ECF Director elections for 2012/13

[Ernie Lazenby]

he says he will provide his evidence if he's voted out.

sadly CJ's perception of a minor error is somewhat different from even his most ardent supporter Martin Regan who referred to it as an horrendous error of judgement.

I find it a bit arrogant of him to say that without him the next British will not be as good.

CJ is obviously upset at what has taken place during the last 12 months but his self imposed silence has not helped matters, indeed he could have tried to sort it out in private without saying anything on this forum.

As a person I wish him well but I earnestly believe that for the good of chess he needs to go.

[Carl Hibbard]

he says he will provide his evidence if he's voted out.

I see I get it now seems more than iffy to be honest

[Jonathan Bryant]

But, happily, the British Championship next year will be wonderful if (and only if?) he's voted back in.

[Andrew Zigmond]

Obviously this address from CJ de Mooi is breaking news and is very welcome. One thing I notice (not a criticism) is that Mr de Mooi has posted on his private blog rather than on any official ECF site. Surely in the interests of balance it would be better to have the `manifestos` from de Mooi and Roger Edwards in the same place as much as possible?

One point I'd like to pick up on for clarification.

Both parties may consider themselves to have been wronged and have a case but I was willing to hold up my hands and move on. I cannot tolerate what is seen to be bullying, very offensive language and threats and unfortunately if it has to be a public legal matter, so be it. I will never be afraid to fight for what I believe to be right.

As no names are mentioned it's not clear whether he is referring solely to Alex and Lara here or whether he is conflating them with their supporters - it is no secret that some extremely abusive messages have been received from supporters on both sides. Lara and Alex have repeatedly tried to rein in the worst attacks on their behalf and have spoken out against any form of intolerance in chess. I think I can say that Alex has written in quite strong terms on occasion but he was writing about an incident that had a very deep effect on his partner - I think a certain amount of passion can be expected. More to the point, Lara and Alex have repeatedly pleaded for mediation and it CJ de Mooi who has appeared deaf to those requests.

[Ernie Lazenby]

there is no place for very offensive language and threats and if CJ has been subjected to that then the individuals have no place in chess, equally if Alex and Lara have have had threats and abuse then those responsible should have no place in chess. They are a disgrace.

It is very regrettable that the events of 2011 still cast a large shadow over our game and sad that the parties involved could not reach an accommodation. I have been a loyal supporter of Lara and Alex mainly because of the tremendous work they do for chess as unpaid as CJ but for many years longer.

CJ says he has been called a liar regarding his personal financial commitment to chess, I think his various posts before leaving the forum created confusion that were not cleared up. He also makes no mention of events leading to the terrible finance directors reports, not helpful in clearing matters up and bringing to an end speculation.

[JustinHorton]

"when I donate a large amount of my personal money to a major chess event and am then heavily criticised for doing so"

Ah yes, that canard again.

[Andrew Bak]

I've reproduced both CJ's and Roger's addresses side by side so people can see both a bit easier!

ECF President Election Addresses

[David Lettington]

... I will be able to bow to pubic pressure and reveal everything.....

What is pubic pressure anyway? I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't want to bow to it.

[A Goodall]

Is he saying vote for me or I will go to the police/lawyers about matter I have seen fit to ignore up until now? Given that he said a few days ago on twitter that he would be too busy working to do anything until next July, I was expecting him to say that he was standing down as a candidate due to work commitments

[Jonathan Bryant]

... I will be able to bow to pubic pressure and reveal everything.....

What is pubic pressure anyway? I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't want to bow to it.

Indeed. Typo from the original.


Edit: Although I see his text has been corrected now, so I'll amend my quote to follow suit.

[Ernie Lazenby]

It's all very confusing.

[Jonathan Rogers]

My goodness, his statement is even more vacuous than I had expected, and that's saying something.

He sticks to the twin lines "I've apologised (for unspecified actions) but I've shown willingness to move on - if only these vocal minorities could!" and "sorry that I put tens of thousands of pounds of my own money into chess, but I'm only doing what I think is right!"

No acknowledgement then that the "apology" was for rushed newspapers interviews on the day of sheffieldgate but the actual problems in question have been the subsequent reasons to suppose that he may later have been making statements inconsistent with that apology, and his refusal to clarify the matter one way or the other or even to speak to the people directly concerned. Not to mention being instrumental in starting a hugely divisive and probably very damaging legal case against FIDE on a matter which probably does not greatly interest 99% of ECF members and which in any event they were not told about.

No acknowledgement either that whenever he has been asked to provide details of the money he has put into English chess he has seemed not to have done so, and so far as we know he has not provided receipts for the money he has spent on behalf of the sponsors of Sheffield. To be fair, I think that most people probably do believe that he has spent his own money at various points, but we are asked to believe very high figures indeed, presumably to give credence to the unspoken promise that we will have a wonderful British in 2013 if he is re-elected; and the evidence of this past expenditure is, if I understood it, said to be available but not to be presented during the election campaign itself (!).

[John Philpott]

Andrew Zigmond wrote

One thing I notice (not a criticism) is that Mr de Mooi has posted on his private blog rather than on any official ECF site. Surely in the interests of balance it would be better to have the `manifestos` from de Mooi and Roger Edwards in the same place as much as possible?

The election address, which does not represent the whole blog post, but the part beginning after the first six paragraphs, was made available to the ECF Board late this afternoon, and has been forwarded to the ECF Webmaster (in PDF format!). It will doubtless be uploaded once the Webmaster gets into the Office on Monday morning. Thanks to the efforts of Andrew Bak, the two addresses can be easily compared over the weekend.

[David Pardoe]

As regards CJ and his campaign to continue as the ECF President, I would like him to focus soley on what he intends to bring to the table, where he sees his major potential contributions, and how he can help drive `chess UK` forward.
I dont wont a detailed analysis of the entrails of past episodes, baring all for public scrutiny.
We are not looking for some perfect (whiter than white), holier than the Pope, tin godd, that we all look up to in awe....
However, he does need to ensure he has the full backing of the board, which does mean that he would need to engage privately with board members to satisfy any concerns that they may have.
The contrasting talents and abilities of the two candidates for this post makes for interesting consideration. Roger undoubtedly has an abundance of experience in ECF matters, and knowledge of the UK chess scene...which the ECF could benefit from immensely. I`ve said before that I`d like to see both these candidates in senior ECF posts.
We must remember the key points about this role...
The President is there to Preside, to direct/guide matters, to influence decisions, to communicate effectively....and strong leadership qualities. He must have the respect and confidence of the board.....
Finally, we must remember that these guys are offering there services for free, so provided they act with reasonable competance, energy, and act in the best interests of our chess body (which does not mean they have to get everything right), we`re probably doing OK.

[Jonathan Bryant]

... I think his various posts before leaving the forum created confusion ....

Confusion as documented here:-
http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... -post.html
http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... -this.html
http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... sness.html