further harm with your rhetoric.However,there are family and friends who find your continued attacks hurtful.We prefer to remember who he was aside from his faults and foibles.After reading your diatribe,I still maintain you are an ass.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

... During the Kingston 1992 Zonal ... Nothing that anyone may say or do can ever make it up ...

Obviously this experience was a very hurtful one. But after 17 years, Frank, I suggest you need to 'look under your hood' to find a way to move on.

[Anthony Cheron]

Re: Was it really necessary to disclose his name?

I played in that Canadian Closed. During the event, I thought the player who woke BN up made a mistake. Over time, however, I have changed my mind. The argument about whether the player is sick, or perhaps having e.g. a heart attack, etc. is a very good reason to ignore the strict chess rules. Nevertheless, BN (just like Tkachiev) should still have been tossed out of the event. I think that if a player claims that they were ill (as Tkachiev has on Chessbase) the onus is on the player to provide some sort of proof. If they can't, then for the health of the player and the other players (what if he has something contagious?) he should be tossed.

The 1995 Canadian Closed in Ottawa.

It is very true that one should not talk disrespectfully of the dead.

Looking back, here are some of the finer points - points that to this day go unmentioned about that Championship in 1995.

-- The tournament director asked Bryon Nickoloff's opponent ( Glenn Johnstone ) several times if anything should be done. ie. if he was being bothered, if he did not like the situation, etc.

-- Glenn Johnstone told the tournament director in no uncertain terms that the game was to continue. His opponent was NOT to be disturbed. He then left the room and waited for Byron's flag to fall.

-- The tournament director consulted a few individuals, including myself about what we should do about Bryon. We all agreed that he should rest, and it was ok to rest at the board.

-- The man that woke up Bryon was a very close friend of Bryon and claimed that Bryon could be suffering a heart attack.

-- The tournament director and myself did not believe that Bryon was suffering from a heart attack.

-- The 1995 Canadian Closed was not a zonal tournament. It was held under the order of the President of the CFC at the time. The tournament did not mean much in so far as sending a player to respresent Canada. However, it should not have been held, and the prize fund was very poor.

-- Kevin Spraggett put in a bid for a decent Canadian Championship to be held in Toronto that year. A prestigious event with a decent prize fund. It would have attracted the best players in Canada as well as world attention. However the President of the CFC absolutely detested Kevin's bid and had a governor's vote abolishing it. So the event in Ottawa in 1995 turned out as a second - rate affair, not much worth going to. Many of the top players were absent. If was more or less to be taken as a fun event, the tournament was close to a joke in fact. The idea was to have some fun, get some experience.

-- Disqualifying a player for sleeping? Bryon did not speak a word , nor did he disrupt anyone or anything. Question: Is there a difference between being drunk and asleep? Can a tournament director tell the difference? Of course we knew that Bryon had been drinking, but what was the big deal. Let him sleep it off we figured.

If there is anything worth remembering about this tournament , it is not about a sleeping man. It is about the disgraceful attitude of the CFC and the National Appeals Committee. Everything that the NAC did was against their own rules. They did not consult the tournament director nor the local appeals committe. They overturned a game that had been resigned by Glenn Johnstonne into a win for him. Unbelievable but true.