Richard Bowes, NBCA President & CFC Voting Member, is offering for the NAC Committee. He wanted me to share the following statement.


"I realize that the prevailing opinion within the CFC ranks is that IAs are the best qualified persons to sit on the NAC. IAs possess the expertise that is often required to clarify a situation in accordance with the Handbook Section E FIDE Laws of Chess. They are able to assess a situation and apply the specific FIDE law pertaining to it in a succinct manner and are thus able to competently resolve most disputes over rule violations on the spot.

However, not all disputes can be settled by focusing on a specific handbook section and law and applying it verbatim, within a vacuum.

In law judges sometimes avoid a too literal interpretation of a contract or statutory provision in order to avoid an injustice. On such occasions they will apply legal rules of interpretation to arrive at a decision. I feel this same approach is sometimes needed for cases that come before the NAC.

Occasionally incidents arise that are more equitably resolved by taking into consideration the governing principles set out in the FIDE Handbook in conjunction with the Handbook provisions enacted by FIDE for their application. This approach requires someone with a broader understanding of the FIDE Handbook rules, regulations and laws of chess, and knowledge of the interpretive principles needed to apply them.

As a retired lawyer and contracts specialist I believe I can make a positive contribution to the NAC."