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This week (Tue., May 12), making a welcome return to join IM John Watson on Chess Talk is three-time US champion, GM Lev Alburt.
Lev, born in 1945 in Orenburg, Russia, was a product of the famed Soviet school of chess. He lived for many years in Odessa, Ukraine, and won the highly competitive Ukraine championship three-times, from 1972-1974.
In 1979, whilst playing in a tournament in West Germany, he opted to defect and turned to the US where he has since forged an impressive career as player, coach and author of a series of highly praised and best selling chess books.
Here is GM Lev Alburt’s take on the USCF when he served on the Executive Board:
THIS CRAZY WORLD OF CHESS
by GM Larry Evans (page 129)
Lev Alburt was the first grandmaster elected to the seven member USCF board of directors and soon became the odd man out. In this exclusive interview he pierces the veil of secrecy and begins naming names.
After defecting from the USSR in 1979 he settled in Manhattan, married, and quickly became a fixture in American chess. After capturing our nation’s highest title three times, he retired from tournaments to write books and give lessons.
INTERVIEW WITH GM LEV ALBURT
EVANS: Lev, it’s hard to believe that people who are supposed to promote chess in America are actually holding back its growth.
ALBURT: I couldn’t believe it myself. But I learned that everyone in the business office and above all members of the board were interested primarily in doing almost nothing. Nothing real. Nothing to promote chess. When I get together with Allen Kaufman or Jimmy Sherwin of the American Chess Foundation we usually discuss ways to promote growth and emulate the success of England, which sprang from nowhere to one of the top nations.
EVANS: Didn’t the board discuss these things?
ALBURT: No. I was extremely surprised that such topics were never addressed. Never, ever.
EVANS: What was their goal?
ALBURT: Let me continue. Even when we went to a restaurant I always expected them to bring up the subject of what can be done to make chess grow. But always the topics during our sessions was who should run for the board next year, who should be awarded national tournaments, or how to avoid being attacked by critics.
EVANS: Well, what did they get out of serving on the board?
ALBURT: Perks, of course. Free trips, and so forth. Some old timers look upon the federation as their toy, their plaything. They hang around people they chummed with for years. They love to give each other awards. When I left they offered me a Certificate of Service, but I said I wasn’t interested in such things.
EVANS: The board voted to ban tape recorders from open sessions but had to back down when Friends of the USCF blasted them in its newsletter. Isn’t the board spending more and more time in closed session anyway?
ALBURT: They discuss a lot of things in private which to my mind don’t belong in closed session. They often use these sessions as an excuse to say nasty things they would not dare to repeat in public. Sometimes they knock people I respect and I challenge them to produce evidence or shut up.
EVANS: So didn’t they become more careful around you?
ALBURT: To some extent I think I spoiled the good feeling they shared together—the feeling that the less anyone outside knows, the better. When someone new was elected to the board, they immediately closed ranks and developed a bond. Even reform candidates wanted to become one of the boys as soon as they were elected.
And the people behind the USCF’s big losses of money while causing multiple lawsuits against the USCF are Bill Goichberg, Jim Berry, Randy Bauer, Randy Hough and Bill Hall. Nothing has changed with the USCF since Alburt was on the board. It’s the same Goichberg, Hough, Jim Berry, Hanken, etc… These guys have caused the USCF to lose more than $500,000 in the last few years. Membership went under 80,000! Less revenues, less members, more spending = the end of the USCF. The USCF can’t fund the US Championship, US Olympiad Teams, World Team Championship Teams, etc. But they have plenty of USCF money for their own political gain. These guys are going after any USCF members, volunteers and delegates who oppose the way how this federation conducts business. It’s a disgusting stinking system. This is why the USCF failed miserably. They’ve done everything possible to block GM Polgar from helping chess because they want to keep power for themselves.
Bill Goichberg, Jim Berry, Randy Bauer, Randy Hough and Bill Hall have gone off the deep end. It’s not enough that they’ve wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars for their political gain. Now they’re going after USCF volunteers, delegates, and members.
What does Donna Alarie have to do with these stupid cases? After big bucks down the drain, they found NOTHING! But they’ll continue down this path while pissing off everybody.
Did they investigate Goichberg and Hough’s bribery scandal? Of course not! Did they investigate Bill Hall’s violation of the exclusive contract with ChessCafe? Of course not! Who cares that the USCF lost hundreds of thousands of dollars under these guys. It’s not their money so why should they care. And people wonder why so many people walked away from this stupid stinking federation.
Goichberg continues to push to have “his people” in the next election so this kind if dictatorship and corruption can continue.
Ruth Haring and Mike Atkins (Both Goichberg’s candidates) have gone on the record supporting the lawsuits. When will this BS end? The USCF sucks big time under Goichberg and Berry!
Vote for Goichberg, Berry, Haring, Atkins, Lafferty, Mottershead or Sloan = End of the USCF. Vote for them = USCF corruption will continue.
I think Goichberg was one of these people Alburt referred to.
I didn’t even know about this whole underworld of the chess game. Seems to me, chess is a timeless game, and if you can introduce it to kids at an early age, they will become the best advocates. Pretty simple, really.
I am so happy the truth is coming out, because they have tried to damage Susan Polgar’s reputation. But you can’t cover the sun with the palm of your hand; that is, you cannot hide the truth; it shines on its own accord.
And Susan Polgar and her husband are doing wonderful work for American children!
Kamalakanta
Goichberg, Hough and Hanken were caught red handed bribing people for votes. But they’re hiding this from all USCF members. They’re trashing GM Polgar so she doesn’t rat them out. This is their little corrupted world for decades.
I’m appalled at the conduct of Jim Berry and Bill Goichberg. I for sure won’t vote for them or their buddies Atkins, Haring, Mottershead or Lafferty.
Jim Berry was trying to destroy Oklahoma scholastic chess a few years ago. It was a big state battle. Now he helps Goichberg bankrupts the USCF. I can’t believe they lost more than $500,000 in less than 2 years. Why do they want to be re-elected? Shocking!
This is USCF corruption at its worst. Goichberg has a long history of using USCF money to go after his political opponents. He did the same to GM Larry Evans. After he was proven completely wrong, Goichberg refused to apologize to GM Evans. Jim Berry has been a big disappointment. He helped Goichberg bankrupt the USCF.
Disgusting chess politics by Goichberg, Berry and Hall. Goichberg and Berry shouldn’t be reelected and Hall needs to go. Hall is responsible for losing the ChessCafe contract which will cost the USCF hundreds of thousands of dollars. Goichberg and Berry are responsible for sinking the USCF financially.
I’ll vote for Korenman, Lugo, Hetch and Nietman. They’re the only normal candidates who have done positive things for chess and without political baggage.