CFC FIDE Representative election - Feb 2021

[Patricia Gamliel]

Good morning,

There is another short thread to add me at the executive. I can’t find my first thread where I was presenting myself in an informal fashion (the one that triggered Mr. Plotkin’s reply comparing me to his wife after he read that I have three children - remember that he wants to represent the CFC at FIDE). I can't find it right now. But I am fairly present on internet. As for the 2nd post, here it is:

Quote Originally Posted by Patricia Gamliel:

Good evening,
This is my first post and might not be my last. However, please accept that when I do post it might not be to answer posts of others.*
This being said, I believe that as a non-profit org. the CFC is entitled to take advantage of existing government programs including but not limited to loans partially forgivable, the hiring of youth within Canada Summer Jobs programs paid by the government, etc...
Moreover, CFC's revenues can be increased with various groups membership such as, for example, corporate membership and educational institution membership.*Memberships may also allow for tax-deductible donations to the CFC by making Canadian chess activities eligible for such consideration.
This can be accomplished through various paths along which general outreach initiatives to Canadian and multinational corporations. Sponsoring chess shall become a win-win proposition.*As well, the CFC visibility may be increased through the FIDE Social Commission as Chess is a universal language and a tool to help low-income families, newcomers to Canada, refugees, and prison inmates. Grants from corresponding government departments may be available.
Finally, and some of you may have seen it coming, I will help the CFC to achieve gender equality. I will strongly support Canadian girls and women both in chess competitions and in chess governance.

Thank you for inviting me to apply.

Sincerely,

[Patricia Gamliel]

Mr. Mallone.

On part of your post only:

The goal is not to bring me in the CFC because I am a woman but because of what I can do.
My gender really came into play because some people could not see me beyond my gender and THAT is very sad for an organization such as the CFC and I hope this will change.

[Victor Itkin]

And it "could be" true that Hal did not happily resign? I think it's fairly obvious that he's not happy! You are a VM and so you should have already read his resignation letter. Here it is, in case you missed it: http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/sh...representative

I don't know about Sasha, but I myself have definitively missed an important point from Hal Bond's resignation letter:

" ...The Arbiter Upgrade application submitted by Diana Tsypina is materially flawed – it attempts to exploit the wording of the regulations while disregarding basic principles of the FIDE Arbiter system..."

In order to understand this issue better, it would be nice to hear from Vadim his point of view and comments about this matter.

[Jeremy Clark]

I don't know about Sasha, but I myself have definitively missed an important point from Hal Bond's resignation letter:

" ...The Arbiter Upgrade application submitted by Diana Tsypina is materially flawed – it attempts to exploit the wording of the regulations while disregarding basic principles of the FIDE Arbiter system..."

In order to understand this issue better, it would be nice to hear from Vadim his point of view and comments about this matter.

I asked about this when it was first posted and received no response from anyone. I, too, would like to hear Vadim's response to this, preferably in advance of the voting.

[Victor Plotkin]

Taken from Patricia Gamliel's post: "It is surprising that mature professionals would only cruise through them to end up one to compare me to his wife ( no offence to her Mr. Plotkin but seriously????) and the other as my only skill to be a women coordinator at the CFC? ��

Sorry, guys, I can do much more than raising 3 kids: I actually did that while at the same time working full time and going to university full time and volunteering as a Union collective agreements negotiator."

I had no intention of comparing you to my wife. My wife is truly incomparable.

I liked your "seriously????" My wife is a professor at the UofT (faculty of medicine), President of the Ontario Association of Pathologists, Director of Continuous Professional Development at the UofT, Chair of the Group at the Major International Oncology Organization, and a physician-scientist at the tertiary cancer center. She also volunteers at several professional and non-profit organizations.

My apologies for the off-topic post. I would never have done it otherwise. Let's be courteous.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I don't know about Sasha, but I myself have definitively missed an important point from Hal Bond's resignation letter:

" ...The Arbiter Upgrade application submitted by Diana Tsypina is materially flawed – it attempts to exploit the wording of the regulations while disregarding basic principles of the FIDE Arbiter system..."

In order to understand this issue better, it would be nice to hear from Vadim his point of view and comments about this matter.

I asked about this when it was first posted and received no response from anyone. I, too, would like to hear Vadim's response to this, preferably in advance of the voting.

You received a response from me on the voting members forum

While discussing the replacement options, I'd be interested in learning if there will be any investigation in the matters Hal raised in his resignation letter, specifically the FIDE arbiter process which he claims suffered from interference by the executive.

Edit: I should add that I joined as a VM from Ontario at Hal's request, and am aware of the larger backstory that has led to this point.

There was no interference from the executive. Hal Bond's decision was appealed to the board of directors. It is not interference when it is your job to decide on the case.

The board of directors is the ultimate appeal court within the CFC unless or until you go to FIDE or an actual court of law.

There was a way for the case to go forward without the CFC's approval by applying directly to FIDE. A successful application after we refused would make us look very bad. We would appear to be working to block the advance of a francophone woman. Not a good look for us. I am not afraid of a fight on social media but I would not touch this kind of stinky meat case with a ten foot pole and try to defend it. And my duty would be to publicly defend it.

I am not afraid to look bad to whoever has to thwart certain people because they are afraid to sign their name and hope the CFC will do their dirty work for them. Dealing a jack from the back of the pack, they said you lose again (am I going to be the only one who knows that reference?). Cue line from "The Usual Suspects". If this application fails I take the hit and the new FIDE rep gets to say it was that darn president, what can I do?

The FQE also asked us to look at this and make the right judgment based on the rules as written and not as some individual on the arbiters commission might have wished the rule was written.

Make no mistake, this would have ended up in a court of law where the letter of the FIDE rule, with every modifying comma significant in whether we were engaged in discrimination.

In all such cases we need to refrain from a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict. A successful application means more competition for the person making the decision and the members of the arbiters commission working towards dismissal of this application at the CFC level. Add in the clear animosity angle and this is not a hill that I would be willing to die on and for. If it is a bad application reject it and blame that idiot Vlad Drkulec and the board members who can read English and see that the application well may succeed and who don't see success as some kind of threat. Think of every arbiter as an element of our infrastructure. We need more of them. We need more women arbiters so young girls can see that this is a reasonable activity for them to engage in.

There are many aspects of this case which are troubling from the point of view of the executive. The application was clearly marked pending time served or some such at the very top. We were provided with the FIDE statute which may be poorly written but we read the rule as written and it seemed that we should not be acting as a gatekeeper to prevent a Canadian from advancing, particularly a Canadian woman when I had just attended a seminar by the Canadian Olympic Committee on the best practices for non-profit NSO's required if we wanted to stay in the good graces of the IOC and the COC. A court case would hang on the rules as written which everyone admits (even the people on the arbiters commission) are badly written. The IOC and by delegation the COC had mandated that we integrate more women into the ranks of referees, umpires, line judges for the other sports and arbiters for chess.

I submit that the two IAs, two or three NAs, on the board came to the conclusion that their conscience guided them towards.

If some guy on the arbiters commission doesn't like it, blame it on Canada.

It is very rarely that I can work in references to Al Stewart, The Usual Suspects, and South Park into one post.

[Vadim Tsypin]

Mr. Mallone.

On part of your post only:

The goal is not to bring me in the CFC because I am a woman but because of what I can do.
My gender really came into play because some people could not see me beyond my gender and THAT is very sad for an organization such as the CFC and I hope this will change.

Patricia,

As a ranking member of the FIDE Social Commission (SOC) appointed by the FIDE President in 2018, you are well recognized worldwide for your accomplishments and your capabilities - not for your gender. Please rest assured that the Canadian chess community is open-minded, progressive and dynamic. All of us, including the honourable Voting Members, hold close to our heart the values enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There is no gender discrimination in the CFC.

As the Secretary of the FIDE Management Board - the body whose mandate includes coordination of activities of Non-Elected Commissions - I am privileged to deal on a regular basis both with SOC Chairman Paris Klerides (Cyprus) and with SOC Secretary Philippe Victor Chatelain (Haiti). In all professional discussions with these gentlemen over the years, none of them ever mentioned to me your gender - only your analytical and problem-solving skills that were crucial to so many FIDE SOC projects, such as the disaster relief in the Caribbean and refugee support in Bangladesh.

The FIDE Social Commission ‘‘SOC’’ is dedicated to using chess as a tool for social development. SOC advocates for the use of chess as a tool for social change through action as:

• An equalizer for gender, social and economic development.
• For life skills, ethics, good character development and empowerment.
• A tool to reach out to children-at-risk including those in impoverished communities, refugee camps and those in prisons.
• To work with organizations that aim to combat problems connected to memory loss and aging.

Additionally, SOC will support programs that have a positive impact on many lives. Using chess as a platform to empower teachers in communities, as well as providing support that will help children to develop life skills and promote positive social development. The key is to prepare programs, training and opportunities that empower the people that are using chess as a tool for social development within their bases, whether they are teachers, instructors, and/or social workers.

Providing access to FIDE seminars is a key component to empowering chess promoters and players so they acquire expertise to build chess in their countries. SOC seeks to strengthen the social fabric of communities for encounter through chess that can strengthen the dialogue between generations.
Chess is an amazing game and tool with the power to transform lives!!!

Our vision: Enabling the less privileged in society to realise their full potential in life.
Our Mission: To inspire and transform lives by empowering others.
Our Values: Compassion, Selfless service, Integrity, Accountability and Equal opportunities for all.

SOC cooperates with FIDE member federations in order to achieve its goals.

https://www.cowlinglegal.com/blog/wo...tricia-gamliel

[Vadim Tsypin]

Dear chess friends and colleagues across Canada,

In compliance with the election procedures published by the CFC, I have declared my candidacy for the position of the FIDE Representative by notifying the CFC Secretary on February 07. As per the procedures, I have provided all required documents to the CFC by Sunday, February 14.

I truly believe that my background in chess governance, including being a core member of the new FIDE management team since the 2018 FIDE elections, makes me the best candidate for this position. I am confident that I will be able to open the door wide for Canada into world chess and to bring exciting opportunities for Canadian players, coaches, and organizers. I hope that you will entrust me with the development of the CFC’s future at FIDE and vote for me.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

As a ranking member of the FIDE Social Commission (SOC) appointed by the FIDE President in 2018

May I ask: was it by your recommendation? You were the adviser of the FIDE President at that moment, were not you?

I have just started my tenure as a vice-president of the CFC back in 2018, and inquired how persons get on FIDE commissions without passing the national federation as there were other appointments what lifted my eyebrows.

[Vadim Tsypin]

VT-CV-2021.pdf

Honourable Voting Members,
Forum users:

I was privileged to present my condensed CV on February 07. Please see attached.

Since 2018, FIDE was completely reorganized as a modern, transparent, democratic, business-like sports federation, which allowed it to attract reputable Western sponsors. FIDE has a fully funded budget, audited annually by Ernst & Young. Every year - 2019, 2020, 2021 - we process financial aid applications from National Chess Federations, event organizers, seniors, indigent players, women's groups, scholastic associations, and others; we provide the support requested and distribute the corresponding grants. I believe that my being a core member of the FIDE management makes me the best person to lobby for Canada's interests, to help Canadians navigate support / development programs and to prepare aid applications.