tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80277482232003533712024-03-13T16:51:51.739-05:00USCF Politics BlogA blog for frank, but sane, discussion of the politics of the United States Chess Federation.Wickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921053118952031662noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-2597472578969815802011-05-04T19:41:00.004-05:002011-05-16T04:22:11.239-05:00Should the USCF Executive Board be made the board of directors?<div>Perhaps the membership itself should ultimately decide rather than a small group of insiders based upon the recommendations from a Special Task Force on USCF Governance that has been trying to ponder the question since its establishment on February 25, 2010.<br /><br />Regardless below are some links which should help structure the answer to the question.<br /><br />Regards,<br />Wayne Praeder<br /><a href="http://www.boardsource.org/Knowledge.asp?ID=3.368">http://www.boardsource.org/Knowledge.asp?ID=3.368</a></div><div><a href="http://www.nonprofit.pro/nonprofit_board_directors.htm">http://www.nonprofit.pro/nonprofit_board_directors.htm</a></div><div><a href="http://www.eidebailly.com/industries/nonprofit/serving_np_bod.aspx">http://www.eidebailly.com/industries/nonprofit/serving_np_bod.aspx</a></div><div><a href="http://www.boardsource.org/Knowledge.asp?ID=3.101">http://www.boardsource.org/Knowledge.asp?ID=3.101</a></div><a href="http://www.betteruscf.org/omov.htm">http://www.betteruscf.org/omov.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.betteruscf.org/order.htm">http://www.betteruscf.org/order.htm</a>wpraederhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15793615868828252682noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-85161023688947005712011-03-31T01:00:00.002-05:002011-03-31T01:00:01.686-05:00Hedy Lamarr on Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SH8Hu3cN_fo/TWxiG7B1EFI/AAAAAAAABG0/6tLaSBRbsIM/s1600/Hedy%2BLamar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="318" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SH8Hu3cN_fo/TWxiG7B1EFI/AAAAAAAABG0/6tLaSBRbsIM/s320/Hedy%2BLamar.jpg" /></a></div>Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.<br />
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- Hedy Lamarr<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr">More</a> on Hedy Lamarr.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-22923106764946819512011-03-24T01:00:00.003-05:002011-03-24T01:00:10.169-05:00Dale Carnegie on Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vskDAzDT3PA/TWxe4qF11QI/AAAAAAAABGs/W1LQ4BHVVkE/s1600/Dale%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="185" width="146" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vskDAzDT3PA/TWxe4qF11QI/AAAAAAAABGs/W1LQ4BHVVkE/s200/Dale%2BC.jpg" /></a></div>You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.<br />
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- Dale Carnegie<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Carnegie">More</a> on Dale Carnegie.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-80288617412720079942011-03-17T01:00:00.001-05:002011-03-17T01:00:00.850-05:00Benchley on Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snSHbjzGOKU/TWxcfjQx3DI/AAAAAAAABGk/OaQ9TldbfI4/s1600/Benchley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="196" width="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snSHbjzGOKU/TWxcfjQx3DI/AAAAAAAABGk/OaQ9TldbfI4/s320/Benchley.jpg" /></a></div>It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.<br />
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- Robert Benchley<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Benchley">More</a> about Robert Benchley.<br />
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Picture: from "How to Sleep". The short film became his best-known work, and earned him an Academy Award.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-7026064120731453982011-03-14T09:32:00.003-05:002011-03-22T22:36:59.866-05:00More Attacks on Polgar on USCF's ForumsMy reply:<br />
<br />
All Truong and Polgar wanted was their day in court. It is not their fault that the justice system costs so much money. They were as victimized by the absurd costs to get a verdict as anyone else.<br />
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Justice ought to not be just for the rich, nor should it be so costly as to be unobtainable. BL, I wrote a lot of my desire for the truth to come out and you and your's spent much time deriding that. There ought to have been a trial and there ought to have been a verdict. BL, you also wrote much here speculating on how deep SP's pockets were and the impact that would have. How deep or shallow their pockets were should not have been important to obtaining a verdict.<br />
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Blaming them for the costliness of trials and verdicts is burdening them with societal problems that are outside of their control.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-70889460586087542632011-03-10T01:00:00.001-06:002011-03-10T01:00:05.449-06:00Bismark on Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MlW1INprDB4/TWxX7tW2nxI/AAAAAAAABGc/-yWdUcK4XeM/s1600/Bismark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="129" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MlW1INprDB4/TWxX7tW2nxI/AAAAAAAABGc/-yWdUcK4XeM/s200/Bismark.jpg" /></a></div>Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war on observes the rules of politeness.<br />
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- Otto von Bismark<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck">More</a> about Otto von Bismark.<br />
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Picture (cc by-sa 3.0) by SPBer.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-75018993868434922232011-03-01T08:34:00.001-06:002011-03-01T08:34:44.361-06:00Candidate Allen Priest Comments on Financial Issues<i><a href="http://www.uschess.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15078">From USCF's Forums</a></i>:<br />
<br />
Jack LeMoine made these comments last year and asked about an update in another thread.<br />
<blockquote>“1) The accounting reports have improved since I saw them a couple of years ago.<br />
<br />
2) The main problem accountingwise that the USCF faces is the inability to know how ahead or behind we are during the course of the year. However far behind we are mid-year, management always responds with first, "The second half of the year is always better" and "The auditors always make year-end accruals that could vary the bottom lines by many thousands of dollars".<br />
<br />
3) The members badly need to know how much the average rate of increase the second half revenues are over the first half. This gives you an historical, verifiable, and measurable benchmark to project the annual result.<br />
<br />
4) I wouldn't depend too much on comparing first half results with prior years. It is like comparing middle-game positions in a game of chess. You may have fewer pieces but still be ahead. There are other factors than just how many and what pieces you have. The same is true for comparing dollars to dollars mid-year. It is the end of the year that counts. Management is correct to point to annual results instead of interim results.<br />
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5) The problem of membership accruals at year-end needs to be addressed. I note that Mike Nolan has come out in favor of a database for this.<br />
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6) Various audit issues have been discussed at very great length on this forum. Amid all the drek, there's been some legitimate points raised. I have pointed out (see some of my earliest posts) that we have independent auditors and these issues ought to be taken up with them. I favor the Executive Board meeting with the auditors on an annual basis to discuss matters that have come up and to ask questions. Such questions could relate to findings that did not rise to the level of financial statement disclosure but that people would still be interested in knowing. (e.g. the infamous Susan Polgar laptop computer incident. Did the auditors look into this or did they not? If they did, what did they find? Another audit mystery is the documentation of the Crossville land and building valuation. Did the auditors examine them or did they not? How did they verify the valuations used?) Bill Goichberg opposed this; Randy Bauer hasn't taken a position.<br />
<br />
7) Sevan Murdian brought up the subject of operational/internal audits about a year and a half ago. He offered his services for free and I had said I would help. Mike Nolan was right to say that these would only work if people did the work in Crossville. At this point, I'm unclear how this would help but perhaps it is worth looking into.<br />
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8 )The unpaid post-employment money owed remains a critical issue. I am unsure why the USCF hasn't been sued over this. The money owed ought to be paid ASAP. If cash flow was a problem, then the bequest money ought to have taken care of it (cash flow).<br />
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9) The invite to me to summarize the accounting issues was kindly appreciated and this was a quick and dirty response. The proper person who ought to summarize these issues is Randy Bauer, the USCF's Vice-President of Finance. Recently, we exchanged views on this forum on the matter. RB was quite adament that he no longer feels responsibility for discussing USCF Finances because of the lawsuits and because he is just a volunteer. (From his statements, I infer that he won't address USCF finances in any other manner, either, but I could be mistaken. He could still be functioning in some way. - Or not.) I believe he ought to reverse his position on this issue.”</blockquote><br />
<hr>Allen Priest's comments follow:<br />
<br />
First to address my thoughts on each issue in turn:<br />
1) The accounting reports have improved. There are always ways to get better. Joe Nanna took some input from the Finance Committee and the internal reports are much easier to read. The most important use for the internal statements is to be useful for management. The way one refines internal statements is to ask the users. This needs to be done regularly. That is one of the first things I will do. It may be that the internal users are satisfied with the information, and little or no changes are needed. The cash flow statement is a critical piece of information that many users do not fully appreciate.<br />
2) And<br />
3) are related. Budgets or plans that take an annual total and divide it by 12 to get a monthly amount are only useful for those items that are actually the same each month. Our management budgets are more helpful when we project costs as expected for each month. Our reliance on good performance from tournaments that are at the end of our fiscal year is a problem. But all of those events have budgets and we can incorporate those budgets as well. In my work with non-profits I have found it insufficient to only plan on a net amount from an event. The problem with a net approach is that one can lose track of costs as long as a certain net is reached. No non-profit can really afford to do that. Costs can reasonably grow for an event if the event attendance grows – it has to do that. But that has to be planned. In my experience the USCF national events staff does a pretty good job of watching costs – but I know there have been issues raised particularly about the last SuperNationals. The EB and the Finance Committee need the details to know that matters are being managed properly. Having said that I do not believe every cost detail needs to be posted on the website.<br />
4) Comparing months and YTD results to the same periods from prior years has value, but only comparing then to the immediately prior year is less useful than comparing them to a series of prior periods. Further the results will and should differ. One has to understand why there are differences.<br />
5) I do not disagree that this continues to need improvement. I also do not think this total needs to be adjusted each month. The cost to track and adjust these totals seem to me to outweigh the benefit to the information. It is more important to continue to move the multi-year membership money into the LMA as we have been doing. We also need to make sure we do a cash flow budget in addition to the income and expense budget. One reason is to remove the non-cash revenue recognition from old multi-year memberships. Another is to plan for the actual cash impact of multi-year memberships. We have to keep identifying and segregating the multi-year membership cash flows so that we do not spend all of the cash when received as has happened in the past. <br />
6) The Audit committee needs to take a larger role in dealing with the a, auditors. The audit committee is delegate appointed and so is the direct link between the directors and the auditors. I am not sure how clear that is to everyone. It will be a lot clearer this year.<br />
7) Internal audits generally focus on compliance with internal controls. The USCF office staff is so small that separation of duties will always be a challenge to implement. IT is a good idea to review such. The external auditors are now required to develop a much deeper understanding of the control structure than they used to be required to do. Those understandings and their recommendations need to be understood and considered. The good news is that this is what I do for a living. <br />
I’m not sure that I understand exactly what others have considered as “operational audits” to be able to comment on that. But as I have stated elsewhere, we need a multiyear plan for technology investment/development. At our accounting firm I use a rolling three year plan to consider where we need to be and what I need to be spending or learning about now so that we can be ready as we go forward.<br />
8 ) This has been resolved.<br />
9) This is a personal issue of which I am not a part.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-86704779968537544802011-02-28T10:12:00.001-06:002011-02-28T10:13:23.695-06:00Gary Walters' USCF ThreadOver at the USCF Forums, Hal Bogner <a href="http://www.uschess.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15051">started a cool thread</a> asking GW what if anything he has done or even learned since he got elected. Also, what are his stands on the issues.<br />
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Good start, but since it was GW of course the thread descended to pure drivil. (Sigh!)Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-50758575030991136642011-02-27T10:41:00.000-06:002011-02-27T10:41:21.886-06:00Election Year AgainYes, again. They seem to be having one every year now. Already the trashing has begun. Sevan Murdian is an International Abritrator for the World Chess Federation and runs many tournaments both International and Local. He's been tagged as being pro-Susan Polgar (he's not really, but whatever) so he's being attacked in the usual fashion. Investigations have uncovered a cell phone having gone off in one of his tournaments (he disciplined the player) and of course, the usual personal pecedillos. They had to do a lot of digging to find them but with a sufficient amount of ruthlessness and determination, I gues water can be struck, no matter how deep they got sink the shaft.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Gary Walters, another candidate is skating right through because he has never done anything - no experience in chess clubs, state organizations, tournament directing, so there's nothing to criticize.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-49545797502168796412011-01-29T15:51:00.001-06:002011-01-29T15:52:04.304-06:00A Loose EndLast month, I learned from Hal Bogner that the principals to the Polgar lawsuits have the files on Chess Discussion.com. (Thank you, Hal!) This website had been run by Susan Polgar but has been taken down.<br />
<br />
From Hal, I learned that the 3 top people (Susan, Paul, and Gregory) had a super-secret section on that forum just for themselves. I infer from Hal’s comments that this was where the lawyers’ interest lay. He quoted to me some of Gregory’s et al’s comments about me that were negative.<br />
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My reactions to these disclosures:<br />
<list><br />
<ol>I do not mind top management having a discussion area of their own. This is a necessary thing in most companies.</ol><ol>Their negative comments pertained to their judgment that I was not politically reliable. I do not mind this, either because that judgment was true. I stated many times that I wanted the truth of all that mess. My continued support of them was based on continuing bad statements and actions of the USCF and their other detractors, while noting Polgar’s bad actions, too.</ol><ol>Controversies related to forum management: I would have preferred to have Lafferty, Mottershead, et al to have full access to the forum. During the time, I tried various work-arounds. I was persuaded to Susan’s point of view only by (a) her desire to have the forum as non-political as possible and (b) by their exclusive and negative political content. My changing position on this front was the result of evolution, not duplicity. However, in retrospect, my biggest regret was not coming down hard on Polgar’s political supporters much earlier than I did. The policy of discouraging political diatribes was not executed fairly.</ol></list><br />
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<i>Postscript: Brian Lafferty has stated that he intends to publish the entirety of the forum someday. Believe that? Use your own judgment </i>Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-44723572910575974442010-04-09T19:23:00.001-05:002010-04-09T19:25:13.000-05:00The Giuoco PianoHere's another opening for us to study - and a video to go along with it.<br />
<br />
Lots of tactical twists, but so is the Ruy Lopez, too! Last century, this was one of the majors that everyone had to know.<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sKTAYd-fQOA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sKTAYd-fQOA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="344"></embed></object>Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-15650617099439004912010-03-17T20:22:00.005-05:002010-03-17T20:34:08.008-05:00Armed Forces ChessA few days ago, I asked about this. USCF EB Member Mike Atkins responded:<br /><br /><blockquote>The previous US Armed Forces Opens were held at:<br />2009- Gettysburg War Museum, Army, Chief TD/Organizer Mike Hoffpauir<br />2008- Bethesda Naval Hospital, Navy, Tom Belke Organzier, Ernie Schlich Chief TD<br />2007- Henderson Hall Marine Corps Base (On the grounds of Fort Myer, next to Arlington Cemetary), John Farrell/Organizer, Michael Atkins, Chief TD<br />2006 - Washington DC Old Soldier's Home, Org/Lt. Col Doug Taffinder, Chief TD/Michael Atkins<br />For the 2006 event we brought in as special speaker retired USAF Lt. General William Earn Brown, a chessplayer who was in one of the Tuskeegee Airman graduating classes in the late 1940's. <br /><br />The US Armed Forces Open is open to solder who are active-duty, retirees (20+ year retirees) and students at the Academies. <br /><br />This year's event is being organized by Lt Col Taffinder again and will be in the DC area. They do a wonderful job in securing donated prizes and have gotten financial support in the past in order to purchase great trophies. The Military Academies participate in the tournament with West Point typically bringing the most players. When it is being held on military bases, the rooms for the academy students are usually free and the EF is always free for everyone. <br /><br />The Military Chair recently resigned and they are in the process of ironing out a strategy to always have a Chair. I am the EB Liaison to the Military Committe.<br /><br />Mike</blockquote><br />(Used with permission.) Here's a chess site devoted to this topic:<br /><a href="http://www.usmilitarychess.org/">http://www.usmilitarychess.org/</a>Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-61612685391813623612010-03-15T04:00:00.000-05:002010-03-15T04:00:03.845-05:00Walters' Chess QualificationsHere's a short list:<br /><br />Chess Club Official: None<br />Tournament Director: None<br />State Affiliate: None<br />USCF Committeework: None<br />Newsletter/Magazine: None<br />Blog: Started one after he announced his campaign. (See below.)<br /><br />Walters is saying the typical things chess politicians say when they have no real credentials: <br /><br /><em>a) He's going to represent the players, since he has no organizer experience.</em><br /><br />Trying to turn a liability into an asset. So, why didn't/won't he represent the players in his state or his local chess club?<br /><br /><em>b) He's passionate about chess.</em><br /><br />Sure, and the other pols are not? Since his one claim to contributing to chess other than just playing it is this blog, it sure would be nice if there were at least more than one post to it since Feb. 18 - and that was just a crosstable!<br /><br />c) He's posted 300 odd comments to the USCF's Issues Forum. Mostly mean, nasty attacks or else some petty comment. These means that he fits right in with the USCF politics culture. (Sigh!)<br /><br />----------<br /><br />Note John Hillery's comment to yesterday's post. Walters should be elected only to keep Sam Sloan out. This is what the USCF has come to.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-70997077904782920922010-03-14T04:00:00.001-05:002010-03-14T21:47:57.860-05:00Walters' Campaign Blog<a href="http://wduscf.blogspot.com/2010/02/race-for-executive-board.html#comments">Earlier</a> I had stated that Gary Walters, candidate for the USCF Executive Board, had done nothing in chess but put up a campaign blog after he began his electioneering. More on that in later posts, but on the blog issue John Hillery commented, saying that my characterization of his blog was unjust. <br /><br />(Sadly the links do not show up in this blog very well. You have to move your cursor around to find them.)<br /><br />I am not the only one who's saying this blog is for campaigning. This from the USCF's Forums, thread "I Will Only Vote Positively", post #180806, Gary Walters himself says,<br /><br /><blockquote>I am also campaigning actively on my blog at <a href="http://graysonebc.blogspot.com/">http://graysonebc.blogspot.com/</a>. You can find out more about me there.</blockquote><br /><br />This compares to Hillery's comment cited above:<br /><br /><blockquote>"You failed to mention that he only started his blog after he launched his election campaign." [quoting me - JL]<br /><br />That would be a fair point if his blog were primarily (or even significantly) about politics. It isn't. It's a chess news and analysis site, and a good one.</blockquote><br /><br />The point of all this is that what we have is a candidate who is not willing to work his way up but wants to start at the top. In order to make up for his lack of chess experience, he launches a blog so that he can have at least some chess thing to campaign on.<br /><br />Let's face it. In a year with the USCF in a financial crisis, it is going to need a very active Executive Board, aggressively helping with fundraising and promoting. It's stuck with Walters because the alternative is so unacceptable. If the members expect this pol to be more than just a resume credential collector, they are likely to be disappointed.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-76126979174929077572010-03-13T04:00:00.000-06:002010-03-13T04:00:02.023-06:00Adventures In NY, Boston, and ElsewhereJust learned of a new chess blog. Well, chess and lots of other stuff, too. Rather like my own at <a href="http://www.jacklemoine.com/">Jack Le Moine's Blog</a>.<br /><br />This blog is run by Erabin at Brandais University. Check <a href="http://adventuresofrabin.blogspot.com/2010/02/boylston-quads-today.html#links">his blog</a> out and tell him Jack sent you!Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-90391055608586882972010-03-12T04:00:00.003-06:002010-03-12T11:25:00.095-06:00Queen's Gambit<span style="font-size:180%;">Get ready to play in a chess tournament this weekend.</span><br /><br />Here's a little video to help you get your engine started. (-or to just learn a little more about the game.)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HdHWAuQRG7E&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HdHWAuQRG7E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="375" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Almost always, when the Queen Pawn meets the Queen Pawn in the center, White supports with the Queen Bishop Pawn. While this forumation is not as deadly as its brother formation on the Kingside, it is more strategic and hence more practical.<br /><br />I usually play this. I note that the QB pawn usually moves up next to the Q pawn no matter what Black does.<br /><br />This is an overview for beginners.<br /><br /><a href="http://main.uschess.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=199"><em>Chess events in your area</em></a><em> . . . </em>and visit <a href="http://www.thechesswebsite.com/">The Chess Website</a> who created these wonderful videos.<br /><br />www.jacklemoine.comJack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-48273745469089542742010-03-11T04:00:00.001-06:002010-03-11T09:18:25.531-06:00Old FinancesThis is from my Way-Back Machine at the USCF's Forum. An oldie but goodie from 1/1/2007. Post 25787.<br /><br />Thanks for the audit reports. I did look up the ones going back to 2002. Just a few comments. I note that all of the reports for all years was unqualified. This meant that the auditors found nothing materially wrong with the financials. If there were significant missing moneys, then that would have been noted somewhere - especially if they were in the ballpark of millions of dollars. There were no internal control reports - that dispenses with that issue. There should have been management reports, too. Those are not normally made available to the public.<br /><br />I know that this next may stick in your craw but the Executive Board members should be given access to those reports. That's the price of having SS on the board. I don't mean to be troublesome here, just fair. I don't think there's a legal requirement for that, that's just my opinion.<br /><br />I note that the building and land in TN is valued at near the price SS claimed was paid for it. The FY 2006 financials noted that the land was appraised but the building was not. Professional appraisers as a rule value property based upon all relevant factors. If encumbrances had the effect of significantly reducing the re-sale value aka the fair market value of the land, then the appraisers should have included that in their appraisal. Accounting rules require that assets be recorded at the lower of cost or market. Since the auditor did not write down the HQ in Crossville, this supports Joel Chandler's explanations and not Sam Sloan's. That should dispense with that issue. The building will be appraised this year. I do wonder why the building and land weren't both appraised at the same time.<br /><br />I note that the 2005 report is marked "draft". This looks bad. You really should get the final version of the report up, even if it has no changes from the draft version.<br /><br />Summary: the audit reports do not support Sam Sloan's allegations.*<br />-----<br />* He was claiming $3 million were missing from the treasury.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-84718396352061503702010-03-10T05:00:00.001-06:002010-03-10T05:00:08.408-06:00What Sam Sloan Should DoSloan does have a big positive. He comes across pretty good on video. He could concentrate on producing videos for youtube and elsewhere. He’s got eccentric ideas on openings and other strategies but here, this works in his favor. Chess needs coverage of eccentric openings and not just more of the same old stuff. - Yet another video of the Najdorf Sicilian (for example)!<br /><br />If he gets a director to coach him and line up shots, together with some post-production editing, he could make a name for himself – which is to say, he could re-brand himself in the chess world.<br /><br />Conclusion: how Sloan could rehabilitate himself is an interesting exercise for a lazy afternoon.<br /><br />www.jacklemoine.comJack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-18663690581089297962010-03-09T16:08:00.009-06:002010-03-09T17:53:13.865-06:00Non-Chess Jack 3/9/10What am I up to when I'm not playing chess and chess politics?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=80FF00&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=jalemosbl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=0470458429" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Yesterday, I read a book on Twitter. It was really an eye-opener for me. I did a little bit to my twitter site and my twitter practice. I went up from 6 to 65 followers. Here's my <a href="http://twitter.com/jacklemoine">Twitter site</a>, and check out the book, too.<br /><br />- Yes, I know. You saw on the USCF's Forum this:<br /><br /><blockquote>Big picture time here: I notice I have 63 followers on Twitter.</blockquote>- Myself, Post 183785<br /><br /><blockquote>Same terminology used by the Rev. Jim Jones. Scary.</blockquote>- Another USCF poster, citing the leader of a famous mass suicide in the early 1980's, Post 183786<br /><br />I had to inform the group that "followers" is the official term used by Twitter, Google (see the right panel here) and other major social internet sites. Why bother with such crazies?<br /><br />Also:<br /><br />Here's another installment of Herodotus on my <a href="http://historymoment.blogspot.com/2010/03/egypts-annual-flood.html">History Blog</a>. H was a tourist as well as an historian in the 5th. century BC, so his description of the ancient Egypt he saw takes us back in time 2,400 years.<br /><br />Now, with securities prices low is the best time to invest. In my Finance Blog, I ruminate on <a href="http://cpafinance.blogspot.com/2010/03/investment-foundation.html">wisdom </a>I found from Rich Dad and others.<br /><br />Health Care dominates the news on my <a href="http://poljournal.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-goal-in-space-now.html">Politics Blog</a> but the most far-reaching news is Obama's cutting back on the Space Program. What are the Left's goals in Space?<br /><br />and don't forget my first <a href="http://www.jacklemoine.com/2010/03/our-first-video.html">Youtube video</a> ever!Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-45825960351637935952010-03-09T06:00:00.001-06:002010-03-09T06:00:09.617-06:00Sam Sloan's Tricky IngredientsThe above are easy stuff. More tricky is his belief system relating to that 3 letter word that begins with s and ends with x. He’s been really in-your-face with it and it has caused him a lot of trouble on this forum and elsewhere. For me, this is a deal-breaker but I realize that for most, they do not take the kind of moral stands as I do. So, what is his optimal strategy here?<br /><br />First, we’ve got to respect the fact that he is sincere in what he believes. His record goes back a half-century now to his days in Berkley. As for the children issue, he notes that it is/was legal in the countries where he did it.<br /><br />Second, we’ve got an environment where tolerance for matters related to the s word is artificially high. It is plausible to see a scenario where Sloan responds to concerns about his website, books, and other media by successfully urging a live-and-let-live attitude.<br /><br />His best bet would be to put his s-word related stuff on the web behind some kind of wall like other adult-content sites do. As I recall, this was the chief complaint by people on this forum during the time Sloan was on the Board.<br /><br />As for his views on adults, children, and the s-word, they are what they are. While parents will probably always be uncomfortable having him around their children at chess tournaments, at the rate society keeps accepting more and more gross behavior, it is plausible to imagine his views gaining wider acceptance in the years to come.<br /><br />The issue needs more finesse than Sloan is probably capable of but once again, it is possible for him to do it.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-64497508141837517142010-03-08T20:32:00.000-06:002010-03-08T20:33:13.270-06:00Sam Sloan's No-Brainer IngredientsI know that it is difficult to imagine a Sam Sloan that has some measure of respectability in the chess world but it is possible. Like Nixon’s case after Watergate, it will take awhile. What are the ingredients of a Sloan rehabilitation?<br /><br />1) He’s got to dial back on chess politics. Post less on USCF Issues and more on All Things Chess.<br /><br />2) Lawsuits against Polgar/Truong are popular but not against the USCF. He’s got to refrain from any more anti-USCF litigation.<br /><br />3) Stay out of trouble with the law. This especially goes for child-related trouble!<br /><br />This is the no-brainer stuff.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-42941619743108946132010-03-07T00:36:00.001-06:002010-03-07T00:37:30.884-06:00Positively Sam SloanIs there a strategy for Sloan getting back to some status of respectability in the chess world? (I’m thinking of something like the post-Watergate Nixon did.)<br /><br />First, let’s clear out some underbrush. About the election: <br /><br />Sloan’s election chances are slim. The worst thing from his standpoint was that he’s in an effectively 2 man race. Had there been a third man for that last slot, then he might have had a shot at getting in by the majority of anti-Sloan voters splitting their vote. As it is, every one of them can concentrate their votes on Walters. The election is Walters’ to loose. He does not need to be qualified or even knowledgeable; he just needs to avoid anything stupid. Sloan’s only hope is to get people thinking the USCF is badly managed and then go negative on Walters. He’s not up to the job; he cannot fix things – that sort of spiel. This is a plausible strategy for him; he likes attacking people. Still, Sloan faces the problem that he has no base of support. Further, in his case, his experience on the Board actually works against him in this election.<br /><br />I just do not see him winning this. Even if he does win, what does he get? - A seat at a Board where he will once again be isolated. Worse, Sloan being Sloan, he probably won’t be able to resist the opportunities to cause trouble. Having gone to the well once already, the USCF may do unto Sloan what it did to Polgar and Truong and expel him. Eviscerating the rules for removal from the Board will not be the novelty it was last year.<br /><br />Sloan’s best bet would be to withdraw from the race so that he can get an early start on his rehabilitation but to analyze that move would be to withdraw from any plausible Sloan-like behavior into fantasy. So, I assume that he will run, adopt some strategy such as I imagine, and loose.<br /><br />Then what? What is his best strategy from that point?Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-83516028202937494332010-03-06T06:00:00.000-06:002010-03-05T22:44:01.150-06:00More on That Miami Tournament<em>(Continuation of the March 1 post.)</em><br /><br />There's some further information on this issue:<br /><br />1) The organizers had set unrealistically high guaranteed prizes. They would have been unlikely to have broken even - even if there had been no hurricanes and the weather had been perfect.<br /><br />2) They had not done unusual publicity to boost the attendance, meaning<br /><br />3) The guaranteed prize fund was their publicity and they just used the hurricane warning as an excuse to pull it.<br /><br />4) The USCF delayed action on this until after the election so that the appearance of political manipulation could be avoided.<br /><br />These are pretty substantial arguements on the other side of this issue. In light of this, the organizers really ought to explain themselves to the chess public.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-88994837622292366202010-03-05T21:18:00.005-06:002010-03-05T22:46:00.766-06:00Dutch Defense, Stonewall<span style="font-size:180%;">Get ready to play in a chess tournament this weekend.</span><br /><br />Here's a little video to help you get your engine started. (-or to just learn a little more about the game.)<br /><br /><object width="375" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NCJPCaDm8jU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NCJPCaDm8jU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="375" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The Stonewall has pawns on KB4, K3, Q4, and QB3. Either Black or White can move into this formation. In my experience, it is really hard to bust this formation. I recall Max Euwe's book on the middlegame had an extensive chapter on how to bust it.<br /><br />This is one opening I recommend for beginning players.<br /><br /><a href="http://main.uschess.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=199"><em>Chess events in your area</em></a><em> . . . </em>and visit <a href="http://www.jrobichess.com/"><em>jrobi</em></a> who created these wonderful videos.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8027748223200353371.post-87999041731762192512010-03-01T21:41:00.003-06:002010-03-01T21:45:28.551-06:00Hurricanes, Tsunamis, and Chess TournamentsThe 2008 Miami tournament is back in the news with an appeal from the Rules Committee. - Fallout from the organizers lowering the prize funds due to Hurricane Ike - which did not hit.<br /><br />Hurricanes and other natural disasters do occur. Experts put out alerts and then they turn out to be wrong. Just look at the tsumami warnings in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific this weekend. Experts thought it might happen; mass evacuations were declared and made. Fox, CNN, and MSNBC provided all-day coverage of an anticipated disaster that did not happen.<br /><br />It does not help chess organization in the future to create precidents that discourage organizers by blaming them for National Weather Service warnings that do not pan out.Jack Le Moinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800312583017921274noreply@blogger.com1