USCF Q&A (http://www.chesscafe.com/polgar/polgar.htm)
How did the USCF Chairman position come about? What is your opinion about these new titles?
After the new board was elected, there were two candidates for the position of President, current President Bill Goichberg and myself. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses. Bill and I discussed this situation at length to come up with the most efficient way to maximize our talents to best help the USCF.
In addition, we have a very unique board with exceptional talents and expertise in various areas that can greatly help the USCF.
So the idea of creating different positions arose. Bill, with decades of experience, knows the ins and outs and the structure of the USCF quite well. I am best in my own environment, which is to be the public face and voice of the USCF to positively promote chess and deal with potential supporters and sponsors.
The USCF by-laws committee and Mr. Harold Winston were consulted about the legality of this idea. They came to the conclusion that there is nothing in the USCF by-laws that would prevent it. Therefore, in the first meeting of the new board, this idea was proposed and we had unanimous votes for every position. This was a triumphant first step to unite the board, especially after a very bitter election.
How will you deal with those who were very critical of you during the election?
I want to unite everyone for the best interest of chess. I am not a vindictive person and I have no interest in revenge. I will lead by example. I was elected by the members to change the USCF for the better and that is what I will concentrate on.
Do you think it is possible to unite the various membership groups?
Yes, but I cannot do it alone. I need the cooperation of my fellow board members. Before we can unite people, we need to show everyone the proper respect.
What is your view about chess and education? Should chess be a part of the school curriculum or after school program?
I think this is absolutely essential. The future of chess depends on it. In many countries, there are a lot more young players than adults and this trend will not change any time soon. In addition, research has proved that chess can help children in many ways. This is why we must continue to push the agenda of chess and education forward, especially chess in the schools.
What is your goal with SPICE? What will be the relationship between SPICE and the USCF?
The goal with SPICE is to promote chess as vehicle for enriching education, as well as to serve as the global center for chess research, education and development. We also support and promote competitive chess at the college level. I hope that SPICE will be able to help the USCF in many ways for years to come.
Is there is a conflict of interest in being the Chairman of the USCF and the President of the Susan Polgar Foundation?
Absolutely not! SPICE and the SPF are here to complement the USCF, not work against it. The success of SPICE and SPF will help the mission of the USCF. The same can be said about the success of UTD, UMBC, AF4C and many other chess organizations. The federation has had a poor history of reaching out to work with others, and this will be one of the areas that will be improved.
There are more organized chess players outside of the USCF than there are in it. Do you think it is possible to change this?
Yes. I view this as a positive thing. It shows me that there are quite a few people interested in playing chess. It also shows that the USCF has not done enough to offer what chess players want. That is why they are not members. It means that we must do more to attract these players to join our federation.
How important is it to improve the image of the USCF? Do you feel that this can help raise sponsorship for the USCF?
It is vitally important to improve the image of the USCF to have any chance of acquiring sponsorship. The SPF and other organizations have found many sponsors for various events, while the USCF has had a hard time. But it is not only about sponsorship, we need to improve our image as well.
A lot more can be read in my monthly http://www.chesscafe.com/ column: http://www.chesscafe.com/polgar/polgar.htm
Excellent stuff! We do need more professionalism with the USCF.
Karolyi’s book on Judit Polgar (advertised on Chesscafe): anybody read it? What’s it like?
Hi,
In some european companies, you have a two-head management.
It works quite well and it avoids dictatorship.
Ok you can tell me that there are issues for which they never agree. So to prevent this situation, set up a permanent Emergency Board that can be raised for these issues.
Bye,
Dudule
Nice try, dudule, but I don’t think it works – certainly didn’t for Airbus.
The nature of successful decision-making is complex: if there was a simple recipe, we would all be doing it – and that can’t happen in a zero-sum game. In the end, decisions have to be taken, even when two people disagree.
Fundamentally, people have to be sensitive to multiple perspectives, realise that how much they ‘believe’ they can still be wrong, and so stay open to advice.
I wonder if chess players’ training causes them to be too insensitive in this area, too introspective, one-perspective and lone-minded. I suggest that this is part of the downside of chess, of which we hear little on this blog.
By the way, Joan of Arc, Tony Blair and gamblers waiting for their luck to turn are all in the belief category.
The USCF is what it is, namely a trade association of small-time TD’s with a few big ones. It exists to perpetuate business as usual. In order to really promote chess it has to completely abandon its current structure. Nobody is talking about doing that, so nothing substantive is going to change.
When will you be ready to accept actual questions from the members?
For example, where are you on the USCF Chairman participating in the USCF Forums? (Dig! Dig!)
Yes, I think politics can be fun – and chess politics, too. Wheedling politicians is an American passtime that goes back to George Washington. (No, I don’t mean the nasty stuff that we saw earlier this year.)
The story of Susan Polgar’s refusal to do the Forums on grounds of bad governance reminds me of the story of the Minister who complained to his Bishop about the people of his church. “They’re forever not paying attention to the service and some even fall asleep in the pews,” he said. The bishop started wondering about the minister whose sermons were putting all of those people asleep in the pews!
Look forward to seeing everyone at the next EB meeting in Tennessee!
Thanks for answering some of the questions that have been asked. You should never come back to the USCF forums. Nothing gets done there except the same people attacking and insulting everyone.
Jack, why does Susan need to be on the uscf forums? Nothing goes on there except a few angry people arguing senseless stuff daily.
I’m glad you delete all posts from obnoxious people Lafferty and Sloan here. Thanks. This is why I come here and not the USCF forums. I also applaud your stance on not participating in the USCF forums until people like Lafferty, Sloan, Brenan and Mottorshead are severely sanctioned for their malicious, childish and obnoxious conducts.
The USCF would appear not to be moderating its forums effectively enough – unless it is just that Susan Polgar believes that the moderators should be more strict about what points are made.
Other forums have defined moderator policies, moderator elections and good moderators. I don’t see why the USCF cannot achieve this.
Everyone can all smell posts from Lafferty, Sloan and Brenan from miles away. They have done nothing positive for the USCF and they’re all costing this federation a bundle in legal fees. Very sad.
Very good segment!
So if you want her to believe you, prove your identity. This is her blog and she’s entitled to ban anyone or delete any posts she wants, especially rude posts from anonymous posters.
When the moderators and FOC start to do their job on the USCF forums, trolls start to come here to make trouble. What a bunch of losers. Why don’t you guys go do something useful for a change?
Anon of 12.19 confuses ‘entitled to ban … and delete posts’ with ‘can ban and delete posts’.
Don’t know if Blogger defines a core behaviour for censoring blog comments, but a blog that deletes relevant questions asked in an objective style will eventually run out of credibility if it at the same time claims to allow anything like free speech.
The likely issues around the relationship between PT-SP, the SP Foundation and the USCF will increasingly come into the light. I felt it helpful to raise them here but this was clearly unwelcome.
Another topic which cannot be discussed here. I’m disappointed by the lack of openness here.
… by the way, the fact that someone does not post as ‘anonymous’ does not mean that they are not anonymous.
There is nothing to raise and I am not going to allow people to come to my blog and start something that is not there, especially as anonymous.
I was in Scotland last week as a keynote speaker for a major chess conference, an arrangement that was made more than a year ago. The arrangement had nothing to do with the USCF. All of a sudden, a former board member started to publicly imply that the USCF was paying for me to go there. Your question was heading toward the same pattern. Why don’t you send me your real name and phone number in an email? I will call you and we can discuss your concerns.
Mr. Goichberg runs a chess for profit company. He is also the President. It does not mean that he would behave himself unethically.
I run a non-profit organization and I run SPICE. Both are here to complement the USCF with its mission to promote chess.
You are more than welcome to raise this issue at the delegates meeting in front of everyone. But as I said before, this is MY blog. Garbage like that is not going to be allow this kind of cheap innuendos now or in the future.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
Susan, please don’t waste your time with the trolls. Since December of 2006, only 5 people have ever raised this issue:
– Sam Sloan
– Brian Lafferty
– Brenan Nierman
– Brian Mottorshead and Harry.
Harry has stopped because Jim Berry asked him to. So that left 4. I doubt that the troll will reveal himself since he has nothing important to say. Forget them and continue what you do to help chess.
Isn’t Susan a Chairwoman? It’s a nice title and it sounds every bit the equal of Chairman. I would be insulted if I were her and someone called me “Chairman”.
Why do the three stinkmigos (Sloan, Lafferty, and Brenan) get their mits into practically everything?
So Susan, has the troll send you an email with his number for you to call? I hightly doubt it. I guess the troll is afraid to show his real identity 🙂 Keep up the good work and keep the trolls out.
To banana …
I answered Susan’s concerns at 10.06 and have that piece on file.
Your answered at 10.09, just 3 minutes later, and at 10.10, my answer to Susan – again perfectly inoffensive – was deleted.
I refer anyone interested to
http://www.blogger.com/content.g , especially the bit about ‘healthy debate’.
So healthy debate to you means to provoke people as a coward anon when there’s no wrong doing? I hope Susan will delete all your posts. If you believe in what you say, why not have a direct conversation with her as offered? What a troll!
Very sad to see anonymous coward coming to a great blog like this to cause trouble. What a bunch of losers! Keep them out Susan! You gave them a chance to discuss this issue and they chose to hide behind their anonimity.