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Thread: 4. Executive / Officer Reports

  1. #11
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    With regard to the financial statements I was not expecting such a surplus though I guess we are operating in the region where every new membership goes straight to the bottom line. It may be that there are some expenses that occur in the second half of the year but these early results have forced me to be a bit more optimistic about our prospects in the short and medium term despite some negative hits likely to our bottom line in the short term. We have ample cushion to absorb them.

  2. #12
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    Thank you, Undriadi, for your report!

    Are you planning to form a CFC Youth Committee?
    Thanks,
    Michael Barron

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    Vlad has already gotten ahead of me with a posting of the Financials. Things look quite for this fiscal year.

  4. #14
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    Default FIDE Report

    Better late than never I hope!

    FIDE Report

    First of all, congratulations to our newest IMs, Michael Kleinman and Shiyam Thavandiran. Vadim Tsypin is our newest FA.

    Since our AGM I had the honour of serving as Chief Arbiter at the World Youth Championships in Montevideo, Uruguay. This tournament was followed soon after by the FIDE Congress in Antalya. Turkey. The Congress is the focus of my report.

    FIDE 2018 Elections:
    President Ilyumzhinov made his plea to the Executive Board, claiming that his previous statements of resignation were made under emotional stress and he wished to return to full power. Deputy President Makropoulous spoke about some of the unpleasant intrigue in recent months. The Treasurer asked for a straw vote by secret ballot, requesting that the President not run in 2018. The final tally 37-20 with 2 abstentions, requesting Kirsan not to run. The President did not stay for the rest of the meeting.

    Surprisingly there are still no named candidates for President. It is still possible that Kirsan will run. Filatov from Russia is a name commonly heard, as is Deputy President Georgios Makropoulous.

    I put my own name forward at the Congress but support was not strong enough.

    Finances:

    Reasonably good news has come on the financial front after back to back losses totalling nearly €1.7 million in 2014 and 2015. The 2016 surplus was €815K on revenues of €2.9 million. The Treasurer introduced an number of austerity measures to achieve this surplus. The Verification Commission, which is a kind of Internal Audit, held a robust meeting and there was clearly an appetite for financial discussion. Hopefully a budgeting committee of some form will arise.
    One of the contentious issues on the financial front has been the agreement with Agon and their poor payment history. Agon claims that the cloud over the FIDE President has made their job of organizing (ie finding money for) the World Championship cycle much more difficult. A new agreement has resulted, with stricter terms and Agon has made significant payments on its account. The Candidates tournament is scheduled for March in Berlin and the Championship match will be November in London.

    QC Direct Titles:


    The Qualification Commission (QC) had proposed a minimum rating requirement on all future Direct Titles, effective July 1 this year. Approval was granted by the Presidential Board but notification to Federations was not ideal and many complaints arose – originally from players and then organizers because they had bid for these events under different terms. Ultimately I negotiated a compromise with the QC Chair to postpone the implementation of the new rule to January 1, 2018.

    DGT Special Pricing:

    Special one time pricing is being offered to all FIDE Federations. The products are not for resale. They are being made available to promote the live broadcast of chess events. DGT has introduced a new lighter plastic broadcast board at a lower price as well. Once we have finalized some of the logistics we will reach out to the provinces and affiliates. We intend to place our order in early February, for delivery in April.

    Future FIDE Events:

    Complete listings are found on the FIDE calendar. Here are some highlights:
    Women’s WC Match: early 2018 in China. Women’s WC Tournament late 2018 in Khanty Mansiysk
    World Junior and Girls U-20 Championship 2018. The event shall be held in Manavgat-Antalya, Turkey, 15-29 September 2018.
    World Junior and Girls U-20 Championship 2019. The event was awarded to India.
    World Youth Championships U-14, U-16, U-18 2019. The event is granted to India.
    World Cadet Championship U-8, U-10, U-12 2018. Santiago de Compostela (Galicia), Spain, 3 -16 November 2018.
    5.3.8. World Cadet Championship U-8, U-10, U-12 2019. Ssecret ballot vote awarded the event to China (32 in favour of China, 23 in favour of Thailand, out of 55 votes).
    World Senior Championship 2018. The event shall be held in Bled, Slovenia, 17-30 November 2018.
    World Senior Championship 2019. Secret ballot has awarded the event to Romania (34 in favour of Romania, Russia – 6 votes, Italy – 7, Germany – 8 votes, out of 55 votes)
    World Team Championship 50+, 65+ 2018. The event shall be held in Radebeul (Dresden), Germany, 30 June - 8 July 2018.
    World Team Championship 50+, 65+ 2019. Secret ballot has awarded the event to Greece (33 in favour of Greece, Czech Republic – 15 votes, Germany – 7 votes, out of 55 votes).
    World Amateur Championship 2018. The event shall be held in Cagliari-Sardegna, Italy, 21 April – 1
    World Amateur Championship 2019. Secret ballot has awarded the event to Mexico (43 votes against 12 votes for Turkey, out of 55 votes).
    World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2018. The event shall be held in Manavgat-Antalya, Turkey, 24 November–3 December 2018.
    World Schools Individual Championship 2018 shall be held in Durres, Albania, 20-30 April 2018.
    World Schools Individual Championship 2019 will be held in Sousse, Tunisia

    Kovalyov:

    I shall conclude my report with this extract from the Executive Board meeting regarding the case. Mr. Azmaiparashvili was absent during my comments but returned shortly and addressed the assembly.

    Mr. Bond said Canada remained very dissatisfied with the unfortunate incident during the World Cup. He was hoping Mr. Azmaiparashvili would be present today to tell us what he had learnt on the situation. He said we went to the Ethics channels where everything was addressed fairly, but he was looking forward to hear from Mr. Azmaiparashvili what lessons he had taken from this.

    Mr. Azmaiparashvili said that everybody is aware of the official letters and exchange. His private letter to the Canadian federation can be made public also. He said all the efforts the Organisers undertook for the successful event and all media is positive about the event, except for this incident. He said he himself is the first to be unhappy about it. All players should respect the dress code in the World Cup and all FIDE events and the Organisers’ efforts. He said he was just helping the Organisers on a voluntary basis. What happened in Tbilisi, the conversation between him and the Grandmaster Kovalyov happened by accident when he witnessed the situation. Our conversation started in a normal way but there was a misunderstanding between us. He said that the organisers had to make sure the event is organised well, but the Grandmaster Kovalyov felt insulted. Mr. Azmaiparashvili wants to apologise to GM Kovalyov as the conversation was before the game and he is from the same chess family. He hoped that the Canadian Federation does not have anything against him personally. Mr. Kovalyov declares he will never play in any FIDE event anymore but we hope and we wish him to become one of the most successful players in the world and he thinks this is just emotional reaction. He mentioned that the dress code and obligations of all parties of an official event should be detailed, as there is a different view on such issue. Mr. Azmaiparashvili said he did not feel well yet about this situation. He said we live in a free world and asked FIDE that the responsibilities of all parties should be clearly written down in the official regulations for each event.

    Mr. Borg said the CBC tasked all Commissions Chairmen were tasked for their comments with their Commissions and it will be put in the regulations for all the events, together with the WCOC and EVE events. No misunderstanding will be any more, it will be clearly stated. As for Olympiad, is our version of the Olympic Games, and the representation of Olympic Games – we had players not following any dress code. Either you wear the colour of your country, in normal track suits. Western players do not have habit of wearing uniforms. We make sure we change this and all teams should have the dress code – tracksuits or blazer and trousers or skirts. Mr. Gelfer said in Olympiads it is complicated because few countries play with their nationals living in different countries. He said he did not think that the problem is not dress code described enough, the problem is that till today we have not looked at the dress code seriously and this is a silver lining of the situation. We have to look seriously and some Arbiters even do not remember that there is a dress-code. The World Cup Arbiters should have done this before the first round.

    Mr. Makropoulos said that he thinks it was wrong that Mr. Kovalyov was coming to play in Tbilisi in shorts. He also said that there was information that in Baku Mr. Kovalyov did not bother to come to receive his medal at the awards ceremony.If this is true, it shows the mentality of this player towards the organisers. Of course we have to specify the areas where he was right, but in general and it shows his mentality. It is a mistake of the arbiters in the tournament that they did not notice the way he dressed and it was a mistake of Mr. Azmaiparashvili as an Organiser, to go and speak to the player, he had to speak to the arbiters. Mr. Makropoulos said we tried not to have a clear dress-code, hoping for their understanding but as this is not the case, t here is a 2017 Executive Board Minutes 41 need of clear regulations about it.

    Respectfully Submitted

    Hal Bond
    2017-12-15

  5. #15
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    Thank you, Hal for your report. Does this mean that you're not running for FIDE president? This was the external factor that led me not to vote for a boycott.

  6. #16
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    A look at the threads speaks of the advertising of provincial tournaments across the country; youth participation and related costs; the women's tournament in Montreal; Larry Bevand seeking to sell Chesstalk ... I'm thinking that the CFC "must" be more active in putting chess out in the "public's face". In my view, the CFC Communications Director is one of the most important positions on the CFC. I wonder whether we could have a report on the 2017 activities and what 2018 is anticipated to bring ? In my view, the CFC needs to provide the various Clubs and provincial associations with the tools to assist in chess promotion. For example, how to create a chess club and how to promote it (for example, I send out a weekly e-mail to our local print publications which publicize our Chess Club meetings on a weekly basis under their "community events" section). I've created a registration form for new members which includes their e-mail address. As a result, I'm able to send out a weekly e-mail to our Club members reminding them of our weekly Club meeting, time, date and place. I'm certain there are many more ideas out there which can be incorporated into a local/provincial/national "Chess Promotion" campaign.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vladimir Drkulec View Post
    Thank you, Hal for your report. Does this mean that you're not running for FIDE president? This was the external factor that led me not to vote for a boycott.
    Let's just say I am less inclined to run than I once was.

  8. #18
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    Speaking of financials and referring to a discussion elsewhere regarding the fact that CFC membership dues have been unchanged for quite some time:
    Why don't we consider budgeting a small incentive grant for organizers willing to take on some of the national championships that present such a challenge each year?
    I'm speaking of the Canadian Closed, Open, Junior, Women's and possibly the Senior.
    Paul Leblanc
    Treasurer, Chess Foundation of Canada
    CFC Voting Member

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Leblanc View Post
    Speaking of financials and referring to a discussion elsewhere regarding the fact that CFC membership dues have been unchanged for quite some time:
    Why don't we consider budgeting a small incentive grant for organizers willing to take on some of the national championships that present such a challenge each year?
    I'm speaking of the Canadian Closed, Open, Junior, Women's and possibly the Senior.
    If the Canadian Open is bundled with the CYCC we don't have a shortage of willing organizers. I think organizers have to have a realistic understanding of what the Canadian Open entails and not go crazy on the prize fund unless and until they have sponsors and funds in place. In the case of the Senior it has worked quite well in the past as part of the Kitchener Chess Festival. Did the tournament lose money in BC?

    We broke even in Windsor by following the BC model for putting on a Canadian Open with a reasonable prize fund matching entry fees and funds raised.

    The Canadian Closed remains a problem largely because of all the rules we have in place which makes it cost prohibitive for most organizers. At some point, when I am no longer CFC president, I would like to take a shot at organizing this tournament since I have already done the two big junior events (CYCC and NAYCC) and the Canadian Open.

  10. #20
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    The 2016 Canadian Senior broke even financially. It would have been nice to provide better amenities for the players and to have been able to help with travel costs to the World Senior but that was far beyond our budget.
    Good to know that there is no shortage of bids for upcoming Canadian Opens. I remember at the Toronto events in 2010 and 2011 that the organizers came to the AGM requesting that the CFC write off the rating fees because they were over-budget. That was probably caused by "going crazy with the prize fund". The 2012 Canadian Open in Victoria was paired with a CYCC in Vancouver and would have had a considerable loss without a last minute BC government grant. The prize fund was quite modest but it's hard to generate more than 150 entries on the geographic fringes and travel costs for the visiting GM's is quite high.

    The Closed and the Women's Closed are not affordable for any organizer without support from the CFC.

    I suppose, in closing, that an event proposal to hold a national championship could contain a stipulation that some CFC funding be provided and then be judged accordingly.
    Paul Leblanc
    Treasurer, Chess Foundation of Canada
    CFC Voting Member

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