Kasparov vs Ilyumzhinov: the FIDE Presidency battle begins

[NickFaulks]

As an aside, the fact that he was so easily overruled later gives the lie to the idea, popular on the forum, that he enjoys total autocratic power within FIDE.

All or nearly all official FIDE events including the Olympiad, are still on zero time default, are they not? So he has yet to be overruled on events FIDE nominally run.

I don't find much appetite for that. The professional players I speak to mostly take the view that if they are playing in a heavily sponsored event, and there is a desire that they roll up to the board in time for the start of the round, then that is not an unreasonable demand. Those players who are still annoyed are mostly amateurs from the smaller federations, but your opinion of us is well known and I assume you would welcome any measure which makes our holiday less pleasant. Remember, when you default a professional game you are spoiling one person's day and improving the other's. When you default an amateur game, you are spoiling it for both.

The big problem in Dresden was not the rule itself, but its enforcement. There was a clear impression that arbiters were setting traps to default as many people as possible, and no allowance was made for teams who were billeted miles away from the venue and faced transport problems. However, this was due entirely to the baleful influence of Ignatius Leong, and provided that Kasparov-Leong do not win in Tromso I do not expect such behaviour in the future.

It would be very interesting if the ECF were to put a motion to the GA to return Olympiads to the old default times - in fact, if they feel so strongly, why haven't they? I expect it would gain support from a fair number of small nations, and almost no large ones. I imagine Bermuda would vote for it.

[Stewart Reuben]

Nick >However, this was due entirely to the baleful influence of Ignatius Leong, and provided that Kasparov-Leong do not win in Tromso I do not expect such behaviour in the future.<

I think it unfair of you to assume Kasparov to act as a sort of Leong clone in the future just because he has joined forces with somebody who sadly so often has a baleful influence on chess of late.
He has done so because he believes it will gain him more votes than he will lose.

All official FIDE events are played with zero tolerance with the exception of Senior tournaments.

The reason no proposal has come forward sweeping zero tolerance aside is because people believe such a proposal would be lost. It has been available as an option in the Laws since 1997.

[David Sedgwick]

Those players who are still annoyed are mostly amateurs from the smaller federations, but your opinion of us is well known and I assume you would welcome any measure which makes our holiday less pleasant.

Those who repeatedly use their power to ensure the continuance in office of the Ilyumzhinov regime are indeed not particularly highly regarded in the larger European Federations.

Remember, when you default a professional game you are spoiling one person's day and improving the other's. When you default an amateur game, you are spoiling it for both.

Members of this Forum understand that perfectly well. It's Ilyumzhinov and his henchmen who do not (or who don't care).

It would be very interesting if the ECF were to put a motion to the GA to return Olympiads to the old default times - in fact, if they feel so strongly, why haven't they?

The ECF have put a proposal to the GA regarding a totally unrelated matter about which they feel strongly. It will be interesting to see whether or not the motion gets a fair hearing.

[NickFaulks]

The ECF have put a proposal to the GA regarding a totally unrelated matter about which they feel strongly. It will be interesting to see whether or not the motion gets a fair hearing.

I trust that some preliminary lobbying has been done, since just sticking a piece of paper in front of 170 people, most of whom do not know what problem is being addressed, doesn't work. Is the relevant Commission onside?

[NickFaulks]

I think it unfair of you to assume Kasparov to act as a sort of Leong clone in the future just because he has joined forces with somebody who sadly so often has a baleful influence on chess of late.

On the contrary, GK has made it completely clear that he has no interest in such details, and will entrust them entirely to his esteemed colleague Ignatius Leong.

[Chris Rice]

Published on GK's site is a copy of the signed letter from the President of the Afghanistan Chess Federation. Or at least he thought he was. Appears he was removed for no apparent reason and not told after many years of service and now wants to be put back on the list of delegates. Think he deserves an answer.

The next article down on that same page is a warning to federations to be careful not giving away their vote by completing and signing proxy forms. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this are I'm not sure but it strikes me as a bit last century to be using pen and paper when you could have your vote recorded and verified easily by Skype or a digital PIN number or some other easy tech way rather than trusting someone to record your vote in the way you want when he/she may be voting another way?

http://kasparov2014.com/2014/06/21/prot ... l-removal/

[Roger de Coverly]

Appears he was removed for no apparent reason and not told after many years of service and now wants to be put back on the list of delegates.

This is the entry for England
http://www.fide.com/fide/directory/memb ... try&fid=43

It lists Nigel Short as Delegate, John Philpott as "General Secretary", Phil Ehr as Chief Executive, David Openshaw as International Director and Andrew Walker as International Rating Officer.

At some time in the recent few months, the FIDE Office would have received a notification to remove Andrew Paulson from the Directory as ECF President. Presumably that came from Phil Ehr or John Philpott. But would they have accepted such a notification from third parties such as the British Olympic Committee or the DCMS on behalf of the British Government? In the case of the Gabon, it appears the entire organisation was replaced, with 1984 style statements that the new organisation had always been the affiliate.

As far as the voting is concerned, I thought the ballot took place on the day and that expressions of support beforehand are not binding. British Company Law allows a difference between a proxy and a directed proxy. It don't think such distinctions made it into the FIDE Statutes as revised by White and Case on Kasparov's behalf.

[Nigel Short]

Good. At least we have now have a proper discussion about the important issue of ballot-rigging, rather than being subjected to irrelevant, propagandist, power-worshipping, servile drivel from a well-known officer of a Kirsan-supporting federation.

[Mike Truran]

Nigel

Are you referring to Nick in your last post?

Mike

[Nigel Short]

Just possibly, Mike.

[NickFaulks]

It was of course quite predictable that Short and Kasparov would now seek to impugn the integrity of the Electoral Commission, its Chairman and individual members. A few facts are worth noting.

1. The framework for this Commission was, as Short says, set out in the new Statutes agreed in Istanbul at the behest of GK. In the case of the Electoral Commission they were pushing on an open door, since plans along these lines were already under consideration, but the final form was precisely that laid down by White & Case. This includes, quite specifically, the composition of the Commission.

2. The Chairman was elected at the EGA in Tallinn. Margaret Murphy, who is granted high respect as a completely fair and sensible person by almost everyone on both sides of the Kirsan/Kasparov divide, was nominated. GK wished to put up his own candidate, and seems to have had difficulty finding a volunteer. He eventually landed on the Polish delegate, a very pleasant chap who would probably have done a perfectly good job. However, Kasparov was able to convince very few federations, even among his supporters, that Margaret was not the ideal choice, and pulled his nominee's candidacy as suddenly as it had appeared.

3. The other members had already been elected by their respective Continents. At the meeting of the Americas, my own Continent, the name of GM Darcy Lima was proposed and he was elected unanimously. He is known to fear that a Kasparov presidency would do little for chess in Latin America but, like Margaret Murphy, is held in high personal esteem by people in the Americas on both sides of that debate. Members of the US delegation were present at that meeting and could have put forward an alternative candidate, but they evidently saw no reason to do so.

I have no direct knowledge of the other Continents, but note this snippet from the minutes of the Asian meeting.

"1.4 FIDE Electoral Commission
On nomination by Sheikh Sultan, seconded by Mr. Leong, CA unanimously elected Mr. Bharat
Singh of India as Asian representative to the FIDE Electoral Commission for the FIDE elections
in Tromso 2014"

If the Kasparov team feel so strongly that Bharat Singh is a terrible person who should be barred from holding office, why did their candidate for General Secretary second his nomination for the post?

[Nigel Short]

Very simple, Nick Faulks: Bharat Singh wasn't running for office at the time. Now that he is, he ought to recuse himself as there is a clear conflict of interest.

[NickFaulks]

Very simple, Nick Faulks: Bharat Singh wasn't running for office at the time. Now that he is, he ought to recuse himself as there is a clear conflict of interest.

He should certainly recuse himself from cases which impinge on the Asian election. What makes you think he won't?

[Nigel Short]

And you assume that the Continental Elections are totally unrelated to the FIDE Election?

[NickFaulks]

And you assume that the Continental Elections are totally unrelated to the FIDE Election?

I don't think that a decision on Gabon impinges on an Asian election, but that isn't the main point. You have portrayed him as an unprincipled person, and if that were the case then it would have been equally true six months ago when Leong, who knows him well, seconded his nomination.