Resolution of Complaint against Vice President Olga Mushtaler

[Oksana Golubeva]

The Chess Federation of Canada has to operate within the provisions of the law for non-profit corporations in Canada. The Chess Federation of Canada board held a Zoom meeting and discussed all aspects of this case.

The relationship between Heidi and Olga has been more complicated than this single interaction.

Our last email sent on Wednesday at 11:02 am EST and copied to the CFC office and all board members along with Oksana and Anna:

Hello Oksana and Anna,

As already stated the CFC has reviewed the evidence following Heidi Gay's complaint. Chess in the Park operates independently and is not affiliated with the Chess Federation of Canada. As a board, our role does not extend to adjudicating or micromanaging the private lives and decisions of our directors outside of their duties within the CFC. The removal of a director is a significant decision, necessitating clear evidence of wrongdoing within the context of their duties for the Chess Federation of Canada. In this case, the presented evidence does not meet the required standard for such a consequential action.

We consider the matter closed.

Vladimir Drkulec
President and Chairperson of Board of Directors
Chess Federation of Canada

Thank you, Vlad, for confirming the CFC’s position.
The initial letter has been posted for full transparency.

Best regards,
Oksana

[Olga Mushtaler]

Dear all,

I would like to reiterate my firm position on the importance of safe play in all chess events. It is crucial for all organizers to create a safe and pleasant environment and take public concerns seriously. In this regard, I sincerely apologize if I dismissed Heidi's legitimate concerns about Grandmaster Timur Gareyev, who has a track record of poor behavior. This is a learning opportunity for me and the chess community at large. Together, we need to do better at addressing inappropriate behavior.

On a side note, I'd like to extend my personal apologies to Heidi, Oksana, and Anna. I want to assure them that I stand with them when it comes to women's safety in chess. I hope we can work together to improve the environment in the future.

I extend an invitation to Heidi to rejoin the Chess in the Park Facebook group and offer my apologies for her removal.

Sincerely,

Olga Mushtaler

[Anna Burtasova]

Dear Olga,

Thank you for this courageous and strong apology. We really appreciate it. We wish CFC could follow this lead…

Anna Burtasova & Oksana Golubeva

[Vladimir Drkulec]

Dear Olga,

Thank you for this courageous and strong apology. We really appreciate it. We wish CFC could follow this lead…

Anna Burtasova & Oksana Golubeva

Follow this lead how? Should we have ignored the law, legal advice, and our own CFC rules and punished someone for something that is not in the purview of the CFC?

[Anna Burtasova]

Follow this lead how? Should we have ignored the law, legal advice, and our own CFC rules and punished someone for something that is not in the purview of the CFC?

Follow Olga's lead: acknowledge the importance of safety at the chess events, take it as a learning opportunity, adopt Safe Play Policy, create Safe Play Guidelines for the organizers? Take a valid public concern seriously and see it at least as a start of a meaningful discussion that can lead to important changes, instead of repeating that "the matter is closed" for you? You can do many things to improve the situation without punishing anyone.

[Anna Burtasova]

Heidi Gay cannot post at this forum, so she asked me to share her reply to Olga:

"Hello Olga,

Thank you for the apology. I look forward to seeing your commitment in action.

Like Anna and many others, I think CFC should play a leading role in the implementation of Safe Play guidelines. It certainly should not be an obstacle to progress, or a voice that dismisses concerns behind the thin veil of bureaucracy.

Best,
Heidi"

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Timur Gareyev has been sanctioned by US Chess for violating Safe Play Guidelines and is still currently serving out his suspension (effective to June 2024) at the time of this writing. This has been covered on chess.com and on Lichess.

In the latest development he was permanently banned from USCF events.

Membership permanently revoked and permanently banned from appearing at, attending, or participating in any events or activities organized, sanctioned, or to be rated by the US Chess Federation or any of its affiliates.

https://new.uschess.org/sites/defaul...preadsheet.pdf

[Vladimir Drkulec]

In the latest development he was permanently banned from USCF events.


https://new.uschess.org/sites/defaul...preadsheet.pdf

Yes, I got that same PDF a couple of days ago. There is no question that he is a piece of work. This current punishment seems more appropriate for what is being alleged than the original limited ban.