News from Twitter

[andrew martin]

I wonder what the reaction to this news will be :



http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress. ... gradation/

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I wonder what the reaction to this news will be :

http://stevegiddinschessblog.wordpress. ... gradation/

Regardless of the merits or not of the other arguments Giddins makes there, the cheap dig at the end at Dignitas (the Swiss assisted dying group) is unnecessary. If you want to say "put something out of its misery" you can say that without trying to be clever with a cheap play on words on what can be an emotive subject to many.

[Mick Norris]

You are dealing with a stunning level of ignorance here

CJ doesn't run the ECF or English Chess

[Brendan O'Gorman]

Put the T-shirt back on, CJ, all is forgiven!

[Mick Norris]

Put the T-shirt back on, CJ, all is forgiven!

[Ian Kingston]

I suspect that we termites could take this particular post apart line by line, but a couple of things struck me:

1. Apparently Mr Giddins thinks that there is a 'Director' of Women's Chess (the title is 'Manager').

2. Mr Giddins also appears to think that Gay Times is a 'pornographic magazine'. Judging from the GT web site, it looks more like Cosmopolitan or GQ - just with a different target readership.

One or two unpleasant prejudices exposed to view, methinks.

[David Robertson]

One or two unpleasant prejudices exposed to view, methinks

Probably. But there is a substantive point, worthy of debate, underpinning the polemic, namely: what kind of figurehead does the ECF need? And as a corollary to that question: what are the qualities of chess that a figurehead, to be effective, should display?

I suspect CJ de Mooi is asking himself these questions too. I bet I'll know his answer soon, and not be disappointed by it.

[Andrew Farthing]

I'm encouraged that the responses so far to the Giddins piece appear to be keeping some sense of perspective.

As it happens, CJ had the courtesy to ask the Board's views about this, and the most alarm (and rather worryingly, in one case, interest) that it caused was when a Board member voiced the fear that this was some sort of prelude to a WI-style nude calendar of ECF officials. There are some things for which the world is simply not ready.

1. It's for charity.
2. I'm pretty sure that, in the eyes of Gay Times, CJ was invited to their charity Celebrity issue for activities other than being ECF President, and he's hardly doing this in an official capacity.
3. It's a bit of fun.

As the WI and countless others since have shown, being photographed nude for charity is nothing objectionable if done in a tasteful or humorous way. Fear not, however, I won't be following (birthday) suit.

[Alex McFarlane]

and he's hardly doing this in an official capacity

Perhaps that message should be passed on to Mr Keene who has tweeted on the matter thus:

Times_Chess
see latest below from the english chess federation president , the colourful and creative cj de mooi !!

Perhaps we should run a sweep on which piece will be used to hide the appropriate bits?

[andrew martin]

I'm not prejudiced in any way (I hope), but I think this has the potential to turn the ECF into a laughing stock.

[Andrew Walker]

Through the foggy ruins of time I seem to remember Rolf Harris singing ...

I can't get me winkle out
Isn't it a sin?
If I can't get me winkle out
I'll leave me winkle in!

Rolf, eh? What's he like

[Jonathan Rogers]

I'm encouraged that the responses so far to the Giddins piece appear to be keeping some sense of perspective.

As it happens, CJ had the courtesy to ask the Board's views about this, and the most alarm (and rather worryingly, in one case, interest) that it caused was when a Board member voiced the fear that this was some sort of prelude to a WI-style nude calendar of ECF officials.

Nigel Short?!

Pleased though I am that CJ has at least referred this to the rest of the Board, one does start to wonder when the Board will want to draw a line. I've asked before who within the Board would feel obliged to take the initiative to criticise any of CJ's activities, if criticism were ever thought merited; and although probably most of the Board saw the question, none replied.

[Adam Raoof]

I'm encouraged that the responses so far to the Giddins piece appear to be keeping some sense of perspective.

As it happens, CJ had the courtesy to ask the Board's views about this, and the most alarm (and rather worryingly, in one case, interest) that it caused was when a Board member voiced the fear that this was some sort of prelude to a WI-style nude calendar of ECF officials.

Nigel Short?!

Pleased though I am that CJ has at least referred this to the rest of the Board, one does start to wonder when the Board will want to draw a line. I've asked before who within the Board would feel obliged to take the initiative to criticise any of CJ's activities, if criticism were ever thought merited; and although probably most of the Board saw the question, none replied.

My personal opinion is that as long as the President does nothing illegal or immoral [definition varies] during his term, then I can live with it, and anyone who can't can use their vote at Council. Presenting prizes in the nude I draw the line at.

[Alex Holowczak]

and he's hardly doing this in an official capacity

Perhaps that message should be passed on to Mr Keene who has tweeted on the matter thus:

Times_Chess
see latest below from the english chess federation president , the colourful and creative cj de mooi !!

That doesn't imply that he's doing it because he's ECF President. It implies that the ECF President is doing something. If the topic of conversation wasn't "posing in a magazine", but was "making a cup of tea", then Ray's sentence could still be used without implying that CJ is acting as an ECF Official when he's making the cup of tea.

[andrew martin]

What if you were a parent of a chess-playing child who was thinking of joining the ECF ? Would this encourage you to join?