Emergency Board Meeting - Draft Minutes

[Adam Ashton]

Why doesn't the BCM contact the people who supported Paulson in the election

Please provide this list and publish it here.

It is interesting - to me at least - that nobody seems to expect anything of the chess press on the whole Paulson/ECF debacle other than the absolute zero that has been delivered to date. From the lamentable interview with Andrew Paulson that CHESS magazine published long before his entry into Presidential race to today's tacit confession that the BCM is incapable of performing acts of journalism itself, it has been another poor show from ‘our' chess print media.

Paulson's ability and contacts could have been extremely useful to the ECF, he did give assurances of his neutrality to FIDE at the time. I think even many of his supporters were pretty unconvinced but at the end of the day he was a shot to nothing. It didn't come off and we move on, I don't see it as any great disaster and I don't think anyone except Paulson has anything to answer for.

[Kevin Thurlow]

just read

http://www.chessvibes.com/sites/default ... 0Zurab.pdf

I'm not sure that using Paul Truong for a witness statement is entirely convincing either. Haven't people accused him of a variety of things?

[Gerard Killoran]

Just to show that we're not all 100% anti-Nigel, can I help by quoting a passage from one of my favourite books about chess players, The Inner Game by his friend Dominic Lawson? It's an instance of Azmaiparashvili's skulduggery that seems to have slipped his memory.

From page 6 of the paperback edition,

As an example of unscrupulous Russian - and Kasparovian - chess conduct, Nigel will allude to the big Moscow tournament of 1992, organised by Kasparov himself. Kasparov had secured an invitation for his chief second, the Georgian Grandmaster Zurab Azmaiparashvili. 'Azmai', according to Nigel, had the black pieces against the American Grandmaster Nick de Firmian and desperately wanted a draw. Nigel told me, 'Azmai offered Nick a draw and $2000 if he took it. Nick declined. Kasparov went up to Nick and was very angry with him. He said that $2000 was a very generous offer for a draw and that he should accept. Of course, he's a friend of Azmaiparashvili and wanted to help him. But he was also the tournament organizer, and this was something really shady.'

[John McKenna]

I fess up to accusing him (Paul Truong) of being the 'Martian'.

And while I'm here I remind people that this is the Paulson-Short ECF debacle.

[Paul Barasi]

The ECF Website includes this:

"ECF statement
The English Chess Federation regrets to state that the Chief Executive asked the President to resign, and the Board passed a motion expressing no confidence in the President. The President is not satisfied with these actions. ..."

I am confused by this.

(1) WHO, then, is the English Chess Federation?
(2) Which individual actually wrote this statement?
(3) Who authorised the statement or issued instructions for it to be posted?
(4) Is the statement actually the view of the ECF, or instead the President (for Council has yet to meet)?
(5) Is this "regret" that such a thing should have come to pass or is it a criticism of the CE & Board's actions?

Now, others can speculate on this, but I think it would serve the interests of good governance, transparency and accountability for us to have an official answer.

[William Metcalfe]

Can a vote be taken in April as it is a finance meeting and not a AGM

[JustinHorton]

I don't think anyone except Paulson has anything to answer for.

Indeed, the conception that the people who campaign for and support a president are not in any way responsible for subsequent events is such an established ECF tradition that I wonder if it could be written into the Articles of Association.

[John Philpott]

William Metcalfe wrote:

Can a vote be taken in April as it is a finance meeting and not a AGM

The Finance Council meeting can consider non-financial business provided that it is proposed by the Board, or if proposed by requisitionists has the consent of either the President or Chief Executive for inclusion on the agenda. However, this would be academic if, as I suspect may be the case, a separate EGM is held prior to the Finance Council meeting. 12 April promises to be a long day......

[John McKenna]

If anyone still believes in hope after the number of rounds it took to take out Tim W. (or did he lose by a split-decision or retire while still in the ring) they will believe anything.
Anyway, the ECF always had the Nelson view - I see no ships - except they see no 'slips'
Slips are showing at the ECF and with London Fashion Week only just finished.
Perhaps what is need is Harry Styles & Cara Delvinge to show how to address these slips and smarten up.

[IM Jack Rudd]

If anyone still believes in hope after the number of rounds it took to take out Tim W. (or did he lose by a split-decision or retire while still in the ring) they will believe anything.

He retired while still in the ring, I suppose. That is to say, he served one year and declined to stand for re-election. He didn't do an awful lot as Director of Marketing, but then who has done?

[John McKenna]

Seriously, is it wise or fair to hold an EGM in the morning and carry on with any other business in the afternoon. Or maybe it's just the Nelson touch again - drumhead court-martial then straight back into action.
(Not good for morale to dwell on unpleasantries you know...)

Edit: Thanks for that timely reminder, Jack.

[Roger de Coverly]

Seriously, is it wise or fair to hold an EGM in the morning and carry on with any other business in the afternoon. .

I think it is sensible for several reasons. There may be Representative members who don't wish to have to sit through an hour or two of what has become a personality clash between Nigel and AP over who to support for FIDE President and ECU President. The discussion on Finance may well be affected by what has taken place in the morning. So if there's a grandiose AP plan in the morning, it may not exist by the afternoon. Equally as the Finance Director is one of the five Directors described as being under the control of Pein and Kasparov, he might not be there either.

Actually as a question for John Philpott, I think it is known that the EGM has the power, if there is a suitably worded motion supported by enough requisitionists, to dismiss Directors and the FIDE Representative. Does it have the formal power to elect or appoint replacements, or merely note candidates to be appointed by the rump Board?

[William Metcalfe]

Great so once more the meeting times are going to be changed so my train ticket is now no use hopefully the ECF will give me plenty of notice as to the new meeting times

[Andrew Martin]

Waiting breathlessly for Roger's 10,000th post giving advice about the train ticket.

[William Metcalfe]

Ha ha Andrew