Mr Keene's increasing involvement with the ECF

[Paul Cooksey]

#cjdemooi president of #englishchessfederation asked tonight if i wd be interested in becoming captain of english olympiad team in istanbul.

#englisholympiadteam -i am considering the possibility #istanbul #cjdemooi

For once I am in agreement with Mr Toad (although he forgot to identify whose tweets they are)

I can see how Mr Keene is useful to chess officials, he also tweeted:

great news-ian reynolds director of liverpool victoria #lv= has offered to coordinate fundraising for english olympiad team-contact him at..

..#[email protected] fundraising for english olympiad team-we cd get adams short mcshane gawain howell pls contact him !!

But, stealing somone elses meme, it would be nice to have some reassurance that if the ECF intend to sup with the devil, their spoon is sufficiently long.

(In passing, amongst RDKs minor sins, is complete incompetence using hashtags. Watching him tweet is a bit like hearing a middle-aged youth club leader trying to sound "hip")

[Roger de Coverly]

For once I am in agreement with Mr Toad (although he forgot to identify whose tweets they are)

Ray's breakfast companion now thinks it would be a good idea.

[Andrew Farthing]

Responsibility for appointing the captain of the Olympiad team rests with the Director of International Chess, who chairs the International Selection Committee. The ECF President has no involvement.

Raymond Keene has not been invited to be the England captain. The Twitter comments - based on lighthearted chitchat at the Varsity match, I understand - should not be taken seriously.

Apologies to those who became needlessly excited/upset/bemused at the "news".

[Angus French]

Responsibility for appointing the captain of the Olympiad team rests with the Director of International Chess, who chairs the International Selection Committee. The ECF President has no involvement.

Raymond Keene has not been invited to be the England captain. The Twitter comments - based on lighthearted chitchat at the Varsity match, I understand - should not be taken seriously.

Apologies to those who became needlessly excited/upset/bemused at the "news".

One wonders whether Ray Keene misreported or whether CJ made the invitation. Would CJ care to comment?

[Roger de Coverly]

The Twitter comments - based on lighthearted chitchat at the Varsity match, I understand - should not be taken seriously.

What about the Twitter comments on fund raising immediately preceding?

..#[email protected] fundraising for english olympiad team-we cd get adams short mcshane gawain howell pls contact him !!

great news-ian reynolds director of liverpool victoria #lv= has offered to coordinate fundraising for english olympiad team-contact him at.

LV sponsored the 2008 team, so are those comments serious ones?

[David Sedgwick]

The Twitter comments - based on lighthearted chitchat at the Varsity match, I understand - should not be taken seriously.

What about the Twitter comments on fund raising immediately preceding?

..#[email protected] fundraising for english olympiad team-we cd get adams short mcshane gawain howell pls contact him !!

great news-ian reynolds director of liverpool victoria #lv= has offered to coordinate fundraising for english olympiad team-contact him at.

LV sponsored the 2008 team, so are those comments serious ones?

I see no reason to think otherwise.

Ian Reynolds sat next to Ray Keene at the dinner (with CJ on Ray's other side).

[JustinHorton]

Are there any photos? I have a blasphemous caption in mind.

[LawrenceCooper]

I take a break from the internet for 48 hours and look what happens

No one has been offered the England captaincy for either team for this year's Olympiad by me and unless I've been removed from my post as International Director in the last forty eight hours no one else is in a position to do so.

Ian Reynolds was involved with funding for the 2011 European Team Championships including a personal donation so there is nothing new in this story.

[Paul Cooksey]

Oh look:

CAPTAINCY OLYMPIAD TEAM- inability to read has overtaken many seeing my tweet-cj merely asked wd I be available if INVITED-NOBODY DID...

AND CHECKING my calendar today i see that i cdnt do it anyway-much ado about nothing!

The trickster gets his just deserts at the end of the play if I recall correctly.

I can't imagine anyone took the prospect of RDK captaining England seriously, but we probably should view his involvement in fund raising differently. I assume he tweeted on the captaincy to dip his toe in the waters of public opinion, and take the opportunity to portray himself as a central figure in English chess, at least to those on its periphery.

As before, I understand why some members of the ECF board might consider him a useful contact. (Chessboxing week in the Times next week...) But I don't see his influence as positive, and hope the board as a whole remember his history and act prudently.

[JustinHorton]

A vintage RDK squirm.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Oh look:

CAPTAINCY OLYMPIAD TEAM- inability to read has overtaken many seeing my tweet-cj merely asked wd I be available if INVITED-NOBODY DID...

AND CHECKING my calendar today i see that i cdnt do it anyway-much ado about nothing!

The trickster gets his just deserts at the end of the play if I recall correctly.

I can't imagine anyone took the prospect of RDK captaining England seriously, but we probably should view his involvement in fund raising differently. I assume he tweeted on the captaincy to dip his toe in the waters of public opinion, and take the opportunity to portray himself as a central figure in English chess, at least to those on its periphery.

As before, I understand why some members of the ECF board might consider him a useful contact. (Chessboxing week in the Times next week...) But I don't see his influence as positive, and hope the board as a whole remember his history and act prudently.

There is a plug for chessboxing in the Times today. In true Keene style it leads to the comment that Max Euwe would have been very good, thus bringing to mind the game of the day from 1940 Euwe- Keres!

[Alex McFarlane]

Another 'interesting' Steve Giddins Blog today.

If it is to be believed (and he is usually reasonably accurate in these matters) the ECF President has little or no faith in his Board. He is also quite happy to make a joke at the expense of the members of his organisation.

Perhaps Mr De Mooi will finally come out of his self imposed exile and explain this one.
Perhaps his apology could contain the sentences.
"I didn't actually use the word 'captain'. My phrase 'accept a position of responsibility' was misunderstood by the members of the media to whom I was in communication."

I hope more people will now agree with the S&B Blog that De Mooi has exceeded his sell by date.

[Roger de Coverly]

The initial hoax, that CJ had been invited to captain England at the next Olympiad, drew no reaction at all, but once the termites thought that Ray Keene had been invited, there was much agitation.

The original forum post, see subject line above, was quite clear that CJ was the asker and RDK the potential captain. It was only the blogger who wrote that CJ was the potential captain.

As Alex McF observes, CJ is a member of the ECF Board, therefore in a very good position to raise the issue, if it even is an issue, about the non appointment, yet, of a captain for Istanbul.

[LawrenceCooper]

The initial hoax, that CJ had been invited to captain England at the next Olympiad, drew no reaction at all, but once the termites thought that Ray Keene had been invited, there was much agitation.

The original forum post, see subject line above, was quite clear that CJ was the asker and RDK the potential captain. It was only the blogger who wrote that CJ was the potential captain.

As Alex McF observes, CJ is a member of the ECF Board, therefore in a very good position to raise the issue, if it even is an issue, about the non appointment, yet, of a captain for Istanbul.

It's not an issue. I won't know my ECF budget until the April Finance meeting so no one will be selected or appointed for either team before then anyway. The tournament regulations have yet to be released so their remains the possibility of dates and venue changing.

[Paul Cooksey]

Another 'interesting' Steve Giddins Blog today. If it is to be believed (snip)

I suspect on this occasion he is not. As Roger notes he appears to be trying to retcon his blog. I note Mr Keene has not explained the hoax himself, I'll continue to assume he intends to give the impression he could be seriously considered for the role, however ludicrous it seems to Mr Giddins.*

My concern was, and remains, that Mr Keene's close relationship with board members is not in the ECF's interests. That would hardly be lessened if I had been taken in by a hoax perpetrated by him together with the ECF President.

I would not go quite as far as Alex does. But I think CJ would be wise to reflect on whether Mr Keene's japery advances his aims. At the most charitable, it is a poor friend who embarrasses you by sharing a private joke.


(* if you enjoy the ludicrous, you might want to join me in contemplating the type of captain Mr Keene might be. Is it the technical advisor? A figure like Kasimdzhanov; bang up-to-date with the latest theory and technology, working tirelessly to give insights into the opposition. Or perhaps, instead, an egoless facilitator, humbly doing all he can to protect his players from distraction? I find it difficult to decide which role best fits Mr Keene's skills)