Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

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Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election?

Poll ended at Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:05 am

Arkady Dvorkovich
5
11%
Georgios Makropoulos
9
20%
Nigel Short
22
48%
None of the Above
10
22%
 
Total votes: 46

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:26 pm

Every time a FIDE election comes along, it reminds me of Tom Lehrer's song about Wernher von Braun, in which he says, "A man whose allegiance is ruled by expedience."

Brian Towers
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Brian Towers » Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:24 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:26 pm
Every time a FIDE election comes along, it reminds me of Tom Lehrer's song about Wernher von Braun, in which he says, "A man whose allegiance is ruled by expedience."
Ah, but I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now.

Chris Rice
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Chris Rice » Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:48 pm

Nigel tweets:

""In his capacity as a Presidential Candidate" , but apparently using FIDE lawyers, Makro seeks to ban Israel, Kenya, Djibouti and Serbia from FIDE membership. Just when you imagine it is not possible to sink any lower, this awful man achieves it."

Nick Grey
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:01 am

Ok with 2 weeks to go for this Poll to stop, 42 votes to 332 posts, how many more votes will be cast? I'm struggling to find on betting sites which suggests the market knows best.

One for a mathematics teacher. At my school lesson one on statistics - there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Also the BBC News slot on a number of politicians that are seeming to change their published views on Brexit in comparison to their party policies.

Whatever way the election goes we are likely to feel let down.

Richard Bates
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Richard Bates » Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:50 am

Given today’s events, lobbying the Israeli government may not be particularly productive for Dvorkovich at the moment?

NickFaulks
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by NickFaulks » Tue Sep 18, 2018 7:59 pm

Richard Bates wrote:
Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:50 am
Given today’s events, lobbying the Israeli government may not be particularly productive for Dvorkovich at the moment?
Russia and Israel have made their peace, so we're back where we were. FIDE has given a raft of special GM and IM titles to the Arab Chess Federation and is working hard to expel Israel. Not much doubt which voting group they're counting on.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

IanCalvert
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by IanCalvert » Tue Sep 18, 2018 10:56 pm

Nick are you sure about Israel?

For me and i guess many other ECF members attempts to expel israel, contrasted with title issues, crosses a redline worthy of ECF abstention in a second ballot.

(For the avoidance of doubt i very much hope the Israeli voters change their government sometime very soon.)

Chris Rice
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Chris Rice » Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:59 pm

Today's tweeting action sees Nigel going for a dig at Malcolm:

"Does @TelegraphChess approve of the decision of his boss, Makropoulos, to spend FIDE money in an attempt to ban Israel, Kenya, Djibouti and Serbia? Is that not an abuse of office and a disgraceful waste of resources?"

Makro weighs in with:

"Our rivals publish hastily 1-page manifestos, boringly promising the same virtual "millions" that Kirsan promised. Hoping to "buy dreams" as they say themselves. Our own detailed 12-page presentation has been published two months before the FIDE elections"

I assume this is a dig at Dvorkovich's Let's Get Chess out of the Woods Candidates Programme which focuses on an increased FIDE budget.

Alex Holowczak
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Alex Holowczak » Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:20 am

Chris Rice wrote:
Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:59 pm
"Our rivals publish hastily 1-page manifestos, boringly promising the same virtual "millions" that Kirsan promised. Hoping to "buy dreams" as they say themselves. Our own detailed 12-page presentation has been published two months before the FIDE elections"
Which gives the impression that it was well-organised and well-prepared. So much so, I had to dig deep to find the first spelling mistake in the presentation, hidden away as late as the first sentence of the presentation.
Makro's presentation wrote: "Is loyal to FIDE, accecible and honest."

Brian Towers
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Brian Towers » Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:48 am

Chris Rice wrote:
Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:48 pm
Nigel tweets:

""In his capacity as a Presidential Candidate" , but apparently using FIDE lawyers, Makro seeks to ban Israel, Kenya, Djibouti and Serbia from FIDE membership. Just when you imagine it is not possible to sink any lower, this awful man achieves it."
Unfortunately Malcolm's riposte begs a lot of questions -

"No it is not a waste of resources to investigate corruption. It's like... cleanhands4FIDE Complainant costs to be borne by FIDE Forward obviously. FIDE Ethics Commission will decide but to me evidence against Serbia looks extensive and detailed and I will be propagating"

1) So "evidence against Serbia looks extensive" but evidence against Israel, Kenya, Djibouti? Presumably non-existent, apart from a public declaration of support for another candidate.

2) Is the evidence against Serbia new? Or has it been around for a while and is only being raised now because of the elections?

I had high hopes when Malcolm first made his pitch, "Vote Makro, get Pein in 4 years time and in the meantime I'll make sure the corruption of the past goes away" but it looks like he is just acting as cover for Makro and the age old practices continue.
Ah, but I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:07 am

Brian Towers wrote:
Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:48 am
2) Is the evidence against Serbia new? Or has it been around for a while and is only being raised now because of the elections?
This seems to be one of those disputes as to which organisation is the national federation or which people represent it.
http://www.serbiachess.net/2017/2017121 ... ndence.pdf

(Google serbia fide delegate)

The Serbian federation is new in the sense of having to be reconstituted after the split between Serbia and Montenegro.

(edit) chess-news.ru also had a piece last year about a dispute between the Serbian Federation and FIDE.
http://chess-news.ru/en/node/24045
(/edit)

Chris Rice
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by Chris Rice » Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:38 pm

Today's news started with a rather odd tweet from Nigel:

""I did not have sexual relations with that woman" - Bill Clinton, 1998.
"I have zero tolerance of corruption." - Malcolm Pein, Chess editorial, 2018."

Then Dvorkovich got all legal"

"I announced that I would take all possible legal measures to protect my reputation and good name. Yesterday my Swiss lawyers filed a petition to the D.A. office in Lausanne in order to prosecute Mr. Makropoulos for defamation."

Nigel supported Dvorkovich's action tweeting:

"Some people have acted with impunity within FIDE for decades. Perhaps not any longer..."

Makro dismissed Dvorkovich's threats with:

"While threatening in public, aiming to stop me from complaining to the Ethics Commission, at the same time he is begging the same Commission for immunity. #I cannot be threatened."

David Sedgwick
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by David Sedgwick » Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:41 am

There is a new tweet by Malcolm at https://twitter.com/TelegraphChess/stat ... 8330722305.

"This has not gone unnoticed by https://twitter.com/ecfchess but more on that later."

It looks as though the ECF Board has followed Malcolm's earlier lead and decided to vote for Makro on the first or second ballot owing to the Salisbury poisonings.

We await more information.

David Sedgwick
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by David Sedgwick » Fri Sep 21, 2018 10:24 am

David Sedgwick wrote:
Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:41 am
We await more information.
... which we now have.

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/fide-elections/

NickFaulks
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Re: Which Candidate Should the ECF Support in the FIDE Presidential Election? (Take 2)

Post by NickFaulks » Fri Sep 21, 2018 10:36 am

So much for keeping politics out of sport. Anyone troubled by corruption within FIDE will hope that the ECF's record of backing losers will be maintained.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

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