English Chess Forum

For those who like this sort of thing, there has been what passes for excitement here.

Kirsan seems to have been successfully ambushed by the Makropolous forces. There was supposed to be controversy over who would be in charge of the meeting, but it was clear from the off that it would be Makro. We started with the President's opening address, describing his efforts during the past year to further the interests of chess and lamenting his sufferings at the hands of the US Treasury. Makro then made a long speech in which he criticised the lies propogated against him and others by Kirsan and others in Russia. Despite his protestations to the contrary, it was surprisingly personal and sometimes bitter.

The Treasurer's statement started with a bombshell. He reported that it was increasingly difficult for him to keep FIDE's bank accounts open given Kirsan's involvement, and that it might help if the EB passed a motion officially requesting ( not demanding ) that he should not run for re-election in 2018.

Plans were immeditely made, over the objections of obvious parties, for such a secret vote. My vague guess was that it would pass with Kirsan getting 15 votes. In fact he got 20, against 37. He then left the building, and Azmai took the mike to state that he would not be running himself and to make an impassioned request to Makro to do so. Makro didn't say he would, but certainly didn't say he wouldn't.

We're now moving on normal matters, but are wondering whether to expect a row about Agon.

In other news, DGT have announced that they are going to sell their DGT 2010 clocks to ALL federations for €15 each.

I'll take that "other news" at face value.

But, have Kirsan & Makro really parted company, and will FIDE no longer be just another "*tower & square*"?

* See Anne McElvoy's review of The Tower and the Square: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power (by Niall Ferguson) in ES Thurs. 12 Oct.

Or, was it a divorce of cynical convenience to try to smooth the organisation's cashflow that US Treasury strictures - imposed due to Kirsan's un-American activities - were upsetting?

NickFaulks wrote: In fact he got 20, against 37.

Are there really at least 57 people on the EB, or are there those with multiple votes?

Being requested not to run isn't yet the same as standing down. Like the downfall of Mrs T, it seems it's the insiders who have had enough.

Roger de Coverly wrote:

NickFaulks wrote: In fact he got 20, against 37.

Are there really at least 57 people on the EB, or are there those with multiple votes?

There are actually 20 people on the Executive Board, five from each of the four member continents.

It was probably a straw poll of those present, rather than a strict Executive Board vote.

Alex Holowczak wrote:It was probably a straw poll of those present, rather than a strict Executive Board vote.

Not necessarily, Alex

Roger de Coverly wrote:Are there really at least 57 people on the EB?

I too was surprised, so I looked into it. In fact there are.

Alex Holowczak wrote:There are actually 20 people on the Executive Board, five from each of the four member continents.

Those are essentially the people who have been elected specifically to the Executive Board.

However, the Executive Board also includes the members of the Presidential Board (26 on my count) and the Zonal Presidents (another 26 on my count).

So there are 72 members.

David Sedgwick wrote:

Alex Holowczak wrote:It was probably a straw poll of those present, rather than a strict Executive Board vote.

Not necessarily, Alex

Roger de Coverly wrote:Are there really at least 57 people on the EB?

I too was surprised, so I looked into it. In fact there are.

Alex Holowczak wrote:There are actually 20 people on the Executive Board, five from each of the four member continents.

Those are essentially the people who have been elected specifically to the Executive Board.

However, the Executive Board also includes the members of the Presidential Board (26 on my count) and the Zonal Presidents (another 26 on my count).

So there are 72 members.

Thanks for the clarification.

Alex Holowczak wrote:Thanks for the clarification.

The EB is a strange composition, not obviously fit for purpose ( ie standing in for the GA in odd years ).

The GA's voting structure is simple. Each federation gets one vote, that's it. Within the EB, federations are represented by their continental and zonal representatives, but PB members are also voting members, in practice having close to half of the votes. I don't see why that should be.

By the way, Kirsan is back today, occupying the President's perch but seemingly just an observer.

NickFaulks wrote:By the way, Kirsan is back today, occupying the President's perch but seemingly just an observer.

In fact not. He just spoke about someone he has run into who might wish to host an Olympiad. Superficially this is ok, but it is starting to sound like an attempt to wrest 2018 away from Georgia.

NickFaulks wrote:

NickFaulks wrote:By the way, Kirsan is back today, occupying the President's perch but seemingly just an observer.

In fact not. He just spoke about someone he has run into who might wish to host an Olympiad. Superficially this is ok, but it is starting to sound like an attempt to wrest 2018 away from Georgia.

That will go down like the proverbial lead balloon in the Isle Of Man.

The dates of the Chess.com Isle of Man International 2018 have already been changed once to avoid a clash with the Olympiad in Batumi. Now it seems that there is a possibility, albeit a slight one at present, that the 2018 Olympiad won't be in Batumi after all, but in a different location and potentially on different dates.

Isn't life wonderful sometimes?

It couldn't possibly be -

Mr. K + Mr. K = http://uk.businessinsider.com/photos-no ... oom-2017-8

Nah, not even in your dreams.

I thought that, by leaving Anatalya on Thursday. Alex H and I were missing an exciting EB. It seems not.
At both the EB and GA, if I wish to say something (rare), I put my hand up and Makro will usually call on me. But no observer has a right to speak. Of course Chairmen of Commission, even thought they are not EB members, are called upon to speak about the decisions made.

Had Kirsan taken the chair ever, it would have been a shambles. He does not have the expertise.

NickFaulks wrote:In other news, DGT have announced that they are going to sell their DGT 2010 clocks to ALL federations for €15 each.

Just as the London League has invested in a number of shiny new analogue clocks to accommodate the needs of their new venue as well...

Richard Bates wrote:Just as the London League has invested in a number of shiny new analogue clocks to accommodate the needs of their new venue as well...

I know that it's become commonplace to describe purchasing just about anything as an "investment", but using that word here really is taking things too far.

The "official" report is now up.
http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... day-6.html

It's not very complimentary about the possibly retiring President.

FIDE Deputy Mr. Makropoulos deplored the fact that the Presidential Board and Executive team of FIDE had been defamed, threatened and insulted by an election campaign that Mr. Ilyumzhinov had initiated. Mr. Makropoulos mentioned that Mr. Ilyumzhinov is abusing the name of Russia and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in order to hide himself and excuse his team’s insults and threats to FIDE officers. Mr Makropoulos said that Mr Ilyumzhinov should stop doing this.

So who is and perhaps who isn't, on the Ilyumzhinov "team"?