The battle for ECU Presidential elections begins

[Chris Rice]

Azmai has now pubished his campaign manifesto which is well presented. Whether any of the well-intentioned statements will ever come to fruition will I guess come down to the usual budget constraints and the appetite to follow these things through, should, of course, he be elected. Therefore the campaign team and the revenue generation paragraphs are of particular interest:

European Chess Union: A Union Of The Many

“ECU Back to Europe” has announced the platform of Zurab Azmaiparashvili’s Campaign Team for the ECU elections 2014.

In Tromsø the Azmaiparashvili Campaign will unveil the first ECU General Sponsorship contract for €400,000 over four years, with the goal of finding two more such sponsors in year two, more than doubling the ECU annual budget.

Azmai For President

GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili is the First Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs of Georgia, a manager and chess professional and a former trainer and second of world-famous players Garry Kasparov and Judit Polgar.

In his career as a sportsman, Zurab was at the top of world chess for two decades with highlights including first place at the European Individual Championship in 2003 and the best individual performance at the Elista Olympiad in 1998.

Zurab has gone on to demonstrate his leadership abilities and management skills as president of the Georgian Chess Federation (1998-2004), a board member of the ECU (2000-2004), as a vice-president of FIDE (2002-2010) and a founder and first president of the Black Sea Chess Association (1999-2004).

He has organised top events, such as the first knock-out Women’s European Championship (2000), the Europe vs. Asia Match (2001), and the Women World Chess Championship (2004).

He also distinguished himself as Top Board player and Team Captain for Georgia for seven consecutive Olympiads (1992-2004) and as Captain of the neighbouring Azerbaijan team for the 2009 European Team Championship winning the gold medal.

Campaign Supporters and Team

Zurab Azmaiparashvili is proud to be supported by Georgia’s political and financial elite, by chess players and chess lovers, and by friends around the world in his candidacy for the ECU presidency.

Supporters include the philanthropist and former Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the current Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, chess lover and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maia Panjikidze, as well as organisations such as The Bank of Georgia and the Georgian Chess Federation.

The first members of Zurab’s team are chess professionals who are already working together on a daily basis preparing for the elections and ensuring the fulfilment of their promises once elected: Ion Dobronateanu (Romania), Vasily Filipenko (Russia), Martin Huba (Slovakia), Willy Iclicki (Belgium), Andrew Paulson (England), Jean-Michel Rapaire (Monaco), Ivan Sokolov (Netherlands), Fiona Steil-Antoni (Luxembourg) and Finnbjorn Vang (Faroe Islands). This list will continuously be updated in the run-up to the elections.

The Big Picture

Our slogan “A Union of the Many” contrasts with the current ECU: “A Company for the Few.” Our complaints are (a) lack of fairness, ethical behaviour and transparency, (b) lack of energy, innovation and enterprise, (c) lack of leadership, vision and imagination.

Danailov’s team didn’t deliver on its basic campaign promises of four years ago: they generated no sponsorship revenue and they created no new marketable products. Even their one success (the EU recognition for chess in schools) had no tangible follow-through. They did the bare minimum!

Nearly one-third of FIDE’s 179 member federations lie within the ECU. 82 of the top 100 players are from, and three-quarters of the rated games and two-thirds of the top tournaments take place within, the ECU.

The ECU has two-thirds the reach of FIDE, but only one-tenth the budget. The ECU has been seriously under-performing!

The ECU is a rights holder of intellectual property (events and titles), the intermediary between its 54 member federations and FIDE, and a provider of valuable services for its members. It is also a custodian of chess history and an advocate of public policy and public perception.

The ECU should be a model of, and laboratory for, what a great international sports institution should aspire to be. Today it not a model for anything!

The ECU is the link between its members and FIDE, no matter who is FIDE President. The ECU President sits on the FIDE Presidential Board and must be an effective lobbyist for ECU members.

The last four years of dissociation from and hostility to FIDE has meant that the ECU has not been heard. This is not a responsible or constructive path. We will re-establish a working relationship with FIDE. You will be heard!

Specific Initiatives Among ECU Member Federations

Above all, the ECU is a service provider for its 54 federation members, large and small, enabling cooperation and collaboration. In the first two years we will launch the following initiatives:

1. Establish a European Grand Prix format from a set of major events, supporting them with a common marketing strategy and additional prize fund.
2. Encourage Zonal Championships to build bridges between neighbouring countries, especially for Junior Team events.
3. Establish ECU Internet Championships (Open, Women, Team and School) in Blitz and Rapid formats.
4. Build cooperation with other continental associations and promote a new competition: the Inter-continental Cup for men and women
5. Sponsor regular cross-border multi-lateral informational and educational symposia on ‘best practices’ for federations in areas such as governance, marketing and communication for chess leaders.
6. Provide shared bilateral professional resources for its members in the areas of organisation, PR, government relations, and sponsorship sales.
7. Support joint events for training and development of arbiters, coaches, commentators, journalists and players.

Asset Review

The ECU is a rights-holding organisation (events and titles) which owns 11 individual events and 6 team events. We will conduct a marketing audit to answer these questions:

1. How well do existing events respond to player needs, how to increase demand?
2. How focused are existing events, how broad their appeal?
3. How well differentiated and well separated is each from other events?
4. How to improve bidding procedures to improve transparency and to increase federation participation?
5. How can we improve revenue models so events will be more attractive to organisers and profitable to the ECU? Are ECU subsidies required for certain events.
6. What new formats should the ECU inaugurate to increase public interest, player satisfaction, sponsorship revenue?
7. How can we support existing major independent international events that are facing financial hardship?

Players and Training

The President of the Association of Chess Professionals will be an invited (non-voting) member of the Board of the ECU. 80% of the ACP Members come from ECU federations. This will allow the ACP to better serve its members and the ECU to better serve its top players. The ACP in association with the ECU will also support improved training and coaching for promising juniors who are heading toward professional chess.

Chess in Schools

Chess education is a top priority for a healthy chess ecosystem. New opportunities are constantly arising which require concrete initiatives and projects: sometimes innovation and sometimes standardisation.

Chess in Schools is largely a local issue managed by national federations. However, the ECU must play a leading role in lobbying, supporting research and sharing results: establishing ‘best practices,’ promoting ‘success stories’ and engaging celebrities.

ECU Commissions

Europe has long been the thought leader in world chess, but no longer controls its own destiny: the ECU must assert itself in the all-important commission structure of FIDE where decisions are made that effect our lives.

We will create ECU ‘shadow commissions’ made up of member federation nominees plus current European members of FIDE commissions to lobby ECU interests. The first three targets are: the Events Commission, the Schools Commission, the Arbiters Council. We will seek both to influence decisions from outside and develop a new generation of FIDE commission members for the future.

Public Relations, Media and Marketing Strategy

A perfected schedule of ECU, FIDE and leading independent chess events will lead to a 365-day media strategy. This in turn will provide a product more readily marketable to sponsors.

The ECU must support all digital and traditional media, as news and information sources and as playing and entertainment platforms. The media must not be politicised or shown favouritism.

The ECU’s new management will create a portfolio of marketing products and tools to help organisers attract sponsors, players and audiences to their events.

Creation of “European Chess Heritage”

There are elements of chess history in Europe that need to be preserved for future generations: private libraries, historic venues, long-lived tournaments, and venerable periodicals. Federations must be encouraged and supported in protecting and preserving chess history for future generations.

European Chess Heritage is also people: we will institute a consistent and prestigious system of awarding prizes to individuals: journalists, authors, commentators, arbiters, organisers, federations, etc.

These prizes and others will be awarded at an annual ECU Gala Event. The winners of the European Grand Prix and Internet Championships will also be unveiled during the awards ceremony. This will be the highlight of each year, a new asset for sponsorship, and a global marketing opportunity.

Revenues & Investments

The ECU has an annual budget of €250k, deriving revenue from tournament fees and membership fees. We need to add new sources of revenue: sponsorship, media fees, donations.

At Tromsø we will unveil our first General Sponsorship contract for €400,000 over four years; our goal in year two is to find two more such sponsors, more than doubling the ECU annual budget.

We must increase spending to improve the quality of the services offered to ECU federations and their players: this will result in yet further private and corporate sponsorship. That is sustainability.

For the team,
Zurab Azmaiparashvili

email: [email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/ecubacktoeurope
http://www.twitter.com/ECUBacktoEurope

[Roger de Coverly]

Azmai has now pubished his campaign manifesto which is well presented.

It glosses over one rather critical issue, namely that many European Federations and the players they represent are hostile to the continued presence for another four years of the alien loving, zero default time advocate, election rigger as FIDE President.

It is perhaps important to remind FIDE, that no matter how many votes you buy with Russian sports scholarships, that a large proportion of both the world's players and world's top players are from Europe.

[Paolo Casaschi]

It glosses over one rather critical issue, namely that many European Federations and the players they represent are hostile to the continued presence for another four years of the alien loving, zero default time advocate, election rigger as FIDE President.

I understand your obsession about the subject, but nothing stops a delegate to vote for Azmai at the ECU election and for "not KI" at the FIDE election. The fact that the ECF came to a stalemate over the FIDE/ECU elections seem to be an exception even in Europe; no other national federation has seen their internal affairs so impacted by the upcoming elections in Tromso, most of them do not seem so bothered.

[Roger de Coverly]

Nearly one-third of FIDE’s 179 member federations lie within the ECU. 82 of the top 100 players are from, and three-quarters of the rated games and two-thirds of the top tournaments take place within, the ECU.

but nothing stops a delegate to vote for Azmai at the ECU election and for "not KI" at the FIDE election.

As Azmai's statistic attests, "Europe", even if speaking with one voice, can despite a majority of both players and events always be outvoted by Federations consisting of a handful of officials and players, sometimes not even with players. It reminds me of the electoral system in the UK prior to 1830.

Returning to English domestic matters, there was mention by the ECF ex-President of an intent to move the ECU offices to England were his team to be elected at the ECU election. I don't see any such
commitment in the Azmai material.

[Paolo Casaschi]

As Azmai's statistic attests, "Europe", even if speaking with one voice, can despite a majority of both players and events always be outvoted by Federations consisting of a handful of officials and players, sometimes not even with players. It reminds me of the electoral system in the UK prior to 1830.

...or the current ECF electoral system.
But again, I do not understand how you can blame Azmai and his ECU election statement for the deficiencies of the FIDE electoral system.

[Roger de Coverly]

But again, I do not understand how you can blame Azmai and his ECU election statement for the deficiencies of the FIDE electoral system.

He's saying that under his leadership, the ECU can be a power in FIDE. But in the absence of electoral reform it cannot, as the President has a built in majority for any crazy scheme that might appeal to him.

The ECF voting system doesn't give disproportionate power to any one organisation or groups of organisations. It's the proxy system mandated by English Company law that enables the build up of individuals with excess influence.

[Paolo Casaschi]

He's saying that under his leadership, the ECU can be a power in FIDE. But in the absence of electoral reform it cannot, as the President has a built in majority for any crazy scheme that might appeal to him.

Not sure what you expect here. The ECU cannot change the FIDE GA rules, the ECU can either work with FIDE and try to get more influence (as Azmai suggests) or can break up from FIDE and do something else. I do not think any candidate at this point suggested anything in the latter direction, if this is what you were hoping for. Trying to get more influence/power within FIDE could simply mean something different than deciding all votes.

[Paolo Casaschi]

The ECF voting system doesn't give disproportionate power to any one organisation or groups of organisations.

Are you telling me that the ECF members have a proper representation into the ECF elections?

[Andrew Paulson]

Nearly one-third of FIDE’s 179 member federations lie within the ECU. 82 of the top 100 players are from, and three-quarters of the rated games and two-thirds of the top tournaments take place within, the ECU.

but nothing stops a delegate to vote for Azmai at the ECU election and for "not KI" at the FIDE election.

As Azmai's statistic attests, "Europe", even if speaking with one voice, can despite a majority of both players and events always be outvoted by Federations consisting of a handful of officials and players, sometimes not even with players. It reminds me of the electoral system in the UK prior to 1830.

Returning to English domestic matters, there was mention by the ECF ex-President of an intent to move the ECU offices to England were his team to be elected at the ECU election. I don't see any such
commitment in the Azmai material.

Point 1: You're right that Europe can be outvoted by the other federations in FIDE at the General Assemblies. That's the result of changes in FIDE's constitution years ago and its not going to change. However, it is clearly our intention to build influence in the FIDE institutions that determine everything that is important to European chess players: by creating 'shadow' ECU Commissions with representation on the FIDE Commissions. I hope that in four years from this position of strength we will be able to mount a successful challenge to Ilyumzhinov's rule. A challenge based on institutions rather than on personalities.

Point 2: It would have been nice. But the obvious advantage of having the ECF and ECU offices together in London no longer really makes sense as once again the ECF, under the leadership of Nigel Short, has declared war on the ECU. As a further loss, there were discussions of bringing the Commonwealth Chess Association and a new FIDE Communications Office (there is currently no FIDE press office/officer anywhere) to London where resources would have been shared. This would have created a powerful chess centre to counterbalance Elista and Athens. (Candidate Kasparov has a similar plan for FIDE decentralisation: he plans for the administration of all FIDE Commissions to be in Singapore under the direction of Ignatius Leong.)

[Roger de Coverly]

However, it is clearly our intention to build influence in the FIDE institutions that determine everything that is important to European chess players: by creating 'shadow' ECU Commissions with representation on the FIDE Commissions.

Commissions though can be over-ruled by the General Assembly. This body in 2008 in Dresden came within a hairs breadth of voting to abolish amateur chess, or put it outside the Laws of Chess. The context was that one of the Commissions had been asked to look at reforming the rule, dating back to Capablanca that you had one hour's grace before you lost if you were late arriving. It had never been reformed to properly deal with half hour games for example. Proposals were duly worked on and submitted. The President on a whim, quoting Karpov turning up late for his match with Anand and the late arrival of players at Olympiads because of security checks asked the General Assembly to make zero time defaults part of the Laws of Chess. One or more of the Presidential Board, mindful of the damage such a proposal would cause, rapidly moved business on. But the acolytes of the President, mostly representing as far as is known, relatively non-playing Federations, were keen to support him.

Going back in time, the current FIDE President abolished the concept of matches for the World Chess Championship and attempted to reduce all FIDE rated play to games of around four hours with an intent that classical play should eventually be replaced totally by rapid. I'm not sure that there have been any constitutional changes to prevent such upheavals. Suppose for example he got it into his head that stalemate should count as almost as a win, thereby changing chess completely? What would stop him?

[Roger de Coverly]

Are you telling me that the ECF members have a proper representation into the ECF elections?

No, but what I am telling you is that there aren't any situations like San Marino and Italy, where San Marino despite being presumably an equivalent size to other Italian clubs has the same voting power as Italy as a whole.

[Angus French]

However, it is clearly our intention to build influence in the FIDE institutions that determine everything that is important to European chess players: by creating 'shadow' ECU Commissions with representation on the FIDE Commissions.

Commissions though can be over-ruled by the General Assembly. This body in 2008 in Dresden came within a hairs breadth of voting to abolish amateur chess, or put it outside the Laws of Chess. The context was that one of the Commissions had been asked to look at reforming the rule, dating back to Capablanca that you had one hour's grace before you lost if you were late arriving. It had never been reformed to properly deal with half hour games for example. Proposals were duly worked on and submitted. The President on a whim, quoting Karpov turning up late for his match with Anand and the late arrival of players at Olympiads because of security checks asked the General Assembly to make zero time defaults part of the Laws of Chess. One or more of the Presidential Board, mindful of the damage such a proposal would cause, rapidly moved business on. But the acolytes of the President, mostly representing as far as is known, relatively non-playing Federations, were keen to support him.

Going back in time, the current FIDE President abolished the concept of matches for the World Chess Championship and attempted to reduce all FIDE rated play to games of around four hours with an intent that classical play should eventually be replaced totally by rapid. I'm not sure that there have been any constitutional changes to prevent such upheavals. Suppose for example he got it into his head that stalemate should count as almost as a win, thereby changing chess completely? What would stop him?

Zero-tolerance was, of course, first implemented at Dresden Olympiad in 2008 where the Chief Arbiter was Ignatius Leong. Mr. Leong has, in his time, advocated other changes including, for example: implementation of non-conformant and faster time controls for junior, youth, senior and amateur events; banning of consecutive checks by the same piece; and, a requirement for new players to evidence their identity with a passport.

Nigel Short wrote about Ignatius on this forum:

FIDE recommendations for top-level tournaments state that no game should start before 1pm local time. It is obvious that FIDE General Secretary and President of the Commonwealth Chess Association, Ignatius Leong, does not regard the Commonwealth Championship as a top-level tournament. He is right, of course: the way he has arranged it, it isn't.
Incidentally, one little snippet of gossip about dear old Ignatius: he obtained his FM title by playing in Burma at a time when all their players were massively over-rated Oh, the vanity of man!

What's happened to Ignatius? Where is he now?

[Andrew Paulson]

Zurab Azmaiparashvili about the Chess Olympiad bid

Apr 3, 2014

Q: Zurab, do you know that FIDE Presidential Board has postponed the bidding deadline until 15th April?

A: Yes, I have read about this decision. Of course I’m not happy with this. Though I try to understand. If I were a member of PB and present at the meeting in Khanty-Mansiysk, knowing that no bids have been submitted a day before the deadline, I may have also agreed. However, it would have been better for the decision to be announced after the deadline, barring no bid had been submitted by then.

Q: Will your federation react?

A: We do not see the need. Actually, we prefer to spend money on tournaments rather than on conflicts or courts.

I repeat this information here for those who might have missed it in another thread:

FIDE has received two bids and there is no attempt to find another. However, when the Presidential Board met in Khanty-Mansiysk no bids had at that time been received, therefore the Board voted to extend the deadline … with Silvio Danailov voting in favour! Why is he now crying foul and threatening lawsuits!?

Obviously, in Khanty-Mansiysk the Presidential Board knew of the two bids that were likely to arrive ($20m bids do not appear out of thin air) and they wanted to make sure that everyone who was preparing a bid had adequate time. There’s nothing magic about the technicality of such a deadline: it is to FIDE’s advantage that there be two (or more) competing bids, in any case.

It should also be noted that there have been rumours of a bid from Cameroon. This is highly unlikely, both from the point of view of the country’s financial resources and lack of hotel and hospitality infrastructure. But, were it to arrive and were it ultimately to be fairly judged the best bid, so much the better!

[Roger de Coverly]

Zero-tolerance was, of course, first implemented at Dresden Olympiad in 2008 where the Chief Arbiter was Ignatius Leong. Mr. Leong has, in his time, advocated other changes including, for example: implementation of non-conformant and faster time controls for junior, youth, senior and amateur events; banning of consecutive checks by the same piece; and, a requirement for new players to evidence their identity with a passport.

If the Kirsan fund of influence complete with the backing of the Russian Foreign Office succeeds in out-spending that of Kasparov, one of the consolation prizes will hopefully be the removal of Leong from any influence in FIDE. But I'd expect he would be back for a price because that's the way Kirsan seems to work.

As regards Dresden, it would have surely have been within Kirsan's power to veto zero tolerance as an experiment too far in FIDE's prestige event.

[Chris Rice]

Zurab Azmaiparashvili about the Chess Olympiad bid

Apr 3, 2014

Q: Zurab, do you know that FIDE Presidential Board has postponed the bidding deadline until 15th April?

A: Yes, I have read about this decision. Of course I’m not happy with this. Though I try to understand. If I were a member of PB and present at the meeting in Khanty-Mansiysk, knowing that no bids have been submitted a day before the deadline, I may have also agreed. However, it would have been better for the decision to be announced after the deadline, barring no bid had been submitted by then.

Q: Will your federation react?

A: We do not see the need. Actually, we prefer to spend money on tournaments rather than on conflicts or courts.

I repeat this information here for those who might have missed it in another thread:

FIDE has received two bids and there is no attempt to find another. However, when the Presidential Board met in Khanty-Mansiysk no bids had at that time been received, therefore the Board voted to extend the deadline … with Silvio Danailov voting in favour! Why is he now crying foul and threatening lawsuits!?

Obviously, in Khanty-Mansiysk the Presidential Board knew of the two bids that were likely to arrive ($20m bids do not appear out of thin air) and they wanted to make sure that everyone who was preparing a bid had adequate time. There’s nothing magic about the technicality of such a deadline: it is to FIDE’s advantage that there be two (or more) competing bids, in any case.

Official FIDE statement supports supports Andrew Paulsen's statement above:

2018 Olympiad
Wednesday, 09 April 2014

When the FIDE Presidential Board met in Khanty-Mansiysk, they were aware of two serious bids, but had not received the official documents. As the deadline was imminent, it was decided to extend the deadline by 15 days to ensure that there was enough time to receive the bids. This was agreed unanimously by all the voting Presidential Board members who were present:

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
Georgios Makropoulos
Nigel Freeman
Beatriz Marinello
Lewis Ncube
Chu Bo
Israel Gelfer
Boris Kutin
Silvio Danailov
Lakhdar Mazouz
Jorge Vega

FIDE regards the public accusations by the ECU President as groundless.