11.1 Presidential Campaign Thread

[Vladimir Drkulec]

In an ideal world people would become voting members and volunteer for assignments and lead projects which help the CFC fulfill its mandate. They will be known by their results and demonstrated competence and rise through the ranks and be seen as leaders who can then challenge for higher levels of responsibility based on the positive results and outcomes that they have clearly shown. We don’t live in that world. Our world is a fast food paradise where everyone is in a hurry, everyone wants a participation award and everyone wants to start at the top and become CEO without having to put in their dues. It is not clear what he would do differently than what we are already doing.


I am not going to say anything bad about Mahmud. I have met him a few times over the years and my impression has always been positive. He’s a nice guy but that doesn’t mean that he is the right guy to lead the CFC.


The candidate and his team have stated that I have been a good president but that it is now time for a change of direction. I disagree with the two aspects of this statement. I am a good president right now, present tense, today with seven years of experience as president over the course of which we have totally reversed the negative momentum that had been a feature of the CFC. I am a good president with the experience to deal with the considerable challenges that we are facing today. I have the connections and the skills which are needed to help chess get over the hurdles that have been placed in front of us through nobody’s fault. The direction that we were going was up, up, up.

We already got a taste of a change of direction with the Covid pandemic which has hit us like a train hitting a car at an unmarked railway crossing. If I am re-elected I expect that with the help of the volunteers, officers and executive to reassemble the vehicle that was the CFC and head forward in the same direction we were going previously which was up, up, up. The CFC does not need a change of direction nor does it need a change of leadership.

In any endeavour, there is a learning curve. This is true for the CFC presidency as with anything else. Mistakes will be made. The key is to make lots of them and correct course when results are disappointing. If you do make mistakes, make sure they are not catastrophic ones.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

Lets talk about what being a 'good president' in CFC. I think being present and available are very good qualities, experience and knowing all the projects of the CFC from inside certainly helps. However, in the last years we have descended to a situation where the gap between directors and voting members is such that the voting members are only needed once a year on election day, and even that not every year (no candidates). I think a CFC president should not be dictatorial.

To explain 'dictatorial', some examples.

We don't have a current rules handbook, discussions of rewriting it have been going for maybe a decade. When the 'old handbook' laws don't suit the president, they get ignored, ie Canadian championship 2017 (no paying grandmasters hotel fees, etc). I might personally even agree on some of those decisions that were against the 'old rules' - but the point is, the rule of law does not work in CFC, directors (president) decide.

Its rare that there is a vote between two different bids for tournaments, more often than not voting members are just put against the fact that so and so bid has been approved

Juniors to masters - "CFC will sponsor 20 players into the JtM Program. Each player will receive $250 sponsorship to be used towards the registration into the JtM Program in a CFC yearly chess cycle." I have met Gergely Szabo and he is a wonderful person, but I am not sure why CFC decided to make JtM officially affiliated with them through sponsorship. There are quite a few canadian coaches in the big cities, myself included, who could be approached with attempts of creating group lessons for the 'elite' up and coming kids. I daresay we could even do better, because in non-covid times a group lesson would work so much better in person, the chemistry, competition is so much better than online. I can understand when CFC decides to have a coach living in Europe train the canadian youth team, because of cheaper costs, but this initiative I found very anti-canadian in nature. Once again, voting members are just put against the fact that this is now how things are, no discussion.

I hope if the CFC has a new president, the status quo will change.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

Also.

" When I was approached by members of Mahmud's campaign and then by Mahmud himself I said that I would not step down as I would feel that I was abandoning the CFC in the midst of a crisis (the pandemic). "

Is CFC in a crisis? What has the CFC done to adapt to the pandemic? What steps were taken to help organizers restart tournaments, perhaps organize something online?

[Victoria Doknjas]

Hi Nikolay,

As you mentioned our Juniors to Masters Program, I thought I would add in some info, especially to help alley your fears of us being "anti-Canadian".

JtM is not just an one-man operation. We are a Canadian company that have a team of Canadian instructors who are experienced chess coaches as well as published authors. At the helm of our teaching team is GM Gergely Szabo who is a FIDE Trainer from Romania and who has coached Canadian teams at the World stage, including the 2018 Canadian Women’s Olympiad Team, as the Head Coach of the Canadian delegation at the 2015 World Youth Chess Championship in Greece, and as the Trainer and Captain of Team Canada at the 2014 U16 Olympiad, which won 5th place. I (Victoria) am also a big part of JtM and am a proud Canadian and have has been the Canadian Head of Delegation and Team BC Captain including at the North American Youth Chess Championship (in New Jersey 2017 and in New York 2014) and at the World Youth & Cadet Chess Championships (in Halkidiki, Greece 2015).

GM Gergely Szabo and I have discussed the concept of JtM for many years and the result is our Juniors to Masters Program which offers online group training that is inclusive of ALL Canadians which span our great nation from the beautiful West Coast to the awesome Maritime, and all the wonderful provinces in between. By embracing technology, we are able to train Canadian youths in advance and in preparation of the major World events like the WCCC, WYCC, World U16 Youth Olympiad, Women's Olympiad, etc. AND where they would then meet up and work with in person GM Gergely Szabo.

JtM submitted a proposal to the CFC Executives to create a National Training Program for our Canadian Youth which took into consideration GM Gergely Szabo's position as Team Canada Head Coach at the WYCC which was scheduled to take place in Romania. Our goal was to create a year long program as a preparation to these World events for ALL Canadians, not just those in ON, nor only those in BC, nor any one place -- it is for ALL Canadians, and that is how technology allows us to be inclusive. Kids are smart. We have seen them quickly adapt to online learning in all aspects of their lives during this Covid-19 shutdown. JtM had already been embracing the online experience well before Covid-19.

Any coach or any organization can submit proposals to the CFC Executives all year round, and are encouraged to do so. I think this is what helps to move CFC forward. When good ideas are brought to them and things get done for the good of the chess community, we all win.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Lets talk about what being a 'good president' in CFC. I think being present and available are very good qualities, experience and knowing all the projects of the CFC from inside certainly helps. However, in the last years we have descended to a situation where the gap between directors and voting members is such that the voting members are only needed once a year on election day, and even that not every year (no candidates). I think a CFC president should not be dictatorial.

I don't think that what you are describing is dictatorial. Quarterly meetings are unusual for almost every other non-profit, particularly as small as the CFC. Quarterly meetings that last 8 days don't exist anywhere else. The voting members get to pop in and out but we are basically locked into the meeting in every spare moment of the eight days. By law, we only need to have an annual meeting and we are in trouble if we delay it four or six months (I don't recall the exact number). Maybe the quarterly meetings need to be more manageable and held over Skype or over Zoom and last a few hours like the annual meetings used to last and then we would not need to find time where we can commit eight days straight to running a meeting. Originally I had intended to have an intermediate meeting which dealt only with the financials and then COVID hit. That would have meant that there were four meetings for the year. Then the meeting was going to be about financials and COVID much like this meeting is going to be. Then we had a few situations which we were dealing with, which might have required the voting members to adjudicate but we have to give three weeks notice of any meeting and give a complete agenda. Some of the items might have made the agenda and some might not. I only just got the financials a day or two ago and they were finalized last night so one of the main items just was not ready for a meeting. I wish we could get to the point where financials are done three weeks before the meeting and shared with the voting members before the meeting. When there is only one employee and fires everywhere some things only get addressed when the pressure gets really high.




To explain 'dictatorial', some examples.

We don't have a current rules handbook, discussions of rewriting it have been going for maybe a decade.

They have and have you volunteered to rewrite a section? I spent close to a year on the NFP process which took a lot out of me. I think we had six meetings that year. I have lots of promises to complete updated sections of the handbook but they never seem to come to a vote. I have promised to be bound by the handbook as much as possible where it is lawful while I am president but I didn't think that we would not have a handbook of policies at this point.




When the 'old handbook' laws don't suit the president, they get ignored, ie Canadian championship 2017 (no paying grandmasters hotel fees, etc). I might personally even agree on some of those decisions that were against the 'old rules' - but the point is, the rule of law does not work in CFC, directors (president) decide.

It is well and good to demand that organizers have to adhere to the old handbook but even the old handbook recognizes that if there are no other bids, the organizer can vary from that handbook by submitting a proposal. If the choice is between an event where the grandmasters don't get their rooms and no event we are a bit stuck there. In the case of the only major event that I organized where there were grandmasters in attendance they did get rooms and apparently generous stipends. I believe we even found billets for any IMs. It is all about how well you can negotiate with hotels and local officials.

We are in a different world now because of a progression of events with respect to top tournaments like the Canadian Closed and Canadian Open. Some grandmasters have told me that the Canadian Open was quite generous in 2016. The GMs deserve the respect. IMs also deserve respect.


Its rare that there is a vote between two different bids for tournaments, more often than not voting members are just put against the fact that so and so bid has been approved

That is the rule from the handbook.




Juniors to masters - "CFC will sponsor 20 players into the JtM Program. Each player will receive $250 sponsorship to be used towards the registration into the JtM Program in a CFC yearly chess cycle." I have met Gergely Szabo and he is a wonderful person, but I am not sure why CFC decided to make JtM officially affiliated with them through sponsorship. There are quite a few canadian coaches in the big cities, myself included, who could be approached with attempts of creating group lessons for the 'elite' up and coming kids. I daresay we could even do better, because in non-covid times a group lesson would work so much better in person, the chemistry, competition is so much better than online. I can understand when CFC decides to have a coach living in Europe train the canadian youth team, because of cheaper costs, but this initiative I found very anti-canadian in nature. Once again, voting members are just put against the fact that this is now how things are, no discussion.

I hope if the CFC has a new president, the status quo will change.

I am sorry that I missed the proposal that you submitted. What day was it sent? I want there to be training programs in every city. It was in the 2012 strategic plan for the CFC. Pre-COVID we were looking at growing surpluses which meant that we could go beyond just paying for the Olympiad team to attend Olympiads and get into more training. When this proposal came to us we decided to try it and see if it improved our results at WYCC. We didn't get a chance to find out though one of the recipients did win the Women's Continental after completing the program that the CFC partially sponsored. It wasn't just because of the program but Maili-Jade Ouellet has said good things about her experience in Juniors to Masters and she is still involved in the program to this day without any subsidy from the CFC.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Also.

" When I was approached by members of Mahmud's campaign and then by Mahmud himself I said that I would not step down as I would feel that I was abandoning the CFC in the midst of a crisis (the pandemic). "

Is CFC in a crisis?

Six months without very much revenue would probably constitute a crisis in the minds of most people. Yeah, I would say that we are in a bit of a crisis.




What has the CFC done to adapt to the pandemic? What steps were taken to help organizers restart tournaments, perhaps organize something online?

We have done plenty. Perhaps you could pay attention to the CFC forums and CFC facebook page where we announce the tournaments that are taking place online and the issues we are having if you are unaware.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

Hi Victoria,

Just to elaborate - I don't think Juniors to Masters is "anti-Canadian" at all. I think the decision of CFC executive to approve your proposal is, without consulting the voting members and without approaching other Canadian coaches/teachers. You have a private, mostly family run company (I checked https://juniorstomasters.site123.me/our-team), and you are doing great things for the chess community, while also promoting your own interests.

I also have been teaching online for many years, while having most of my lessons in person. Today everything is online. I think most would agree that, while kids certainly are smart and can adapt to online learning - in person learning is still more beneficial for them.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

"I am sorry that I missed the proposal that you submitted. What day was it sent? I want there to be training programs in every city. It was in the 2012 strategic plan for the CFC. Pre-COVID we were looking at growing surpluses which meant that we could go beyond just paying for the Olympiad team to attend Olympiads and get into more training. When this proposal came to us we decided to try it and see if it improved our results at WYCC. We didn't get a chance to find out though one of the recipients did win the Women's Continental after completing the program that the CFC partially sponsored. It wasn't just because of the program but Maili-Jade Ouellet has said good things about her experience in Juniors to Masters and she is still involved in the program to this day without any subsidy from the CFC."

A lot of words as usual, Vlad. If you would like to have training programs in every city, what have you done since 2012 Strategic Plan? If The CFC advertised that they would like to set up a group lessons training program, and it was looking for potential candidates for coaches - I would likely check in to see if I could be of use, because I like the idea of group lessons. As is, I have enough private students to not worry about changing my life.

"They have and have you volunteered to rewrite a section? I spent close to a year on the NFP process which took a lot out of me. I think we had six meetings that year. I have lots of promises to complete updated sections of the handbook but they never seem to come to a vote. I have promised to be bound by the handbook as much as possible where it is lawful while I am president but I didn't think that we would not have a handbook of policies at this point."

I am a coach and a chess player. Also a 'voting member', I do what I can. You are the president of CFC for 7 years - where your your handbook?

"We have done plenty. Perhaps you could pay attention to the CFC forums and CFC facebook page where we announce the tournaments that are taking place online and the issues we are having if you are unaware."

I am sorry, but I do check the forums and the facebook page. And yet, I wrote what I wrote. Are you claiming that the CFC is responsible for all the events for kids that are being organized by organizers who were running these events pre-covid, or the maritime lichess tournaments? I believe, the only thing CFC did is decide to rate these tournaments.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

"Six months without very much revenue would probably constitute a crisis in the minds of most people. Yeah, I would say that we are in a bit of a crisis."

From reading the Treasurer Report, I get the feeling that everything is fine, and I am not the only one who thinks so. Not much revenue, but also no expenses. If we are in a crisis though, I'd love to hear a plan. I think its missing in your campaign essays.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Maritime lichess tournaments are run by Fred Mckim. There have been two matches with Romania, yesterday there was a match with the USA, there have been matches with clubs including the CFC executive and officers getting trounced by the Juniors to Masters kids. Not to mention that I had to enter the information for the Olympiad because the president of each federation is the one given the password and logon. Much of the impetus for the online CFC events has been the Covid rating incentive which lets people play games that are meaningful if you achieve some improvement in your active rating through CFC online play.

Paul Leblanc, CFC rating auditor, Victoria Doknjas, Christina Tao and the rest of the CFC board were involved in that initiative. We aren't sitting on our laurels and we aren't sitting around doing nothing but I have lots of things in my life including a nephew who was very sick and only today seems to have started to recover.

I love you because you do things like volunteer to coach teams for which we have paid you at times but I don't have time to hold people's hands. Bring us a proposal if and when we recover from this pandemic and it will be looked at closely. You are a good coach and we would love to have a network of good coaches training our kids. If you aren't asking us for money right now we would even help you as much as we could.

Anyone who loves chess and is trying to make chess better is a friend of the CFC and of me.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

Maritime lichess tournaments are run by Fred Mckim. There have been two matches with Romania, yesterday there was a match with the USA, there have been matches with clubs including the CFC executive and officers getting trounced by the Juniors to Masters kids. Not to mention that I had to enter the information for the Olympiad because the president of each federation is the one given the password and logon. Much of the impetus for the online CFC events has been the Covid rating incentive which lets people play games that are meaningful if you achieve some improvement in your active rating through CFC online play.

Paul Leblanc, CFC rating auditor, Victoria Doknjas, Christina Tao and the rest of the CFC board were involved in that initiative. We aren't sitting on our laurels and we aren't sitting around doing nothing but I have lots of things in my life including a nephew who was very sick and only today seems to have started to recover.

I love you because you do things like volunteer to coach teams for which we have paid you at times but I don't have time to hold people's hands. Bring us a proposal if and when we recover from this pandemic and it will be looked at closely. You are a good coach and we would love to have a network of good coaches training our kids. If you aren't asking us for money right now we would even help you as much as we could.

Anyone who loves chess and is trying to make chess better is a friend of the CFC and of me.

Fred Mckim has organized these events (in person) before covid times as well. Juniors to masters organizes some events for select kids, and that's great (but not CFC accomplishment). All CFC events were cancelled. FIDE events have been cancelled too, but it seems they are trying to hold online rapid control versions of many of their cancelled events.

I am sorry its one sided, I prefer to look for love on dating sites, not on chesscanada.info. I am not asking for money, and I am sure you understand the times the the CFC paid me to coach and world youth events, I would have earned more money in less working time if I stayed home.

You don't understand my criticism - I don't like how the process of how decisions are made. I am not looking for goodies for myself. If we have a new president, perhaps things could change.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

\

I am sorry its one sided, I prefer to look for love on dating sites, not on chesscanada.info.

That explains the frustration. Online dating is not real for the most part.

[Victoria Doknjas]

Hi Victoria,

Just to elaborate - I don't think Juniors to Masters is "anti-Canadian" at all. I think the decision of CFC executive to approve your proposal is, without consulting the voting members and without approaching other Canadian coaches/teachers. You have a private, mostly family run company (I checked https://juniorstomasters.site123.me/our-team), and you are doing great things for the chess community, while also promoting your own interests.

I also have been teaching online for many years, while having most of my lessons in person. Today everything is online. I think most would agree that, while kids certainly are smart and can adapt to online learning - in person learning is still more beneficial for them.

Hi Nikolay,

Thank you for clarifying and for your kinds words about our Juniors to Masters Program. We hold you in high regard as a Chess Coach and Player as well. We actually have some of your private Students in our JtM Program, and at one point thought you were referring them to us to augment their private lessons with you -- which I think is working well, btw.

It's not clear to me that the CFC Executives are required to consult with the VMs on all matters. If we allow bureaucracy to grind down the process of enabling great ideas to be executed, likely there would be fewer and fewer attempts to make great ideas a reality.

I think the lesson learned here is, if anyone has a great idea, reach out to the CFC Executives with your proposal. If it's a win-win proposition (maybe I should add win-win-win to include the Canadian Chess Community), then likely this "can-do" group will help make it happen.

If a new CFC President is going to grind things down to a stand still filled with bureaucracy, that is not something to look forward to.

In the end, we are all here because we want to see our Canadian Chess Community flourish.

You seem to be eluding to JtM be an "exclusive club" and while it's true that we want to encourage and show our appreciation to our hard working JtM Students as well as those who volunteers in our JtM Leadership Development Program, by holding some popular JtM Team Matches for our JtM Students (JtM vs. LPS Satu Mare, JtM vs. Cotnari Chess Academy, JtM vs. Vancouver Island, JtM vs. CFC, JtM vs. BC), we have also organized very popular open tournaments -- come one, come all!:

Juniors to Masters Sunshine Open: https://chess-results.com/tnr530540.aspx?lan=1&art=4&fed=CAN

Juniors to Masters Sunshine U1200: https://chess-results.com/tnr530541.aspx?lan=1&art=0&fed=CAN

Juniors to Masters Summer Open: http://chess-results.com/tnr529561.aspx?lan=1&art=4&fed=CAN&turdet=YES

Juniors to Masters Summer U1000: http://chess-results.com/tnr529735.aspx?lan=1&art=0&fed=CAN&turdet=YES

Juniors to Masters Charity Chess Tournament: https://juniorstomasters.site123.me/what-s-new/report-juniors-to-masters-charity-chess-tournament-helping-the-fight-against-covid-19


PS: I would agree that younger Students may benefit more from in-person lessons, but we have been dealing with online lessons fairly successfully for a number of years, including a Student in the NWT, and the best thing is that it gives access to all, not just a few in a certain area.

[Fred McKim]

"Six months without very much revenue would probably constitute a crisis in the minds of most people. Yeah, I would say that we are in a bit of a crisis."

From reading the Treasurer Report, I get the feeling that everything is fine, and I am not the only one who thinks so. Not much revenue, but also no expenses. If we are in a crisis though, I'd love to hear a plan. I think its missing in your campaign essays.

I don't believe I ever suggested that our expenses have declined at the same rate as our revenue. We still have a F/T ExD, we still have FIDE fees, we are still putting aside money for Chess Olympiads, etc. Bob has been busy over the past several months with getting ready for GoMembership and more recently web site problems and now concentrating on helping Don P with the new website. Our Revenue for 2020/21 is likely going to be down $40-50,000. a big push into Online chess could help with some of this. So far, Online CFC events have been organized by people in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Brantford, Hamissauga, and Charlottetown. That leaves a lot of areas in the country that must have club organizers ready to step up .......... just think I had players from 8 provinces in my last event (almost Canadian Open worthy figures)

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Actually the expenses are pretty much the same. So yes, we are experiencing a crisis which we will weather because we have been careful about spending over the last seven years and before.

[Fred McKim]

Fred Mckim has organized these events (in person) before covid times as well.

I'm not even sure what your point is here, Nikolay. Having organized hundreds of CFC tournaments over the past 40+ years, it only made sense to organize a Club and continue holding CFC events once we were forced online. I'm glad that others have followed suit. Actually, I think one held recently in Calgary was by first time organizers.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

That explains the frustration. Online dating is not real for the most part.

You see, when I use humour you respond with light insults. I am not frustrated at all.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

I'm not even sure what your point is here, Nikolay. Having organized hundreds of CFC tournaments over the past 40+ years, it only made sense to organize a Club and continue holding CFC events once we were forced online. I'm glad that others have followed suit. Actually, I think one held recently in Calgary was by first time organizers.

Hi Fred,

Its great you are organizing events. My point was that Vlad claimed that the CFC is responsible for doing and organizing a great many things during the pandemic. They haven't.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

We are starting to descend into farce.

[Fred McKim]

Hi Fred,

Its great you are organizing events. My point was that Vlad claimed that the CFC is responsible for doing and organizing a great many things during the pandemic. They haven't.

The vast majority of online events have been held by myself (CFC Treasurer), Bob G (CFC ExD), Paul L (CFC Rating Auditor) and Victoria D (Chair of the new CFC Online Committee). Many, many discussions have taken place between us, Vlad, and a couple of others in order for this to all come about.

[Aris Marghetis]

You see, when I use humour you respond with light insults. I am not frustrated at all.

I agree. Vlad, I appreciate these are challenging discussions, but Nikolay is one of our top chess people in Canada, period, and he is voicing concerns in as healthy a way as a differing opinion could be expressed. At least that's how I'm reading his posts. Let's refrain from insult-jokes (I guess except maybe self-deprecating ones)

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

I think the lesson learned here is, if anyone has a great idea, reach out to the CFC Executives with your proposal. If it's a win-win proposition (maybe I should add win-win-win to include the Canadian Chess Community), then likely this "can-do" group will help make it happen.

If a new CFC President is going to grind things down to a stand still filled with bureaucracy, that is not something to look forward to.


The CFC has limited finances thus it should look for tenders/bids for those wonderful ideas. That was my stance during the Exec discussions on your proposals. However, at the end it is only my single vote.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

My point was that Vlad claimed that the CFC is responsible for doing and organizing a great many things during the pandemic. They haven't.

Recently the CFC approved the bid for the National Online junior championship. I hope the details will be released soon.

[Fred McKim]

Recently the CFC approved the bid for the National Online junior championship. I hope the details will be released soon.

Youth not Junior.

What should be noted is that this event is not being called the Canadian Online Youth Chess Championship, as we felt acquiring that title would require a notification for other potential bidders.

[Mahmud Hassain]

Dear Voting Members;

Further to my two Zoom sessions with you, here is my platform. Based on my outside experience with Rotary International and the NFP sector, I think the CFC needs to be “updated”, for lack of a better term.

First, I propose the establishment of 3 commissions:

We need an Online Commission and that includes online play, online messaging, and live online meetings. The technology for meetings is there. I appreciate and value that Vlad and others have started work on this frontier, and he is the first to come to mind as chair for this commission.


Next, I am calling for the Arbiters' Commission. This replaces the National Appeals Committee and it will be assigned with training, educating and certifying arbiters, in addition to its traditional role with national appeals.

Finally, I am calling for an Ethics Commission. We know that every decision has the capacity to present ethical dilemmas, real or perceived. The CFC will be a better organization for having an Ethics Commission.

These three commissions, I believe, are foundational. Other commissions such Fundraising, Events, etc. will flow from them.

Second, I am calling for creating a Strategic Plan, which is a living document. We need to check with it at least twice a year, not left dormant. I specifically call for creating our Mission, Vision and Values, which must be front and centre on our website. From experience, the last one (values) is easily neglected and this is dangerous. From our values comes a Code of Conduct for our membership. For example, as long as I am an officer of the CFC, I must conduct myself 24/7 in respect to the CFC values anywhere, including online.

This will not create a bureaucracy! We are doing many things well. With your support, I believe we can do better.
Feel free to contact me here.


Best regards,
Mahmud

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

The CFC has limited finances thus it should look for tenders/bids for those wonderful ideas. That was my stance during the Exec discussions on your proposals. However, at the end it is only my single vote.

100% agree. I am glad that we have you in the executive, Egis.

"Quote Originally Posted by Egidijus Zeromskis View Post
Recently the CFC approved the bid for the National Online junior championship. I hope the details will be released soon.
Youth not Junior.

What should be noted is that this event is not being called the Canadian Online Youth Chess Championship, as we felt acquiring that title would require a notification for other potential bidders."

I don't see why having a notification for other potential bidders would be a bad thing. The more tournaments and organizers, the better. Even if only online.

I think, in a perfect world CFC should organize, initiate events to take place. Not just give approval to organizers that decide to take initiative.

[Pierre Dénommée]

Dear Voting Members;

Next, I am calling for the Arbiters' Commission. This replaces the National Appeals Committee and it will be assigned with training, educating and certifying arbiters, in addition to its traditional role with national appeals.

Best regards,
Mahmud

France has both an NAC and an Arbiter Commission. You seems to underestimate the duties of the Arbiters' Commission. Even though the NAC rarely take action, when it does, it tends to be significant and have a lasting effect.

I strongly support the Arbiter's Commission, but I am not certain that it should be replace the NAC, Furthermore, it should have more members then the NAC.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Dear Voting Members;

Further to my two Zoom sessions with you, here is my platform. Based on my outside experience with Rotary International and the NFP sector, I think the CFC needs to be “updated”, for lack of a better term.

First, I propose the establishment of 3 commissions:

We need an Online Commission and that includes online play, online messaging, and live online meetings. The technology for meetings is there. I appreciate and value that Vlad and others have started work on this frontier, and he is the first to come to mind as chair for this commission.

We have an online commission which is looking at online play and questions of fair play.

I don't think we need commissions on the other things. I think we will try a zoom quarterly meeting, probably the next one though we will have to get a zoom subscription for the CFC for that to work. No need for a commission. We try it and if the voting members like it we do more of it. We have discussed messaging solutions with vendors but they seem pricey at the moment and are more geared to the needs of organizers than the CFC as a whole. There are a few competitors that are interesting and don't offer as many options but are a lot cheaper than the full service solution which most sports organizations pay for through sponsors. There may be some tie-ins with GoMembership which is advancing nicely thanks to more volunteers.

We are getting more volunteers but if you try to get too many commissions going at once you may stretch things too thin. Most voting members are successful people who are busy and may not have the time to populate all these committees and commissions.




Next, I am calling for the Arbiters' Commission. This replaces the National Appeals Committee and it will be assigned with training, educating and certifying arbiters, in addition to its traditional role with national appeals.

I would prefer to use the FIDE infrastructure rather than trying to set up our own. We don't want additional red tape to discourage organizers. Currently the National Appeals Committee may include some non-arbiters. Would this new entity include non-arbiters?



Finally, I am calling for an Ethics Commission. We know that every decision has the capacity to present ethical dilemmas, real or perceived. The CFC will be a better organization for having an Ethics Commission.

I would be careful with the ethics commission as this is an area where you could run into legal consequences which you want to minimize.




These three commissions, I believe, are foundational. Other commissions such Fundraising, Events, etc. will flow from them.

Second, I am calling for creating a Strategic Plan, which is a living document. We need to check with it at least twice a year, not left dormant. I specifically call for creating our Mission, Vision and Values, which must be front and centre on our website. From experience, the last one (values) is easily neglected and this is dangerous. From our values comes a Code of Conduct for our membership. For example, as long as I am an officer of the CFC, I must conduct myself 24/7 in respect to the CFC values anywhere, including online.

This will not create a bureaucracy! We are doing many things well. With your support, I believe we can do better.
Feel free to contact me here.


Best regards,
Mahmud

We have a strategic plan and we have one of the voting members working on a new one but it is a long slog for someone doing it on their own.

[Pierre Dénommée]

I would be careful with the ethics commission as this is an area where you could run into legal consequences which you want to minimize.



An Ethic Commission is a way to reduce litigation, it demonstrates to the guilty players that the best practices have been followed.

Insurance against Errors and Omission of the CFC Directors, Officers and Commission members is the best way to protect ourselves from lawsuits and the FQÉ can give us such insurance at a great discount. There are other ways, such as having a written Appeal Policy for decisions of the Board of Directors, Officers and Commissions, but they are Constitutional changes that could be hard to pass.

[Pierre Dénommée]

I would prefer to use the FIDE infrastructure rather than trying to set up our own. We don't want additional red tape to discourage organizers. Currently the National Appeals Committee may include some non-arbiters. Would this new entity include non-arbiters?

I do not believe that FIDE will ever decide how many level of arbiters are needed by the local reality. Furthermore, FIDE has only one Official Language : English. I have been lecturing FQÉ LTD for many years and I never received anything in French from FIDE. Not a single PowerPoint slide (I prefer LibreOffice impress slides), not a single text, absolutely nothing useful for lecturing LTD in French.

I am currently finalizing the content of the first ever FQÉ RTD seminar that should begin in September, ounce again, without any FIDE support. The main subject of the RTD is Swiss Pairings and I have never seen teaching material in French on the SPP web site.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

An Ethic Commission is a way to reduce litigation, it demonstrates to the guilty players that the best practices have been followed.

Insurance against Errors and Omission of the CFC Directors, Officers and Commission members is the best way to protect ourselves from lawsuits and the FQÉ can give us such insurance at a great discount. There are other ways, such as having a written Appeal Policy for decisions of the Board of Directors, Officers and Commissions, but they are Constitutional changes that could be hard to pass.

We will no doubt be checking into that insurance possibility. My preliminary explorations of this possibility of insurance have not been terribly encouraging. On the other hand, if we avoid stupid actions, the possibility of being successfully sued is minimal. Every few months I get contacted by some government or quasi-government sporting body entity. I am pretty sure that one of the recent ones was in the area of ethics.

[Aris Marghetis]

An Ethic Commission is a way to reduce litigation, it demonstrates to the guilty players that the best practices have been followed.

Insurance against Errors and Omission of the CFC Directors, Officers and Commission members is the best way to protect ourselves from lawsuits and the FQÉ can give us such insurance at a great discount. There are other ways, such as having a written Appeal Policy for decisions of the Board of Directors, Officers and Commissions, but they are Constitutional changes that could be hard to pass.

Hello Pierre, could you forward to the CFC Executive any contact information for such insurance? People like myself have been going on about this for years now, but the task is just big enough that it's understandably difficult for someone to actually run with it to the finish line. The CFC Executive can decide who'll do the actual work embedding such insurance for all of us, and I welcome whoever that is, Executive or not. And I agree that a working Ethics Commission reduces risk.

[Mahmud Hassain]

Thank you for your input.

One important arm of the Ethics Commission is to identify and eliminate potential conflict of interest. The reason of an Ethics Commission is to NOT GET SICK in the first place. I am in favour of obtaining insurance, but we should not rely on insurance as first remedy.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Mahmud Hassain]

Pierre,

Thank you for seeing the wisdom of such commission. I am committed to working with all of you on the details.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Mahmud Hassain]

We have an online commission which is looking at online play and questions of fair play.

I don't think we need commissions on the other things. I think we will try a zoom quarterly meeting, probably the next one though we will have to get a zoom subscription for the CFC for that to work. No need for a commission. We try it and if the voting members like it we do more of it. We have discussed messaging solutions with vendors but they seem pricey at the moment and are more geared to the needs of organizers than the CFC as a whole. There are a few competitors that are interesting and don't offer as many options but are a lot cheaper than the full service solution which most sports organizations pay for through sponsors. There may be some tie-ins with GoMembership which is advancing nicely thanks to more volunteers.

We are getting more volunteers but if you try to get too many commissions going at once you may stretch things too thin. Most voting members are successful people who are busy and may not have the time to populate all these committees and commissions.



I would prefer to use the FIDE infrastructure rather than trying to set up our own. We don't want additional red tape to discourage organizers. Currently the National Appeals Committee may include some non-arbiters. Would this new entity include non-arbiters?



I would be careful with the ethics commission as this is an area where you could run into legal consequences which you want to minimize.



We have a strategic plan and we have one of the voting members working on a new one but it is a long slog for someone doing it on their own.

Vlad,
My understanding of a Strategic Plan is not one person creating it. A group of us create a Strategic Plan and that is s few pages and shared with all Voting Members. We need to visit with it periodically and modify our course of action accordingly or as new issues a rise.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Hal Bond]

Thank you Pierre and Aris!

Ethics is the essence of this election in my opinion. I fear that we have lost our way. Suppose one of our Officers offered money to our Federation in exchange for the removal of an elected member of the Executive. Do you think we could quietly ask this person to resign without being sued?

Vlad and I have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout his tenure. He is a dedicated colleague and a highly skilled chess coach. There is no question that he wants chess to prosper in Canada. Vlad is very opinionated though, and will not hesitate to insult those who disagree with him. He has been a disappointment this year in other ways and I have lost confidence in him as our President.

I have agreed to stand again as FIDE Rep this year and I will honour my commitment. We must get our ethical house in order. We desperately need to go through the process of a strategic plan as envisioned by Mahmud. From our Vision and Mission we set our compass to guide operations. From our values comes a code of conduct for our members - the proverbial ounce of prevention. This in turn provides direction and support for the Ethics Commission, which in turn makes us less likely to have an insurance claim. And yes, we need insurance.

I understand the fear of a looming bureaucracy that will suffocate us. Most of us are doers – we want to get things done without a bunch of red tape. In fact the opposite is true. The most successful chess Federations in the world (including the USCF) adhere to this process. The USCF adopted this approach a few years ago amid some skepticism but now they are true believers. The process is also at the core of the Planning and Development Commission in FIDE.

It is time for a change. Mahmud brings us a fresh perspective and a wealth of knowledge from the NFP sector. He will be a great President. I love Vlad’s dedication and I believe he still has an important role to play. Let’s pull together and make the CFC a source of pride!

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Vlad,
My understanding of a Strategic Plan is not one person creating it. A group of us create a Strategic Plan and that is s few pages and shared with all Voting Members. We need to visit with it periodically and modify our course of action accordingly or as new issues a rise.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

A strategic plan is a strategic plan. It can be created by one man or many.

[Mark S. Dutton, I.A.]

I love Vlad’s dedication and I believe he still has an important role to play. Let’s pull together and make the CFC a source of pride!

I agree with you Hal and hope there will be a new Ethics Commission in the CFC and we can all move forward collectively!

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Thank you Pierre and Aris!

Ethics is the essence of this election in my opinion. I fear that we have lost our way. Suppose one of our Officers offered money to our Federation in exchange for the removal of an elected member of the Executive. Do you think we could quietly ask this person to resign without being sued?

If you try to remove an elected officer without following the procedure established in the bylaw then yes you could be sued. This by the way is the reason that we didn't have a third quarterly meeting as we were immersed in these discussions.

The problem with that situation was that you wanted to invoke disciplinary procedure in a hurry, without following the rules of that disciplinary procedure which is written in our bylaw. You wanted to railroad someone without following due process and without following the steps required by our bylaws or alternatively by the NFP act. In the middle of our process of discussion you invoked closure when the exact format of our response was not yet formulated and the exact nature of our response was not part of a consensus. We consulted with Les Bunning and followed the course of action which he advised. I was asked to do something which violated my fiduciary duty to the CFC and was against the advice of Les Bunning. I refused. There is no requirement for me to follow an order which is not properly predicated in our disciplinary rules. You want to pursue a personal vendetta and put the CFC at risk of a lawsuit that would likely lead to a payout in the $200,000 to $400,000 range which is all of our assets potentially along with opening a huge can of worms and liability elsewhere for all of the executive.

It seems at least in part to me that you were attempting to curry favour with some of your friends at FIDE about an alleged problem at FIDE but that you were asking the CFC and its executive to take on the risk of huge liability to accomplish it.

At the beginning, the middle, and at the end I offered to support you with a full public exposition of what happened and what was happening at the time of the FIDE election. You told me you didn't want to do that as that would put you in an awkward position with the FIDE president.

If you want a CFC president who will stand up to even his friends when they are wrong, vote for me. If you want someone who will bend the rules of the CFC to get an "enemy" of his friend railroaded contrary to the rules then you should probably pick someone else.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

Corruption at FIDE, Vlad being shady and threats of suing the CFC - not quite sure by whom against whom.. Gotta love the status quo. Vote Vlad for status quo.

[Pierre Dénommée]

Hello Pierre, could you forward to the CFC Executive any contact information for such insurance? People like myself have been going on about this for years now, but the task is just big enough that it's understandably difficult for someone to actually run with it to the finish line. The CFC Executive can decide who'll do the actual work embedding such insurance for all of us, and I welcome whoever that is, Executive or not. And I agree that a working Ethics Commission reduces risk.

In Quebec, this is a non-issue. The Quebec Government pays for the insurance of all recognized Federations and all Federations offer this coverage to all Leagues and affiliated Clubs for a fee, which in the case of the FQÉ is $95 per year. All arbiters are also covered for free because, in Quebec, nobody as ever won a court case against an arbiter, a referee, an umpire or a sports judge.

In order to reduce the cost, such insurance should be purchased collectively by the CFC for all provincial association other then the FQE and for its affiliate. Such insurance could be a very good reason to affiliate.

According to what was said in the 2019 FQÉ AGM, the FQÉ could offer its insurance coverage to the CFC.

[Aris Marghetis]

In Quebec, this is a non-issue. The Quebec Government pays for the insurance of all recognized Federations and all Federations offer this coverage to all Leagues and affiliated Clubs for a fee, which in the case of the FQÉ is $95 per year. All arbiters are also covered for free because, in Quebec, nobody as ever won a court case against an arbiter, a referee, an umpire or a sports judge.

In order to reduce the cost, such insurance should be purchased collectively by the CFC for all provincial association other then the FQE and for its affiliate. Such insurance could be a very good reason to affiliate.

According to what was said in the 2019 FQÉ AGM, the FQÉ could offer its insurance coverage to the CFC.

Cher Pierre, vous etes magnifique!

(priere d'excuser mon clavier unilingue, sans accents)

[Pierre Dénommée]

If you try to remove an elected officer without following the procedure established in the bylaw then yes you could be sued. This by the way is the reason that we didn't have a third quarterly meeting as we were immersed in these discussions.

The problem with that situation was that you wanted to invoke disciplinary procedure in a hurry, without following the rules of that disciplinary procedure which is written in our bylaw. You wanted to railroad someone without following due process and without following the steps required by our bylaws or alternatively by the NFP act.

Everything is in the Act, there is no place for improvisation. What is in our bylaw is the procedure to revoke the membership of a CFC member. Not all judges admit this kind of backdoor termination of a Director.



We consulted with Les Bunning and followed the course of action which he advised. I was asked to do something which violated my fiduciary duty to the CFC and was against the advice of Les Bunning. I refused. There is no requirement for me to follow an order which is not properly predicated in our disciplinary rules. You want to pursue a personal vendetta and put the CFC at risk of a lawsuit that would likely lead to a payout in the $200,000 to $400,000 range which is all of our assets potentially along with opening a huge can of worms and liability elsewhere for all of the executive.


The VM are totally unaware of a situation that could bankrupt the CFC.

We know only a single side of the story.

Understanding is a three edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth.
J. Michael Straczynski

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Interesting. Someone is trying to hack into my google account.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Everything is in the Act, there is no place for improvisation. What is in our bylaw is the procedure to revoke the membership of a CFC member. Not all judges admit this kind of backdoor termination of a Director.



The VM are totally unaware of a situation that could bankrupt the CFC.

We know only a single side of the story.

Understanding is a three edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth.
J. Michael Straczynski


The VM's would have been aware had the situation escalated because the member can always appeal any decision made by the executive to the voting members. I can document everything I say.

We were not in danger of bankruptcy unless we took an action which I refused to take.

Whoever is trying to hack my gmail account is barking up the wrong tree.

[Aris Marghetis]

Interesting. Someone is trying to hack into my google account.

Seriously?! You're posting THAT here in this critical election thread?! Come ON, we're all better than that!!

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

Seriously?! You're posting THAT here in this critical election thread?! Come ON, we're all better than that!!

Must be the russian hackers. Well the rabbit is partly out of the hat, I hope we get to see it in all its glory.

[Hal Bond]

If you try to remove an elected officer without following the procedure established in the bylaw then yes you could be sued. This by the way is the reason that we didn't have a third quarterly meeting as we were immersed in these discussions.

The problem with that situation was that you wanted to invoke disciplinary procedure in a hurry, without following the rules of that disciplinary procedure which is written in our bylaw. You wanted to railroad someone without following due process and without following the steps required by our bylaws or alternatively by the NFP act. In the middle of our process of discussion you invoked closure when the exact format of our response was not yet formulated and the exact nature of our response was not part of a consensus. We consulted with Les Bunning and followed the course of action which he advised. I was asked to do something which violated my fiduciary duty to the CFC and was against the advice of Les Bunning. I refused. There is no requirement for me to follow an order which is not properly predicated in our disciplinary rules. You want to pursue a personal vendetta and put the CFC at risk of a lawsuit that would likely lead to a payout in the $200,000 to $400,000 range which is all of our assets potentially along with opening a huge can of worms and liability elsewhere for all of the executive.

It seems at least in part to me that you were attempting to curry favour with some of your friends at FIDE about an alleged problem at FIDE but that you were asking the CFC and its executive to take on the risk of huge liability to accomplish it.

At the beginning, the middle, and at the end I offered to support you with a full public exposition of what happened and what was happening at the time of the FIDE election. You told me you didn't want to do that as that would put you in an awkward position with the FIDE president.

If you want a CFC president who will stand up to even his friends when they are wrong, vote for me. If you want someone who will bend the rules of the CFC to get an "enemy" of his friend railroaded contrary to the rules then you should probably pick someone else.
You and I remember this very differently Vlad. That’s ok, much time has elapsed. I have been seeking some kind of resolution to this matter since October of 2018. If we had an Ethics Commission, this would have been handled back then. A published code of conduct consistent with our values may have prevented this and subsequent unethical behaviours in the first place.

If this was a personal vendetta I would have handled it personally. This was an assault on our Federation. As you know everyone else on the Executive is on record seeking greater action than was taken.

Identifying unethical behaviour by a CFC member is not “currying favour” to some friends in FIDE. It is doing the right thing for the CFC. Establishing an Ethics Commission, which you seem to oppose, is not “railroading” anyone’s “enemy”. It is doing the right thing for the CFC.

[Pierre Dénommée]

Establishing an Ethics Commission, which you seem to oppose, is not “railroading” anyone’s “enemy”. It is doing the right thing for the CFC.

Establishing a Code of Ethics is just as important has having an Ethics Commission, otherwise, nobody knows what the Ethics Commission is supposed to enforced. Furthermore, no CFC rule can have a retroactive effect, so it cannot be applied to past incidents.

Is this past case officially closed, or could it be reopened with a change of President?

[Pierre Dénommée]

Interesting. Someone is trying to hack into my google account.

Not anyone from the CFC for sure. Any information gathered in such manner is inadmissible in court. Furthermore, such activity is criminal.

[Pierre Dénommée]

It seems at least in part to me that you were attempting to curry favour with some of your friends at FIDE about an alleged problem at FIDE but that you were asking the CFC and its executive to take on the risk of huge liability to accomplish it.



FIDE Charter Article 4.10 FIDE observes strict neutrality in the internal affairs of its members but has the right and duty to evaluate their compliance with FIDE principles and their obligations towards FIDE.

Any FIDE official who made such request should be reported to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission by the CFC President.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Actually it looks like unbeknownst to me we actually have provisions for a Ethics committee. Since I promised to follow the handbook as much as possible during my tenure as president we can invoke this 15 year old motion from our colleague Mark Dutton.

397. Ethics Committee {Motion Lambruschini/Dutton in 2005-06 GL7} Be it resolved that the CFC create an Ethics Committee to address unsportsmanlike and unethical behavior by members. Members can appeal to the Ethics Committee when their good standing has been impugned or to draw attention to unethical behavior on the part of CFC members. The Ethics Committee shall operate as follows: Composition - The EC will be chaired by a member of the CFC Executive, to be appointed by the President during the Incoming AGM. - The EC will include the CFC Masters Representative. - The EC will include one other respected individual, to be elected at the same time as the other CFC Directors. - The term of the two members other than the Masters Representative will last until the AGM of the following year. Responsibility - An appeal by a CFC member to the EC is to be made directly to the Chair, with a copy sent to the Business Office. - The Chair will determine in consultation with the other members of the EC, as well as the persons involved, whether the appeal is justified, and if so, what level of rebuke is called for against the offending party. - It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure an adequate public response is made to defend the good standing of the CFC member when unethical behavior has harmed an individual member. Official statements from the EC should be posted on the CFC website and Discussion Forum. [Motion 2013-O (McKim/Bond)] - It is the responsibility of the EC to consider the degree to which unethical behavior in question has reflected poorly on the Canadian chess community. The EC must strive to take measures to protect the public integrity of the Canadian chess community.


Problem solved. We have an ethics committee or we will in a month or so as we need to give at least three weeks notice for a special election. Michael Barron, Ilia Bluvshtein, Paul Leblanc or Brian Fiedler might be good candidates. Perhaps we might expand the committee to have more members. I would probably look at Fred McKim or Mark Dutton from the Executive.

I would hope that the members of the committee would take into account libel/defamation laws and liability when it comes to publication.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

FIDE Charter Article 4.10 FIDE observes strict neutrality in the internal affairs of its members but has the right and duty to evaluate their compliance with FIDE principles and their obligations towards FIDE.

Any FIDE official who made such request should be reported to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission by the CFC President.

Hal Bond usually handles communications with FIDE. I believe he has talked to the president of FIDE about this situation or so he has reported.

[Fred McKim]

Actually it looks like unbeknownst to me we actually have provisions for a Ethics committee. Since I promised to follow the handbook as much as possible during my tenure as president we can invoke this 15 year old motion from our colleague Mark Dutton.

397. Ethics Committee {Motion Lambruschini/Dutton in 2005-06 GL7} Be it resolved that the CFC create an Ethics Committee to address unsportsmanlike and unethical behavior by members. Members can appeal to the Ethics Committee when their good standing has been impugned or to draw attention to unethical behavior on the part of CFC members. The Ethics Committee shall operate as follows: Composition - The EC will be chaired by a member of the CFC Executive, to be appointed by the President during the Incoming AGM. - The EC will include the CFC Masters Representative. - The EC will include one other respected individual, to be elected at the same time as the other CFC Directors. - The term of the two members other than the Masters Representative will last until the AGM of the following year. Responsibility - An appeal by a CFC member to the EC is to be made directly to the Chair, with a copy sent to the Business Office. - The Chair will determine in consultation with the other members of the EC, as well as the persons involved, whether the appeal is justified, and if so, what level of rebuke is called for against the offending party. - It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure an adequate public response is made to defend the good standing of the CFC member when unethical behavior has harmed an individual member. Official statements from the EC should be posted on the CFC website and Discussion Forum. [Motion 2013-O (McKim/Bond)] - It is the responsibility of the EC to consider the degree to which unethical behavior in question has reflected poorly on the Canadian chess community. The EC must strive to take measures to protect the public integrity of the Canadian chess community.


Problem solved. We have an ethics committee or we will in a month or so as we need to give at least three weeks notice for a special election. Michael Barron, Ilia Bluvshtein, Paul Leblanc or Brian Fiedler might be good candidates. Perhaps we might expand the committee to have more members. I would probably look at Fred McKim or Mark Dutton from the Executive.

I would hope that the members of the committee would take into account libel/defamation laws and liability when it comes to publication.

A committee that was established 15 years ago and never once formed, leaves some question as to it's validity without a re-vote of some sort. In light of recent concerns of lawsuits, it might be advisable that any decision of the ethics committee that found a breach of ethics be reviewed by legal counsel. This sounds too much for a 3 person decision, I would second your suggestion of 5 people.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

A committee that was established 15 years ago and never once formed, leaves some question as to it's validity without a re-vote of some sort. In light of recent concerns of lawsuits, it might be advisable that any decision of the ethics committee that found a breach of ethics be reviewed by legal counsel. This sounds too much for a 3 person decision, I would second your suggestion of 5 people.

Is there a reason why it was never formed?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

I'll support Mahmud Hassain. The CFC needs a new leadership.

[Aris Marghetis]

A committee that was established 15 years ago and never once formed, leaves some question as to it's validity without a re-vote of some sort. In light of recent concerns of lawsuits, it might be advisable that any decision of the ethics committee that found a breach of ethics be reviewed by legal counsel. This sounds too much for a 3 person decision, I would second your suggestion of 5 people.

I. Admit. Bewilderment. So we HAD unethical behaviours by a CFC member, where we COULD HAVE formed an Ethics Committee to deal with them, but that we didn't. And now, after Mahmud proposes an Ethics Commission, Vlad replies that's not a good proposal, but now has found that the CFC could have (and should have?!) struck an Ethics Committee as of October 2018?! This is SO FRUSTRATING. It feels like we're making up ways to avoid dealing with something difficult?!

[Hal Bond]

I believe Mahmud has already recruited a lawyer as a candidate to chair this commission.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Establishing an Ethics Commission, which you seem to oppose, is not “railroading” anyone’s “enemy”. It is doing the right thing for the CFC.

I never said anything about the Ethics Commission other than the statement that you had to be careful. In my answer to Mahmud I split the answer into several parts to address each point. The part you might be referencing is the online committee. We don't need an online committee to decide if we want to use Zoom or skype. We use Zoom or skype and see if we like the result.

At no point did anyone say that we should appoint an ethics committee to look into this situation. Probably no one else thought of the idea either. They wanted to remove someone and did not want to use the procedure for member discipline which could drag out for quite some time due to the time required for notification and an appeals procedure. This would have gone to the voting members after the appeal was completed and that would require at least three weeks notice. The whole process would have taken three months to play out and this was happening in May. I had been in CFC politics for 7 years as president and another 2 years as masters' representative and I was not aware of the Ethics commission at the time of this controversy. It is likely that I read the section and simply forgot about it as it was never implemented. Hal is behaving as if I thwarted the formation of an Ethics Committee in order to deal with this old case. I thwarted a set of actions which was not predicated on our rules nor on the text of the NFP act. No one ever mentioned the possibility of an ethics committee .


Establishing a Code of Ethics is just as important has having an Ethics Commission, otherwise, nobody knows what the Ethics Commission is supposed to enforced. Furthermore, no CFC rule can have a retroactive effect, so it cannot be applied to past incidents.

Is this past case officially closed, or could it be reopened with a change of President?

Excellent point Pierre. The ethics commission cannot be used to prosecute someone for an old case according to your interpretation. The case was already almost two years old when the attempt to deal with it came up. Others may have a different interpretation.

The only way that a member of the executive can be held liable aside from the commission of a crime is if he does not act in a way consistent with his or her fiduciary duty. Some have told me that this whole election is because I refused an order which I believed to be against my fiduciary duty to the CFC. Now anyone can ask anyone to resign. They could have done it themselves (Hal and Egis who seemed to be intent on this course and punishing the "wrongdoer") and it probably would have carried much less risk than if I had done it. Had I carried out the order and it had gone to court I could not use the defence that members of the executive ordered me to do something. What rule was the basis of the procedure? I would have no satisfactory answer to that question. No one has the right to order me to do something that is contrary to the interest of the CFC in my best judgment. The voting members can remove me or any other elected official for any reason but they cannot compel me to do something that I refuse to do because it would violate my fiduciary duty. I certainly could not claim that I was unfamiliar with the NFP act and our bylaws as I had to sweat out every detail along with Pierre who was one of the few volunteers to work on the Continuation process in 2014.

I believe the case will be reopened with a change of president though I have been assured by some members of the executive that they will resist that push.

Hal has reason to be upset with all the things that happened at FIDE in 2018 flowing through to today but he is displacing that anger on me. Much of the story and its evidence lies in Europe. At least part of the problem he is trying to solve lies in Europe. Trying to litigate what happened in Europe here would be a disastrous and very expensive undertaking.

[Stephen Wright]

I don't think I'm the only one who finds all this bewildering. Hints of impropriety or fighting against impropriety, talk of ethics commissions and lawyers, all of this just as voting begins. How are we supposed to make an informed choice given the lack of specific information?

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

I don't think I'm the only one who finds all this bewildering. Hints of impropriety or fighting against impropriety, talk of ethics commissions and lawyers, all of this just as voting begins. How are we supposed to make an informed choice given the lack of specific information?

Absolutely agree. The voting members should know the details of what happened.

[Michael Lo]

I don't think I'm the only one who finds all this bewildering. Hints of impropriety or fighting against impropriety, talk of ethics commissions and lawyers, all of this just as voting begins. How are we supposed to make an informed choice given the lack of specific information?

Absolutely agree. The voting members should know the details of what happened.

Voting will end in a few days. Bits and pieces of information is worst than no information. Could someone do the VMs a favor and give us a clear and precise description of what is/was going on? ASAP, thank you.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Voting will end in a few days. Bits and pieces of information is worst than no information. Could someone do the VMs a favor and give us a clear and precise description of what is/was going on? ASAP, thank you.

With all respect, the Execs decided to keep those matters to themselves. However, as I read this thread the President opened the Pandora's box, I'll let him to close it too.

[David Ludwig]

With all respect, the Execs decided to keep those matters to themselves.

I think we need transparency. If I don't know what is going on (and I don't here) I can only, as a judge would charge a jury, disregard all of the previous comments relating to this matter. Hopefully we will all be allowed to make an informed decision based on facts rather than innuendo. For the record, I know neither the incumbent nor the challenger and am, at the moment, unbiased.

[Victor Plotkin]

According to the modern interpretation, Voting Members have a very limited power. Almost 100% power going to executive. The only moment VM should get some impact - is now, during election. And still - no power, no information... nothing.

Power - if you can get informed decision. Otherwise - just a random guess.

[Pierre Dénommée]

Actually it looks like unbeknownst to me we actually have provisions for a Ethics committee. Since I promised to follow the handbook as much as possible during my tenure as president we can invoke this 15 year old motion from our colleague Mark Dutton.

Problem solved. We have an ethics committee or we will in a month or so as we need to give at least three weeks notice for a special election. Michael Barron, Ilia Bluvshtein, Paul Leblanc or Brian Fiedler might be good candidates. Perhaps we might expand the committee to have more members. I would probably look at Fred McKim or Mark Dutton from the Executive.

I would hope that the members of the committee would take into account libel/defamation laws and liability when it comes to publication.

I do not recall how many time you told us that :All previous Governors motions and even the previous Handbook are no longer official after the move to the NFP Act.[/I] .

Something is a valid CFC Article of Incorporation or bylaw if it has been registered here https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/ext/cps/dcmnts?corpId=159794 . Any change to bylaws must be presented for approval at the next AGM and nothing has been presented. So I conclude that we do not have an Ethics Committee but that the directors can create it by a simple motion and that it would exist until the next AGM or until a VM vote at a quarterly meeting where it could be confirmed or defeated.

We could also increase the number of directors up to 10 with a simple VM motion.

[Fred McKim]

I think we need transparency. If I don't know what is going on (and I don't here) I can only, as a judge would charge a jury, disregard all of the previous comments relating to this matter. Hopefully we will all be allowed to make an informed decision based on facts rather than innuendo. For the record, I know neither the incumbent nor the challenger and am, at the moment, unbiased.

Certainly the Voting Members should have transparency in those cases where any action is taken. In this case no action was taken. While the majority of the Executive voted for an action, President Vlad Drkulec declined to move forward after seeking legal advice from Les Bunning, our long time lawyer. As one of the original movers, I subsequently conferred with Les and then agreed that it was not in the best interests of the CFC to move forward. There is nothing else to be said at this point.

Sometimes the Executive can be too close to the situation and if we had an Ethics Committee in place this would have been the perfect use for it, and perhaps the first case in 15 years. Having said that, I think we can put this (staffing such a committee) on the agenda for the next Quarterly meeting.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I do not recall how many time you told us that :All previous Governors motions and even the previous Handbook are no longer official after the move to the NFP Act.[/I] .

Something is a valid CFC Article of Incorporation or bylaw if it has been registered here https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/ext/cps/dcmnts?corpId=159794 . Any change to bylaws must be presented for approval at the next AGM and nothing has been presented. So I conclude that we do not have an Ethics Committee but that the directors can create it by a simple motion and that it would exist until the next AGM or until a VM vote at a quarterly meeting where it could be confirmed or defeated.

We could also increase the number of directors up to 10 with a simple VM motion.

All previous motions are still in force to the extent possible by the promise we made in 2014. A new president would not be bound by those promises. I am bound by them. I keep asking for help with the handbook to codify them and then we can move ahead without worrying about what a new president might do.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

With all respect, the Execs decided to keep those matters to themselves. However, as I read this thread the President opened the Pandora's box, I'll let him to close it too.

I did not open Pandora's box. Hal Bond did by trying to offer a laundered version of the facts that tried to paint me in the worst possible light after nominations for FIDE rep were closed. Fred's version of events is what actually happened.

I am not afraid of going to court but I am not going to try to go to court on the CFC's dime when it is so unnecessary.

[Pierre Dénommée]

According to the modern interpretation, Voting Members have a very limited power. Almost 100% power going to executive. The only moment VM should get some impact - is now, during election. And still - no power, no information... nothing.

Power - if you can get informed decision. Otherwise - just a random guess.

You are quite right. When Governors became Voting Member, not everyone understood that this was a serious demotion.

One of the core purpose of the NFP Act and of the Quebec NFP Act, is to ensure that VM will never be sued. This implies that VM shall have no real power. In Quebec, VM can be sue only if they are de facto administrator, which means that although not elected, they are present at Executive meetings and vote as if they were a regular member of the Executive. All the cases that I am aware of involving de facto directors were CRA related, CRA going after the de facto director when the de jure directors are insolvent.

5% of the VM could call a VM meeting at anytime, they must supply the agenda. But the VM can only legally vote on subjects that are under the jurisdiction of the VM. Those include proposing changes to bylaws or to the Article of Incorporation. In the latter cases, some changes are considered fundamental changes under the Law and require a 2/3 majority to pass. Some changes are so fundamental that even non-voting members would be allowed to vote on them.

VM can also control the discipline of the members, not to be confused with the discipline of Chess Players.

Power to discipline a member

Article 158 The articles or by-laws may provide that the directors, the members (note: all VM together) or any committee of directors (note:committee made solely of directors) or members (note:committee made solely of members) of a corporation have power to discipline a member or to terminate their membership. If the articles or by-laws provide for such a power, they shall set out the circumstances and the manner in which that power may be exercised.

VM must be aware that every time they acquire a real power, they also acquire the corresponding responsibility. Any VM who vote on a member's sanction could be held responsible in court.

Whatever way by which a VM acquires true power, at the same time, he acquires true accountability and true responsibility for his decisions.

If the Executive is weak enough to let the VM administer the CFC, then all VM who voted on Executive motions become de facto directors with all the disadvantages of such designation, including the possibility of being sued personally.

The NFP Act allows Committees of members and recognize that they could have authority.

[Richard Bérubé]

In the matter of ethics, the FQE has a certificate from the Ministry of Education, Leasure and Sport (Ministère de l'éducation du Loisir et du Sport) and a recognition from the Canadian Centre for ethics in Sport. I think the CFC can obtain something similar from the Canadian Sports Committee.

Reference (https://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/editeur/articles/index.php?id=14244)

[Vladimir Drkulec]

In the matter of ethics, the FQE has a certificate from the Ministry of Education, Leasure and Sport (Ministère de l'éducation du Loisir et du Sport) and a recognition from the Canadian Centre for ethics in Sport. I think the CFC can obtain something similar from the Canadian Sports Committee.

Reference (https://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/editeur/articles/index.php?id=14244)

We should develop a code of ethics and an ethics committee as Pierre suggested first before attempting to get any certification.

[Hal Bond]

We should develop a code of ethics and an ethics committee as Pierre suggested first before attempting to get any certification.

Aren't you a little late to the party Vlad? Mahmud had already recruited a lawyer to chair the Ethics Commission before he proposed it.

[Mahmud Hassain]

We should develop a code of ethics and an ethics committee as Pierre suggested first before attempting to get any certification.

Vlad,
I have been calling for this from day one and you have been opposing it. Ethics is actually a pillar of my plan.
Thank you for endorsing my plan.
Respectfully
Mahmud

[Mahmud Hassain]

According to the modern interpretation, Voting Members have a very limited power. Almost 100% power going to executive. The only moment VM should get some impact - is now, during election. And still - no power, no information... nothing.

Power - if you can get informed decision. Otherwise - just a random guess.

Victor and the rest of Voting Members,

I had no part of Executive decision making in the past, nor am I aware of any these particulars. Although I appreciate Hal's support, I wish to make clear that I am an independent candidate with an independent platform. I believe that our organization is due for a strategic change and I am prepared to lead that change. As I mentioned before, I have over 25 years of effective governance including obtaining highest federal accreditation.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Hal Bond]

I did not open Pandora's box. Hal Bond did by trying to offer a laundered version of the facts that tried to paint me in the worst possible light after nominations for FIDE rep were closed. Fred's version of events is what actually happened.

Actually I was painting the CFC in the worst possible light, and nominations were still open. If we can’t even object to a bribe without being sued by the person who offered it, we should close our doors. We are not an organization, we are a hostage. And this is precisely a result of us having no true Ethics culture.

I really want to tell the whole story but I cannot ignore these legal warnings. I can say that there have been at least 4 cases where either I was attacked or the Federation was abused, from October 2018 to August 2019. I cannot prove it was the same person in all cases. I mentioned the bribe because it was the clearest example.

I have brought this up a number of times with our Executive, but we were all busy delivering our programs so nothing happened. Finally this spring I insisted that we deal with this problem or I would resign. The whole Executive agreed that something had to be done to protect the CFC. A motion passed unanimously. Vlad and Fred both spoke to our lawyer and no action was taken. Hmm.

Make no mistake about it, this is not only about what has (not) happened, this is also about our future. Vlad is not corrupt at all, but to me he appears to behave like he has been compromised by the offender. This is not good for the CFC. We need to ensure the independence of the CFC Executive.

Mahmud on the other hand has proposed an Ethics Commission from the beginning, and already has a lawyer volunteer to Chair it. That is leadership.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

You claim that a motion was passed. We were still discussing it and there were alternative scenarios about how to proceed when you invoked closure. There was not a meeting of minds as of yet. The meeting of the executive was not properly executed. You were trying to shoehorn a disciplinary proceeding into a different clause which did not apply to this case. You are the one who has the most to lose here because your many emails show malice. If the CFC gets embroiled in a lawsuit and you did not properly execute your fiduciary duty, the regular members and voting members can sue you personally.

[Pierre Dénommée]

Certainly the Voting Members should have transparency in those cases where any action is taken. In this case no action was taken. While the majority of the Executive voted for an action, President Vlad Drkulec declined to move forward after seeking legal advice from Les Bunning, our long time lawyer. As one of the original movers, I subsequently conferred with Les and then agreed that it was not in the best interests of the CFC to move forward. There is nothing else to be said at this point.

Sometimes the Executive can be too close to the situation and if we had an Ethics Committee in place this would have been the perfect use for it, and perhaps the first case in 15 years. Having said that, I think we can put this (staffing such a committee) on the agenda for the next Quarterly meeting.

Thank you for the details Fred! Actually, failure to respect the confidentiality of the deliberations of the Board of Directors is a breach of Ethics.

You have stated the problem correctly, sometimes the Executive can be too close to the situation. Ethics should be separated from politics. In both the USCF and in FIDE, phoney Ethics complaints have been filed against candidates for an elected office and all the complains have been withdrawn after the election, thus proving that this was only a dirty tactic to gain votes or to have the opponent declared ineligible for office. Fortunately, in both those organizations, Ethics is not judged by the Directors, so false accusations did not exclude some candidates.

If understanding is a three edged sword, Ethics has even more edges : Ethics for Directors, for Officers, for members of a Committee, for participants in a chess competition. There are many kind of participants in a chess competition and the FQÉ did an excellent job of finding the Ethics rules that applies to each categories of participants, there are Ethics rules even for spectators http://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/pj/documents/ethique-fqe-vf.pdf . https://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/pj/documents/code_ethique_0.pdf . I do no believe that having more then one definition of Chess Ethics in Canada would be useful and that the FQÉ already did all the work and is already accredited.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Vlad,
I have been calling for this from day one and you have been opposing it. Ethics is actually a pillar of my plan.
Thank you for endorsing my plan.
Respectfully
Mahmud


When did I oppose it? I only said you have to be careful in response to suggestions the committee would be above the board. Nice bit of misdirection.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Aren't you a little late to the party Vlad? Mahmud had already recruited a lawyer to chair the Ethics Commission before he proposed it.


Yes. You do need to stack the committee to give paper thin cover to what you intend to do.

[Pierre Dénommée]

When did I oppose it? I only said you have to be careful in response to suggestions the committee would be above the board. Nice bit of misdirection.

I believe that you should read again Article 158 of the NFP Act. There is nothing there that prevent putting the Ethics Committee above the board as you say. There are many or in the Law.

158 The articles or by-laws may provide that the directors, the members or any committee of directors or members of a corporation have power to discipline a member or to terminate their membership. If the articles or by-laws provide for such a power, they shall set out the circumstances and the manner in which that power may be exercised.

The discipline of the members could be the responsibility of any of the following, the VM have to choose.


The directors,
the members,
a committee of directors
a committee of members


But we must remember that for an Ethics violation, suspension or termination of the membership is not the most usual punishment. Also note that the Law is silent on the appeal procedure.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

I believe that you should read again Article 158 of the NFP Act. There is nothing there that prevent putting the Ethics Committee above the board as you say. There are many or in the Law.

158 The articles or by-laws may provide that the directors, the members or any committee of directors or members of a corporation have power to discipline a member or to terminate their membership. If the articles or by-laws provide for such a power, they shall set out the circumstances and the manner in which that power may be exercised.

The discipline of the members could be the responsibility of any of the following, the VM have to choose.


The directors,
the members,
a committee of directors
a committee of members


But we must remember that for an Ethics violation, suspension or termination of the membership is not the most usual punishment. Also note that the Law is silent on the appeal procedure.


The By-laws give the power to the Board of directors, (these days Execs), to discipline the member.

"Member Discipline

The board shall have authority to suspend or expel any member from the Corporation for any one or more of the following grounds:"


In principle the Ethics Committee could have a lot of power:

"Committees of the Board of Directors

The board may from time to time appoint any committee or other advisory body, as it deems necessary or appropriate for such purposes and, subject to the Act, with such powers as the board shall see fit. Any such committee may formulate its own rules of procedure, subject to such regulations or directions as the board may from time to time make. Any committee member may be removed by resolution of the board of directors."

I don't see in current By-Laws that Voting Members have any influence to discipline members. It would go through a voting procedure changing By-Laws.

[Pierre Dénommée]

I don't see in current By-Laws that Voting Members have any influence to discipline members. It would go through a voting procedure changing By-Laws.

My point was that it could be changed. The bylaws are no longer online on our site, but what you quoted is more permissive than what is in the Law, which does not mean that it is not permitted.

[Hal Bond]

Dear Voting Members
You have entrusted me with the honour of representing our country in FIDE since 2009. Your trust in me is a gift and I cherish it. Like many of you, I have dedicated my adult life to chess and its governance.

I have been battling despair, disillusionment and outrage since the 4 incidents I mentioned earlier. The story is so over the top that it is difficult to process. FIDE told me that if I spoke up I would create a scandal which would be my fault. Vlad even warned me that my life could be in danger from the KGB.

Big boys don’t cry, but I have been hurt by these attacks. My injuries have been made MUCH worse by the fact that the CFC Executive fails to understand that these attacks were also against the sovereign Federation that we serve. I cannot take it any more. I need closure and you deserve the truth.

I have not been very strategic about this because it is too close to my heart. I apologize for my lousy timing. This story is an emotional plea for a strategic course correction, no matter who our next President is.

The bribe came right after the Batumi election in 2018. I had just received word that I was kicked out of the WCC match in London. A letter was sent to our Exec from the offender, trashing my performance in Batumi and praising himself. The bribe to replace me was alluded to in the letter and followed up more explicitly in a phone conversation with our President Vlad. Of course the offer was not even considered but the attempt was clear.

Within a few days, as I pursued my contract rights relative to the London match, I learned that I had apparently authored an anti - Semitic article which had offended the FIDE President. I challenged FIDE to show me the article but they refused.

So I went subterranean, even burnt a few bridges, and found the document. The article was my departing email to our Executive from Batumi. It was somehow obtained, altered to distort my message, and circulated to the Presidential Board.

Here is the forgery:

10/05 e-mail of Canada's delegate Hal Bond to the CFC Board of Directors: "

_Dear Executive My 37 hour journey home starts in 3.5 hours. No place like home!

Makro was as brilliant as always during the remaining agenda matters. He is a towering figure over new dwarfs. His parting words urged AD not to go down the road of exclusion and cronyism, bribery and state influence which characterized the campaign. Makro was very proud of his clean campaign against the joint forces of Putin, Zionism, Kasparov, USA etc.

The new junta does have a steep learning curve ahead and I am not optimistic. AD’s people are haters and most are also clueless. They don't appreciate any of us who served FIDE under Macro's enlightened leadership. More later Hal

This is what I actually wrote:
Dear Executive My 37 hour journey home starts in 3.5 hours. No place like home!

Makro was a brilliant Chair during the remaining agenda matters and this was appreciated by all. His parting words were a tad sharp- urging AD not to go down the road of exclusion and cronyism bribery and state influence which characterized the campaign. Makro was very proud of his clean campaign against Putin, Kasparov, USA etc.

The new regime does have a steep learning curve ahead and I choose to be optimistic. But there are haters among AD’s people and some who are also clueless. I do not include Arkady in this number so I hope his leadership prevails.
More later, Hal

I immediately forwarded this evidence to FIDE and they promised to investigate. No one was identified, but I was appointed as Chief Arbiter for the 2019 Women’s Candidates Tournament in Kazan. (one more post coming)

[Hal Bond]

Part 2:
In August 2019 came the next two incidents, during the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission (ARB) meeting at the World Youth Rapid and Blitz in Belarus if, I remember well. The ARB received a letter from the Russian Chess Fed, trashing me for my job at the Women‘s Candidates, and making claims that were contrary to email evidence. It also contained a plug for some new Arbiter training initiatives which are well known to the ARB. The letter was disputed and rejected at the meeting. It was still a libellous, malicious act. The author was not at the tournament and I am told speaks little English. He is a known associate of our offender.

At this same meeting, a letter from the CFC to the FIDE Presidential Board was also presented. This letter requested an exemption from the “5 year time served” clause for an upgrade in Arbiter certification to level B so the offender could be eligible for higher level tournaments and FIDE Lectures.

This was agreed between Vlad and the offender without my knowledge. When I asked Vlad about it, he told me that he was given the impression that I supported it. Had Vlad come to me first, as he should have done, I would have taken it to our Executive. This is a Federation decision not an individual one. To Vlad’s credit, a letter of retraction was written to the Presidential Board at the behest of our Executive.

It is not so easy not appreciate the gravity of this queue jumping attempt if you are not an Arbiter. If Aris is available maybe he can speak to this stunt. Aris is the past secretary of the ARB and has been invited back to work with the ARB education team. He is Canada’s top Arbiter, and the newest addition to the USCF Ethics Commission(!) BTW congrats Aris.

So that’s it. This is as much detail as I can provide at this point. Thanks for your patience.

[Aris Marghetis]

I was Secretary of the FIDE Arbiters' Commission in 2014-2018. During my tenure, I confirm that I never heard of any Arbiter ever asking for an exemption to the "5 year clauses" required for Arbiter Category promotion. But then again, we would never have expected such a request, the regulations simply have such clauses.


To be frank with you, I can also add that during these last two years, as I have many personal connections within FIDE, that I happen to hear a lot of things. And to my chagrin, I also get teased quite a bit by international colleagues about this Canadian offender. Vlad and I do have a respectful working relationship, and I have often expressed privately my concerns regarding potential controlling influence from outside the CFC Executive. It's not right, and as we can now see here this week, it has led to probably the greatest divisiveness we have seen within the CFC in a truly long time. At some point, someone has to make things right.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Aren't you a little late to the party Vlad? Mahmud had already recruited a lawyer to chair the Ethics Commission before he proposed it.

Now isn't that amazing. Recruiting a committee before you have won the election.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

What I can add to the above is that whoever hacked the email did so at the airport by Hal's report to the exec. This type of a targeted attack is probably way above the pay grade of the person Hal blames for everything. I would have said FSB and not KGB as the latter died with the Soviet Union. And yes, I was concerned for Hal's life if he travelled to some of these foreign countries where life is often cheap and guilty parties can disappear into a crowd. When this was going on, I backed Hal 100% and offered to partake in an all out offensive on social media which would lead to publicity, possible embarassment, and hopefully justice in the matter of Hal's lost revenues for the lost event and clearing his name. He did not wish to proceed in that manner.

They also could have gotten the email from a member of the executive but everyone assured me that this didn't happen which leaves the airport. I know most of the executive for many years and none of executive have ever lied to me so it is unlikely that they would start here. This is the anomaly in the whole story which needs to be explained by Colombo or Poirot in order to decide who is really behind this campaign against Hal at the end of the movie. This is a question that cannot be answered here but must be answered in Europe and possibly Russia where we can't chase it.

With regard to the five year waiting period, it sounds like something that might be frowned upon by what used to be called the competition act. That issue arose right at the point in time that I tore my Achilles tendon in a chess class of all places. I completed the class as my co-instructor had to take that week off but I was in a lot of pain and even sitting at a computer was a great strain. I spent most of those two weeks with my leg elevated.

The flaw in Hal's approach is that he waited until three months before the AGM and then wanted to ram something through in a way that was not supported by the approach in the CFC bylaw nor the NFP act which was also available. He wanted to use a clause that referred to officers appointed by the board or president. The officer was elected. If you come to a decision that is not based on the established procedure it can be easily challenged even in small claims court which would be a bit more of a problem due to the pandemic. I am not afraid to go to court. I always win whether it has been an adjudication on an employment matter, an eviction, or a small claims action. I always have won even in a case where the opposing side had one of the best lawyers in Windsor because I have been prepared and I usually have not done anything wrong. I have even been involved in an internet defamation case before the law had been fully formed circa 2001. I wrote all the pleadings, the lawyer modified them slightly and said they were great stuff. But I digress...

I am not afraid to go to court when I am in the right and I can prove it. I would not want to go to court if I have not done everything by the book as a famous politician is alleged to have said in a famous memo.

I always know where the line is and thus try not to cross it. Hal has lost perspective here. He has been through hell but it can't be fixed by involving the CFC in a potentially devastating lawsuit. I am told that all of this is what this election is really about.

[Mahmud Hassain]

[QUOTE=Hal Bond;34793]Part 2:

This was agreed between Vlad and the offender without my knowledge. When I asked Vlad about it, he told me that he was given the impression that I supported it. Had Vlad come to me first, as he should have done, I would have taken it to our Executive. This is a Federation decision not an individual one.


WOW!
This is dysfunctional.
The president must always go to the executive.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Mahmud Hassain]

[QUOTE=Hal Bond;34792]Dear Voting Members


Vlad even warned me that my life could be in danger from the KGB.

The bribe came right after the Batumi election in 2018. I had just received word that I was kicked out of the WCC match in London. A letter was sent to our Exec from the offender, trashing my performance in Batumi and praising himself. The bribe to replace me was alluded to in the letter and followed up more explicitly in a phone conversation with our President Vlad. Of course the offer was not even considered but the attempt was clear.


Threats? Bribes? No action?
I smell the RCMP.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Hal Bond]

Now isn't that amazing. Recruiting a committee before you have won the election.

You have completely missed the point Vlad. Too often we have ideas but no one to do the work. Mahmud's volunteer is willing to chair the Ethics commission if that suits.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

You have completely missed the point Vlad. Too often we have ideas but no one to do the work. Mahmud's volunteer is willing to chair the Ethics commission if that suits.

Mahmud's volunteer also volunteered to me yesterday and congratulated me on my victory though I told him that was a tad bit premature.

I don't usually crow about every volunteer. There have been more of them lately.

[Hal Bond]

What I can add to the above is that whoever hacked the email did so at the airport by Hal's report to the exec. This type of a targeted attack is probably way above the pay grade of the person Hal blames for everything. I would have said FSB and not KGB as the latter died with the Soviet Union. And yes, I was concerned for Hal's life if he travelled to some of these foreign countries where life is often cheap and guilty parties can disappear into a crowd. When this was going on, I backed Hal 100% and offered to partake in an all out offensive on social media which would lead to publicity, possible embarassment, and hopefully justice in the matter of Hal's lost revenues for the lost event and clearing his name. He did not wish to proceed in that manner.

Mostly correct. I was doing my utmost to solve problems without a public scandal. I don't buy the hacker story though.


They also could have gotten the email from a member of the executive but everyone assured me that this didn't happen which leaves the airport. I know most of the executive for many years and none of executive have ever lied to me so it is unlikely that they would start here. This is the anomaly in the whole story which needs to be explained by Colombo or Poirot in order to decide who is really behind this campaign against Hal at the end of the movie. This is a question that cannot be answered here but must be answered in Europe and possibly Russia where we can't chase it.

With regard to the five year waiting period, it sounds like something that might be frowned upon by what used to be called the competition act. That issue arose right at the point in time that I tore my Achilles tendon in a chess class of all places. I completed the class as my co-instructor had to take that week off but I was in a lot of pain and even sitting at a computer was a great strain. I spent most of those two weeks with my leg elevated.

Your view of FIDE's 5 year rule is irrelevant. What about the apparent willful deceit? What was done about that?


The flaw in Hal's approach is that he waited until three months before the AGM and then wanted to ram something through in a way that was not supported by the approach in the CFC bylaw nor the NFP act which was also available. He wanted to use a clause that referred to officers appointed by the board or president. The officer was elected. If you come to a decision that is not based on the established procedure it can be easily challenged even in small claims court which would be a bit more of a problem due to the pandemic. I am not afraid to go to court. I always win whether it has been an adjudication on an employment matter, an eviction, or a small claims action. I always have won even in a case where the opposing side had one of the best lawyers in Windsor because I have been prepared and I usually have not done anything wrong. I have even been involved in an internet defamation case before the law had been fully formed circa 2001. I wrote all the pleadings, the lawyer modified them slightly and said they were great stuff. But I digress... .

NO. I finally got tired of being bumped so I pressed everyone to deal with this problem.


I am not afraid to go to court when I am in the right and I can prove it. I would not want to go to court if I have not done everything by the book as a famous politician is alleged to have said in a famous memo.

I always know where the line is and thus try not to cross it. Hal has lost perspective here. He has been through hell but it can't be fixed by involving the CFC in a potentially devastating lawsuit. I am told that all of this is what this election is really about.

There you go again! Our attackers will sue us if we complain. Brilliant!

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I apologize to those who are confused by this thread. Some want it to be confusing so that there can be some implication of impropriety. Fred's explanation is the best summary of why this situation of an election came to be.


Certainly the Voting Members should have transparency in those cases where any action is taken. In this case no action was taken. While the majority of the Executive voted for an action, President Vlad Drkulec declined to move forward after seeking legal advice from Les Bunning, our long time lawyer. As one of the original movers, I subsequently conferred with Les and then agreed that it was not in the best interests of the CFC to move forward. There is nothing else to be said at this point.

Sometimes the Executive can be too close to the situation and if we had an Ethics Committee in place this would have been the perfect use for it, and perhaps the first case in 15 years. Having said that, I think we can put this (staffing such a committee) on the agenda for the next Quarterly meeting.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I ask you for your vote.

I believe that I have been a good president. My opponent and his campaign staff have conceded that point. They offer up some vague complaints that do not stand up on closer examination.

The highlights of my seven years as president

1) Tireless promoter of chess, with stories on CBC, CTV, CBC radio, Globe and Mail, National Post Windsor Star, Montreal Gazette, Guardian, Gauntlet, Toronto Star and many more
2) continuation under the Canada Not For Profit Act (NFP) in 2014 working with the governors to reach compromise
3) continued surpluses for all seven years 2013 through 2020
4) recognized by the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national sporting federation for chess in Canada.
5) Attended the conferences of Sport Tourism Canada and revolutionized the way we find communities for our large events.
6) Taken our first steps into online play
7) Implemented GoMembership a platform for payments and memberships

My opponent asks you to believe that he offers a vision for the future of chess in Canada but he only says that he will enlist you to provide that vision.

He has no plan.

Vague slogans and buzzwords without meaning are not a strategy.

He has not been involved in the CFC previously but thinks that he is qualified to start his contribution at the top as president.

The two Zoom meetings did not inspire anyone with confidence. I did not attend but received multiple reports from those who did.

I will concede that Mahmud is a nice guy when he isn't running against me.
He and his surrogates were not so nice in this campaign.

I think most voting members are much smarter than Mahmud and his campaign give them credit for.

I ask you for your vote.
With my thanks,


Vladimir Drkulec
President, Chess Federation of Canada

[Michael Lo]

I am not affiliated with either candidates. Voting result as of this morning:
- Vlad: 24
- Mahmud: 17
- Signed in VMs: 47

There are 6 VMs that have not voted yet, Vlad is leading by 7 votes...

[Fred McKim]

I am not affiliated with either candidates. Voting result as of this morning:
- Vlad: 24
- Mahmud: 17
- Signed in VMs: 47

There are 6 VMs that have not voted yet, Vlad is leading by 7 votes...

I'm not so sure that having the results of the voting available while the election is going on is the best way of doing business, but in a sense it mirrors Federal elections. However campaigning while the election is going on is also questionable. I don't know what the answer is. Maybe next year or at a Quarterly meeting we can try a real-time technology.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I'm not so sure that having the results of the voting available while the election is going on is the best way of doing business, but in a sense it mirrors Federal elections. However campaigning while the election is going on is also questionable. I don't know what the answer is. Maybe next year or at a Quarterly meeting we can try a real-time technology.

You get into human rights and free speech problems if you try to suppress that. Obviously if my opponent is campaigning and trying to sway voters, I have to do the same.

[Pierre Dénommée]

I'm not so sure that having the results of the voting available while the election is going on is the best way of doing business, but in a sense it mirrors Federal elections. However campaigning while the election is going on is also questionable. I don't know what the answer is. Maybe next year or at a Quarterly meeting we can try a real-time technology.

Federal elections and corporate elections are completely different. During a Federal election, the parliament is dissolved and the MP cannot use their paid by the citizens local office to run for reelection. That would be unfair to non-MP who do not have an office paid by the citizens.

In a corporate election, the board of directors is never dissolved. I know only one defunct organization that systematically voted the dissolution of the Board of directors at the AGM, but such vote is null and void. The Government, especially the CRA, wants no corporation to be without a Board of directors, even for one millisecond. It would not be funny if CRA demands money from a corporation without any director that could be held personally responsible. That is why directors are responsible until they have been replaced.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in the Law that forbids campaigning while the Voting Booths are opened and even worse, nothing forbids an officer from using the Power of his Office while the Voting Booths are opened. It is for the VM to set the rules, otherwise everything goes. We should not rely on the good faith of everybody. I remember very well the president of a Quebec not-for-profit, distributing assistance checks to VM on the election day. The payments have been approved before by the directors, but the directors never order to make the payment during the elections. Such payment can easily be perceived as a bribery. Nevertheless, there could be urgent decisions that need to be taken while the Voting Booths are opened, this is another reason for maintaining the officers in office.

[Michael Barron]

This is as much detail as I can provide at this point.

Unfortunately, Voting Members are kept in the dark - we're getting only bits and pieces of what is happening behind closed doors...

I had a feeling that this campaign is an extension of the last FIDE elections - Dvorkovich vs. Makropoulos.
Thank you, Hal, for confirming that!

Every Voting Member could compare what FIDE is doing during last 2 years and before that and make his own conclusion - which leadership is better for chess.
But 2 years ago Canada publicly endorsed Makropoulos.
Probably now it's a good time to admit that was a mistake which didn't improve image of Canada at international chess scene and move on.

Hal, if you remember, when you was elected FIDE Representative in 2009, I told you that don't know anybody in Canada who is more suitable for this position than you.
Thank you for serving Canadian chess community in this capacity for 11 years!
You're still one of the best chess arbiters and organizers in Canada.
I'm confident - when the pandemic ends you will organize and direct many more excellent chess events.

But time flies, and maybe we just need a new FIDE Representative?

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Thank you Michael, for your comments and your efforts on behalf of chess in Canada and Toronto. Some very impressive new voting members. I look forward to getting to know them and their concerns better as this new year progresses.

Mr. Makropoulos was the best option available when we made our decision which I believe was between Makro and Kirsan Illyumzhinov and Nigel Short (a brilliant chessplayer). Mr. Dvorkovich was an outstanding candidate that came out of left field. When I talked to him I was quite impressed. He understood that we had made a promise and intended to keep it but he was very positive and upbeat and in command of the facts. He seemed to be a brilliant well spoken man. The lesson might be that we shouldn't commit too early when the situation is still fluid. Mr. Dvorkovich continues to impress and has surrounded himself with an able supporting cast. The only complaint I might have is that he campaigned on a term limit for himself but given the hole that COVID has blown in everything perhaps we should see what he can do with an additional term.

Like the CFC, FIDE is in for a tough year or two with the COVID virus.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-is-putin-a-king-maker-for-chess-federation/
Canada’s chess federation is supporting Mr. Makropoulos, but Canadian president Vladimir Drkulec said he’d be happy to see Mr. Dvorkovich win. “Either one of them will be a better president than what we’ve had recently,” Mr. Drkulec said from his home in Windsor, Ont. “I think that chess is entering on an adventure here.”

[Christopher Mallon]

I'm not so sure that having the results of the voting available while the election is going on is the best way of doing business, but in a sense it mirrors Federal elections. However campaigning while the election is going on is also questionable. I don't know what the answer is. Maybe next year or at a Quarterly meeting we can try a real-time technology.

We've never liked the fact that you could see ongoing results before the vote was done, but we never figured out how to make vB not show them.

Going real-time ... with 50+ VMs, what are the odds of getting everyone together at the same time? This is better, in my opinion.

[Michael Barron]

Going real-time ... with 50+ VMs, what are the odds of getting everyone together at the same time? This is better, in my opinion.

Agreed - on-line meeting with 3 days for the vote is much better than real-time

[Mahmud Hassain]

I ask you for your vote.


My opponent asks you to believe that he offers a vision for the future of chess in Canada but he only says that he will enlist you to provide that vision.
He has no plan.
I will concede that Mahmud is a nice guy when he isn't running against me.
He and his surrogates were not so nice in this campaign.
I think most voting members are much smarter than Mahmud and his campaign give them credit for.

Vladimir Drkulec
President, Chess Federation of Canada


1-I have lead/chaired/participated in 4 strategic plans up to a $7,000,000 budget NFP organization. A "Strategic Plan" by its nature should involve maximum participation of stakeholders, including CFC paying members. That is how it works. Anything less is not a strategic plan, it would be called marching orders or wishful thinking at best.

2-I do not believe I have been disrespectful anywhere here.

3-In this campaign, I never once doubted the intelligence nor have I condescended anyone. I will always be proud to inspire all for action.

This is leadership as I know it.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Vladimir Drkulec]

While we were here having our election the Online Canadian Olympiad team was blowing up.

[Mahmud Hassain]

We've never liked the fact that you could see ongoing results before the vote was done, but we never figured out how to make vB not show them.

Going real-time ... with 50+ VMs, what are the odds of getting everyone together at the same time? This is better, in my opinion.

What I find questionable is that the VMs list and their complete contacts are not up to date and it was not readily available.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Pierre Dénommée]

What I find questionable is that the VMs list and their complete contacts are not up to date and it was not readily available.


There is no requirement in the NFP Act that this information be readily available. Actually, it is quite the opposite, at stated in Article 23 of the Law https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-7.75/page-4.html#docCont . In order to access this information. you must request it from the CFC and produce the statutory declaration that the Law demands.

In this declaration, you must state that you will use the contact information of the members only for those lawful purposes.


an effort to influence the voting of members;
requisitioning a meeting of members; or
any other matter relating to the affairs of the corporation.

[Mahmud Hassain]

There is no requirement in the NFP Act that this information be readily available. Actually, it is quite the opposite, at stated in Article 23 of the Law https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-7.75/page-4.html#docCont . In order to access this information. you must request it from the CFC and produce the statutory declaration that the Law demands.

In this declaration, you must state that you will use the contact information of the members only for those lawful purposes.


an effort to influence the voting of members;
requisitioning a meeting of members; or
any other matter relating to the affairs of the corporation.


Thank you Pierre for the clarification.

I did exactly that!

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Hal Bond]

Unfortunately, Voting Members are kept in the dark - we're getting only bits and pieces of what is happening behind closed doors...

I had a feeling that this campaign is an extension of the last FIDE elections - Dvorkovich vs. Makropoulos.
Thank you, Hal, for confirming that!

Every Voting Member could compare what FIDE is doing during last 2 years and before that and make his own conclusion - which leadership is better for chess.
But 2 years ago Canada publicly endorsed Makropoulos.
Probably now it's a good time to admit that was a mistake which didn't improve image of Canada at international chess scene and move on.

Hal, if you remember, when you was elected FIDE Representative in 2009, I told you that don't know anybody in Canada who is more suitable for this position than you.
Thank you for serving Canadian chess community in this capacity for 11 years!
You're still one of the best chess arbiters and organizers in Canada.
I'm confident - when the pandemic ends you will organize and direct many more excellent chess events.

But time flies, and maybe we just need a new FIDE Representative?

Thank you for your question Michael. To his chagrin, Makro only got passive support from Canada in Batumi, which I thought was appropriate given some of the background that Vlad provided. His campaign was completely flat compared to Dvorkovich. The attacks on me were not his idea. I agree that his tenure has been most impressive so far. I still worry about the finances, but ok.

I managed to speak with a top FIDE Official on the first night of the Abu Dhabi Congress in February. My first priority was to assure him that Canada does NOT oppose his administration. He replied that everyone is on the same team after an election. I also told him that I have come under attack - before I could finish he started apologizing for our offender, indicating that he did not support this kind of behaviour but they like his work so they keep him on. (Gasp!) I mentioned the forged email and again he mentioned our offender, and disavowed the act.

He did not know about the attack letter from the Russian Federation though. This Official was with me in Kazan for the Women’s Candidates. It was my finest hour if I may say. He liked the Canada- Russia hockey reference in my closing speech. At the closing banquet we spoke about hockey in the same context as FIFA. He said Ovechkin is the best chess player on the Russian hockey team.

So when he heard that I was trashed for my job in Kazan, he shook his head, “That’s not true… who wrote this letter?” I gave him the name. I also told him that opinions are one thing, but this letter was full of lies, and I did not want to make a scene in Ethics or ARB Discipline, but this wasn’t right. “Ok, I received your signal.” My time was up before I could mention the bribe. I mentioned that to him in a follow up letter. Sadly no reply yet. He is extremely busy.

So Canada has not lost any standing with FIDE Michael. If we don’t clean up our act this year though it will be time for my replacement.

[Hal Bond]

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]

My opponent asks you to believe that he offers a vision for the future of chess in Canada but he only says that he will enlist you to provide that vision.

He has no plan.

Vague slogans and buzzwords without meaning are not a strategy.

He has not been involved in the CFC previously but thinks that he is qualified to start his contribution at the top as president.

The two Zoom meetings did not inspire anyone with confidence. I did not attend but received multiple reports from those who did.

I will concede that Mahmud is a nice guy when he isn't running against me.
He and his surrogates were not so nice in this campaign.

I think most voting members are much smarter than Mahmud and his campaign give them credit for.

I ask you for your vote.
With my thanks,


Vladimir Drkulec
President, Chess Federation of Canada

I think you owe my friend an apology Vlad. How shabby of you. A chess keener and gentleman has the gall to take an interest in CFC leadership and you insult him. You must be very proud.

What is your plan? What vague slogans are you talking about? We have been flying by the seat of our pants for far too long. You have been blessed with a dedicated and experienced Executive so we have been able to get way with having no plan - just maintain the course and keep an eye out for opportunities. It works for a while but we have been cutting corners to keep up and eventually it starts to show.

[Mahmud Hassain]

[QUOTE=Michael Barron;34871

Hal, if you remember, when you was elected FIDE Representative in 2009, I told you that don't know anybody in Canada who is more suitable for this position than you.
Thank you for serving Canadian chess community in this capacity for 11 years!

But time flies, and maybe we just need a new FIDE Representative?[/QUOTE]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me share with you how I knew Hal Bond. I got to to know Hal for the past 20 years. Hal is a true chess activist, an effective governor, a terrific organizer, a superb arbiter, a diplomat, and a real ambassador. Six years ago, Hal was the distinguished speaker at Rotary and he did us (CHESSTERS) proud. Hal was then awarded with the esteemed Rotary certificate inoculating 100 children against Polio in his name. I was there!. In addition, We raised over $2,000 for chess in one day.
Please, do not underestimate the good will and the soft power of Hal.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Hal Bond]

Is anyone else surprised that the polls closed today instead of Sunday? The schedule of this meeting has been confusing. Nominations closed on day 4 instead of day 3 as announced, the voting was to end on day 6, but was day 4 now really day 3, and day 7 was day 6? The notice to voters gave me the impression that voting closed on the 23rd at 6pm. Then the notices looked different. Very strange.

The voter sign in should have been public. It was not done even after Fred McKim pointed it out. This was improper and relevant.

I am also very concerned that Mahmud could not obtain a current mailing list of his voting member colleagues. The Secretary sent him a previous list. The list should always be available to all VMs. How else are we supposed to govern?

Pierre is wrong. These are voting members, not regular CFC members and we have an election. Both candidates should have equal access to the voters. This was not a level playing field.

We need to adopt some values from a Strategic Planning process. How about inclusiveness and transparency for a start.

[Aris Marghetis]

While we were here having our election the Online Canadian Olympiad team was blowing up.

Yes, my heart sank at the ChessTalk posts.

And I'll be better when such threads close.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I think you owe my friend an apology Vlad. How shabby of you. A chess keener and gentleman has the gall to take an interest in CFC leadership and you insult him. You must be very proud.

Maybe I do owe your friend an apology. Perhaps he was not behind your dishonest actions in THIS election or in the run-up to this election when you asked me to step aside for "a peaceful transition of power". I should have understood the implied threat in that phrase. I shouldn't have tied the actions that you performed on his behalf to Mahmud. Those actions were to leak selectively about a situation in an attempt to smear me as if I committed some kind of dishonest act when I was simply following my fiduciary duty to the CFC which you were violating for largely personal reasons.


How shabby of you. A chess keener and gentleman has the gall to take an interest in CFC leadership and you insult him. You must be very proud.

I insult the actions of his campaign which is basically you. An interest in CFC leadership? He was seeking to replace me which would pave the way for you to have a more pliable president for you to pursue your agenda of revenge. You were even proud that you had lined up a personal friend to serve on the Ethics committee which you then would no doubt use to pursue the course of action that I was thwarting and which our pro bono lawyer Les Bunning a former president advised. Even your pro bono lawyer likely the person you proposed to place on the ethics committee told you that this could end badly.

Why not run for the VP spot? That might be trading one vote that you had in your pocket for another. So it had to be president so that there wouldn't be anyone who might stop you from doing something stupid. You might have been surprised though. You wouldn't have had a slam dunk after I was gone. If you had succeeded Christina Tao probably would have resigned and you would have lots of big shoes to fill.



What is your plan?

It is the one that I submitted to Michael von Keitz and the CFC governors in 2012. It was developed with the help of the long term planning committee which included Chris Mallon and Brian Fiedler, I have been following that plan ever since.

444





What vague slogans are you talking about?

"collaborative outreach strategies"



We have been flying by the seat of our pants for far too long.

You may have been flying by the seat of your pants. I have not.

As I recall, you did not contribute very much to the continuation process beyond floating an idea to bypass the governors (voting members) who didn't want to give up their power and creating a new organization which would take over from the CFC with the help of your friends at FIDE who would recognize the new organization as the representative from Canada. While technically possible, it was not desirable and would have meant the dissolution of the CFC and the disbursal of the funds in the foundation to charities and not to your new CFC organized on autocratic lines.

I found a better way to get the governors on board a few months before the dissolution deadline. Simply to consult and collaborate with them on each and every detail of the new CFC structure in a series of meetings where every aspect of the bylaw was discussed and hashed out. It was a bottom up and not top down approach. I didn't even want a section on discipline but the governors did and they were wiser than I was in this as the fact that we did have a rule and procedure prevented capricious actions though there are procedures within the NFP act which would have served the same purpose.


You have been blessed with a dedicated and experienced Executive so we have been able to get way with having no plan - just maintain the course and keep an eye out for opportunities. It works for a while but we have been cutting corners to keep up and eventually it starts to show.

Our biggest problem is a lack of volunteers and Bob Gillanders being largely overwhelmed with just his normal workload to the point where we don't have the resources to take on new initiatives. A man and an organization has to know its limitations.

Christina Tao emerging as youth coordinator has been a great boon to the CFC. She probably would have had to resign to protect her assets if Mahmud had won and you renewed your campaign for retribution.

Again we have a plan which I and some others spent many months developing.

Having been through the continuation process (I think Frank Lee and Pierre Denommee were my only helpers on that one) where the objectives of the CFC were a key component of the exercise I think I was more attuned to the requirements than you were. If you understand where you want to go, it is more likely that you will get there. With you it was all about getting a taste. The CFC always had to take a percentage on any proposed initiative. As a non-profit, the CFC should not be about making money it should be about promoting and raising chess to a higher level.
Elsewhere are links to some of the interviews that I have given with the aim of promoting and raising chess to a higher level.

I am not interested in thwarting anyone's rise through the ranks but ensuring "a peaceful transition of power" is not high on my agenda when that power might be abused or malleable to abuse.

I don't need or want anything from FIDE beyond giving our Canadian players a fair shake which has not always happened. There is a picture of Mailli-Jade smiling and beaming after winning the Continental and the organizers with glum, unhappy faces. I am annoyed at FIDE America and would love to see a FIDE North America instead where we didn't have to use google translate in order to find out what is going on with this important tournament or that important tournament and where we were only made aware of the opportunity for a Canadian to play in the women's continental a couple of weeks prior to the event.

I am not interested in preserving FIDE power structures or artificial monopolies and so I welcome reformers like Arkady Dvorkovich.

Perhaps Michael Barron is right and we need a new FIDE representative.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Is anyone else surprised that the polls closed today instead of Sunday?

Everyone who can't read the agenda or various headlines is very surprised.




The schedule of this meeting has been confusing. Nominations closed on day 4 instead of day 3 as announced, the voting was to end on day 6, but was day 4 now really day 3, and day 7 was day 6? The notice to voters gave me the impression that voting closed on the 23rd at 6pm. Then the notices looked different. Very strange.

The voter sign in should have been public. It was not done even after Fred McKim pointed it out. This was improper and relevant.

I am also very concerned that Mahmud could not obtain a current mailing list of his voting member colleagues. The Secretary sent him a previous list.

Did Mahmud file the NFP act required declaration with the CFC office? That was not the previous list from what I saw. I believe some provinces have not yet provided the names of their voting members.




The list should always be available to all VMs. How else are we supposed to govern?

It is available though it probably should not be provided in electronic format and you do have to promise not to use it in other than for the prescribed lawful purposes. Email addresses were not masked in some of Lyle's notifications. I received the latest version at the same time as Mahmud as we were both copied on the same email.




Pierre is wrong.

He quoted the law. How was he wrong? This law was why we had to remove the voting member names and emails from the website.




These are voting members, not regular CFC members and we have an election. Both candidates should have equal access to the voters. This was not a level playing field.

We need to adopt some values from a Strategic Planning process. How about inclusiveness and transparency for a start.

That law is specifically talking about voting members when they talk about members. Mahmud should have been able to get the list and I should have been able to get the list but the list is only as up to date as the provincial associations allow it to be.446

[Vladimir Drkulec]

There is little use in continuing this thread since the campaign is over.

[Nikolay Noritsyn]

There is little use in continuing this thread since the campaign is over.

I agree, lets allow Vlad to have the last word. The empire strikes back, and is going to continue the 2012 Strategic Plan. Till next year (maybe).

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I agree, lets allow Vlad to have the last word. The empire strikes back, and is going to continue the 2012 Strategic Plan. Till next year (maybe).

The question is who is representing the Empire and who is representing the insurgents.

There is someone working on an updated plan.

One book that you can get through the Strategy and Games website or at least could at one time is "Developing Chess Talent" by Karol and Merijn Van Delft. It deals with building a chess culture along with helping kids get better at chess. It was a source of ideas for our strategic plan.

[Hal Bond]

Everyone who can't read the agenda or various headlines is very surprised.



Did Mahmud file the NFP act required declaration with the CFC office? That was not the previous list from what I saw. I believe some provinces have not yet provided the names of their voting members.



It is available though it probably should not be provided in electronic format and you do have to promise not to use it in other than for the prescribed lawful purposes. Email addresses were not masked in some of Lyle's notifications. I received the latest version at the same time as Mahmud as we were both copied on the same email.



He quoted the law. How was he wrong? This law was why we had to remove the voting member names and emails from the website.




That law is specifically talking about voting members when they talk about members. Mahmud should have been able to get the list and I should have been able to get the list but the list is only as up to date as the provincial associations allow it to be.446

No problem Vlad. I just got a different legal opinion and about Mahmud's VM access. Is it worth asking Les? I think this point is worth noting as we go forward.

I also want to congratulate you my friend (yes folks Vlad and I are friends) on your electoral victory. We have had a very lively discussion and a record turn out of our VMs. I am optimistic that we will emerge from this a better organization.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

No problem Vlad. I just got a different legal opinion and about Mahmud's VM access. Is it worth asking Les? I think this point is worth noting as we go forward.

I also want to congratulate you my friend (yes folks Vlad and I are friends) on your electoral victory. We have had a very lively discussion and a record turn out of our VMs. I am optimistic that we will emerge from this a better organization.

I also consider you a friend and that is why this election campaign (not the election) was hurtful. I hope for the sake of chess in Canada we can get beyond it.

[Mahmud Hassain]

I also consider you a friend and that is why this election campaign (not the election) was hurtful. I hope for the sake of chess in Canada we can get beyond it.

Congratulations Vlad on your re-election as President.
I also want to thank all the 45 members who were inspired to vote, especially those of you who hoped for a change.
This has been a great experience and I have no ill will against any one. However, I have noticed that our governance need to be updated and be more transparent.
I am still calling for a modern, healthy and meaningful strategic plan. I am here offering my services to create and update one.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Congratulations Vlad on your re-election as President.
I also want to thank all the 45 members who were inspired to vote, especially those of you who hoped for a change.
This has been a great experience and I have no ill will against any one. However, I have noticed that our governance need to be updated and be more transparent.
I am still calling for a modern, healthy and meaningful strategic plan. I am here offering my services to create and update one.

Respectfully,
Mahmud

Thank you for your vigorous campaign which generated so much interest. In past years you might have won in a landslide with the much lower turnouts.

We will likely take you up on that and form a committee to update the strategic plan. As I mentioned there is someone working on that already so perhaps several voting members and interested individuals in the chess community can join that effort. Perhaps some of the disgruntled could contribute to that vision.

The most important thing this moment is to find a way to survive the next year or two given the effects of the covid crisis on every aspect of our business. We will also need to address what to do with the voting members and formula for determining how many members from each province. We averted a crisis by extending memberships but if the virus continues to be a problem perhaps we should implement a freeze on changing the numbers for the length of the crisis. I would hate for the memberships to drop below 1000 abruptly and then abruptly we have to cut the voting members based on the formula drop to 20. There would still be additional officers and the executive.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I would like to thank everyone of the voting members who voted for me and offered encouragement during this campaign, especially the ones who worked in the background and that I didn't even know about at the time. I would like to thank everyone that voted. Hopefully we can have a tough presidential election every year with strong candidates with duelling visions without the spectre of a pandemic casting a shadow over our lives and our federation. The message that I got loud and clear is that we need more transparency even as we have been more transparent than any other administration. I am okay with that. We can't always be transparent when it involves a personnel matter but in all other cases where legally prudent I am willing to provide a higher level of transparency.