I wrote in humorous vein the other week about the whereabouts of Justin "CITC" Horton, and, more specifically, why the Bedlam Brigade had felt it necessary to take down his post about the Austria junior "racism" allegations. The note on their site claims that the post (and the accompanying comments) have been "temporarily removed pending EJH's return to the internet".
It was clear from the start that this was disingenuous at the very least, and a feeble attempt to hide something. Now we have the proof. Two days ago, Horton had sufficient internet access to be able to post a comment on another entry on the Bedlam Brigade blog. Now today, he has posted an entire screed, all about not chess but cycling, and all just a very thin excuse to have a pop at something in New in Chess magazine, another of this obsessive's favourite targets (they once refused to publish a ranting letter he wrote them about Nigel Short and he has never forgiven them...).
So the boy is back in the online community, it appears. And the Austria piece? It remains "temporarily suspended, pending EJH's return to the internet".
As Peter Sowray said at the time, all very suspicious. Gissa timeline.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Thursday, 30 August 2012
That was The Week in Chess that was
I have emphasised before on this blog that the chess world is about more than 2800-strength professional grandmasters, and that many people, whose playing skills are much. much lower still make an enormous contribution to our game, be it as organisers, arbiters, study and problem composers, etc. Most of them work for little or no financial reward, and, indeed, even put money into the game. All too frequently, it is only when they are gone that their contributions are recognised.
For the past 14 years, ever since the early days of chess on the internet, Mark Crowther's The Week in Chess has been an indispensable part of the life of almost every serious player. Indeed, its acronym TWIC is probably second only to MCO in the list of the most well-known acronyms in the chessplayer's lexicon. Every Monday evening for the past 14 years, Mark has posted, entirely free of charge, a file containing PGN downloads of the complete games of every significant event played in the chess world that week, along with a text file of results, crosstables and other news. Virtually every serious chessplayer, from Garry Kasparov downwards, has begun his Tuesday morning by downloading the latest TWIC and updating his personal database with the latest instalment of games. In many cases, the number of games runs into the thousands. Every chess magazine editor I know of uses TWIC to compile his magazine's round-up of the main national and international results.
Behind each issue of TWIC lies many, many hours of work, collecting and preparing game files. I know from my own very limited experience that tournament organisers around the world use a bewildering variety of file formats and text formats, in presenting their results. Each week, Mark would have to collect all these, and standardise them for presentation in TWIC. Nowadays a lot can be done with macros and other IT devices, but even so, it can often take a very long time to achieve the desired result, especially when it comes to standardising the spellings of players names.
Throughout the past 14 years, TWIC has been a free service. For some years now, Mark has received sponsorship from Malcolm Pein's Chess Centre, but even so, he has earned little more than a subsistence income from TWIC. Last night, however, he announced what appears to be the end of TWIC as we know it. His sponsorship agreement with Malcolm has come to an end, and Mark himself is looking at other ways to earn a living, including potentially non-chess internet sites. He says that TWIC will continue "in some form", but it seems that the TWIC we know and love will soon be no more.
It is a sad day for chess, but also a salutary lesson. Mark's announcement contains more than a hint of bitterness, when he refers to the way commercial organisations have taken his free output and used it for their own commercial products. And therein lies the lesson. The arrogant stinginess of the internet user, who demands, as of right, that he receive everything for nothing, and who is prepared to resort to any form of copyright theft in order to do so, inevitably means that online content providers will struggle to make a living. The only websites that can make money are those which provide free content to drive up visitor numbers and then use the latter to sell advertising. Ultimately, that is probably the path down which Mark should have taken TWIC. But this is not a model with which everyone is comfortable, and those who are not seem doomed to extinction.
Not any longer being a player or a magazine editor, I will feel the loss of TWIC less than most, but I am still sad about the news. It would be nice to think that the inherently stingy chessplayers of the world will learn the lesson and adjust their behaviour accordingly, but of course, they won't. Even so, on their behalf, I thank Mark Crowther for his outstanding contribution to the chess world over the last decade and a half, and I wish him well in whatever new endeavours he undertakes.
For the past 14 years, ever since the early days of chess on the internet, Mark Crowther's The Week in Chess has been an indispensable part of the life of almost every serious player. Indeed, its acronym TWIC is probably second only to MCO in the list of the most well-known acronyms in the chessplayer's lexicon. Every Monday evening for the past 14 years, Mark has posted, entirely free of charge, a file containing PGN downloads of the complete games of every significant event played in the chess world that week, along with a text file of results, crosstables and other news. Virtually every serious chessplayer, from Garry Kasparov downwards, has begun his Tuesday morning by downloading the latest TWIC and updating his personal database with the latest instalment of games. In many cases, the number of games runs into the thousands. Every chess magazine editor I know of uses TWIC to compile his magazine's round-up of the main national and international results.
Behind each issue of TWIC lies many, many hours of work, collecting and preparing game files. I know from my own very limited experience that tournament organisers around the world use a bewildering variety of file formats and text formats, in presenting their results. Each week, Mark would have to collect all these, and standardise them for presentation in TWIC. Nowadays a lot can be done with macros and other IT devices, but even so, it can often take a very long time to achieve the desired result, especially when it comes to standardising the spellings of players names.
Throughout the past 14 years, TWIC has been a free service. For some years now, Mark has received sponsorship from Malcolm Pein's Chess Centre, but even so, he has earned little more than a subsistence income from TWIC. Last night, however, he announced what appears to be the end of TWIC as we know it. His sponsorship agreement with Malcolm has come to an end, and Mark himself is looking at other ways to earn a living, including potentially non-chess internet sites. He says that TWIC will continue "in some form", but it seems that the TWIC we know and love will soon be no more.
It is a sad day for chess, but also a salutary lesson. Mark's announcement contains more than a hint of bitterness, when he refers to the way commercial organisations have taken his free output and used it for their own commercial products. And therein lies the lesson. The arrogant stinginess of the internet user, who demands, as of right, that he receive everything for nothing, and who is prepared to resort to any form of copyright theft in order to do so, inevitably means that online content providers will struggle to make a living. The only websites that can make money are those which provide free content to drive up visitor numbers and then use the latter to sell advertising. Ultimately, that is probably the path down which Mark should have taken TWIC. But this is not a model with which everyone is comfortable, and those who are not seem doomed to extinction.
Not any longer being a player or a magazine editor, I will feel the loss of TWIC less than most, but I am still sad about the news. It would be nice to think that the inherently stingy chessplayers of the world will learn the lesson and adjust their behaviour accordingly, but of course, they won't. Even so, on their behalf, I thank Mark Crowther for his outstanding contribution to the chess world over the last decade and a half, and I wish him well in whatever new endeavours he undertakes.
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Crusading, Russian-speaking chess journalist banned from Olympiad
"No, Steve Giddins can't f*%king well have press accreditation!"
Monday, 27 August 2012
The Dear Leader speaks!
The ECF's much-loved President, CJ de Mooi, has broken his long sulk and granted a 45-minute interview to the Yorkshire Chess website. Listening to it is a truly nauseating experience, but it does shed an interesting light on a few things.
The interviewer is one Andrew Baks. I know nothing about Mr Baks, who seems a very pleasant, unassuming, and doubtless well-meaning chap, but when it comes to a penetrating interview with such a slippery and PR-savvy customer as the Dear Leader, he is sadly inadequate. Jeremy Paxman he definitely is not. Rather than posing any direct questions, he just gives CJ a little, all-purpose cue about each subject, and then lets the latter spout a load of disingenuous twaddle. A typical example is de Mooi's alleged financial contribution to the 2011 British Championship. Rather than ask a genuine question, such as "How much did you personally put in to the event?", Bak just makes a general comment along the lines of "I understand you put your own money into the event? Tell us about that", whereupon de Mooi duly trots out the party line about how necessary it was, what a good cause it was, how passionate he is about chess, etc, etc. As to precisely how much he spent, or what he spent it on, we of course remain none the wiser. He admits to having contributed "A few pennies" of his own. Naturally, he intends listeners to take this as a euphemism for "loadsa money", although in fact, my researches lead me to think that de Mooi's words may actually be very much closer to the literal truth than most people assume. But we will never know, will we? And that is how de Mooi wants it.
On T-shirtgate, he refuses to add to what he has already said, claiming this to be the ECF Board's policy. Yet he then contradicts this, by claiming that two people were reported to the police over the affair, which is news to me. Once again, Bak makes no attempt to follow up this potentially serious revelation.
Of course, the true reason why the Dear One has broken his self-imposed silence is that it is election time. The ECF AGM is less than two months away, and CJ is standing for re-election. And, like any scheming politician, he has an offer of jam tomorrow. If elected, he says, he has "big plans" for the 2013 British Championship, which will be held in Torquay (a point he goes out of his way to emphasise - I wonder why?). He hints at a major announcement to come, and also at once again putting "a few pennies" of his own money into the event. Some might suggest this amounts to little more than a crude attempt to buy votes - as Francis Urquart would say, "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment".
All in all, it is a rather sick-making 45 minutes of platitudinous self-justification, so much so that I toyed with the idea of not bothering to give the link. But, in the interests of letting you hear just how creepingly nauseous the ECF President can be, here it is.
The interviewer is one Andrew Baks. I know nothing about Mr Baks, who seems a very pleasant, unassuming, and doubtless well-meaning chap, but when it comes to a penetrating interview with such a slippery and PR-savvy customer as the Dear Leader, he is sadly inadequate. Jeremy Paxman he definitely is not. Rather than posing any direct questions, he just gives CJ a little, all-purpose cue about each subject, and then lets the latter spout a load of disingenuous twaddle. A typical example is de Mooi's alleged financial contribution to the 2011 British Championship. Rather than ask a genuine question, such as "How much did you personally put in to the event?", Bak just makes a general comment along the lines of "I understand you put your own money into the event? Tell us about that", whereupon de Mooi duly trots out the party line about how necessary it was, what a good cause it was, how passionate he is about chess, etc, etc. As to precisely how much he spent, or what he spent it on, we of course remain none the wiser. He admits to having contributed "A few pennies" of his own. Naturally, he intends listeners to take this as a euphemism for "loadsa money", although in fact, my researches lead me to think that de Mooi's words may actually be very much closer to the literal truth than most people assume. But we will never know, will we? And that is how de Mooi wants it.
"Some people give disingenuous, self-justificatory, pre-election interviews. Get over it!".
On T-shirtgate, he refuses to add to what he has already said, claiming this to be the ECF Board's policy. Yet he then contradicts this, by claiming that two people were reported to the police over the affair, which is news to me. Once again, Bak makes no attempt to follow up this potentially serious revelation.
Of course, the true reason why the Dear One has broken his self-imposed silence is that it is election time. The ECF AGM is less than two months away, and CJ is standing for re-election. And, like any scheming politician, he has an offer of jam tomorrow. If elected, he says, he has "big plans" for the 2013 British Championship, which will be held in Torquay (a point he goes out of his way to emphasise - I wonder why?). He hints at a major announcement to come, and also at once again putting "a few pennies" of his own money into the event. Some might suggest this amounts to little more than a crude attempt to buy votes - as Francis Urquart would say, "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment".
All in all, it is a rather sick-making 45 minutes of platitudinous self-justification, so much so that I toyed with the idea of not bothering to give the link. But, in the interests of letting you hear just how creepingly nauseous the ECF President can be, here it is.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Welsh opera star denies Beckham affair rumours
"Of course, if I had been consulted initially, I would have denied ever having an affair with Katherine Jenkins".
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Invisible only to some - the solution
I left you this position:
After the moves 30.Qxa6!? Rxc1+? 31.Rxc1 Rxa6 32 Rc8+ Qe8! Karyakin continued 33.Rxe8+ Kf7, giving the next diagram:
Now he showed the point of his combination, with the wonderfully spectacular 34.Ra8!!, which forced immediate resignation.
For a bonus point, I asked which ex-world champion had used a similar idea to win a famous game in the 1960s? The answer is Mikhail Tal, in his game against Brinck-Claussen, from the 1966 Havana Olympiad.
In the diagram position above, Tal won material with 33.Nxd5! Bxd5 34.Ra8!!
It would be interesting to know if Karyakin was familiar with the Tal predecessor. The young Karyakin was certainly capable of finding his combination against Kosteniuk by himself, but, on the other hand, the Tal-Brinck Claussen game is well-known, because it featured in a widely-published article Tal wrote, based around a 1956 game Polugayevsky-Tal, in the same opening line.
Either way, it is a spectacular tactic, which never fails to delight.
After the moves 30.Qxa6!? Rxc1+? 31.Rxc1 Rxa6 32 Rc8+ Qe8! Karyakin continued 33.Rxe8+ Kf7, giving the next diagram:
Now he showed the point of his combination, with the wonderfully spectacular 34.Ra8!!, which forced immediate resignation.
For a bonus point, I asked which ex-world champion had used a similar idea to win a famous game in the 1960s? The answer is Mikhail Tal, in his game against Brinck-Claussen, from the 1966 Havana Olympiad.
In the diagram position above, Tal won material with 33.Nxd5! Bxd5 34.Ra8!!
It would be interesting to know if Karyakin was familiar with the Tal predecessor. The young Karyakin was certainly capable of finding his combination against Kosteniuk by himself, but, on the other hand, the Tal-Brinck Claussen game is well-known, because it featured in a widely-published article Tal wrote, based around a 1956 game Polugayevsky-Tal, in the same opening line.
Either way, it is a spectacular tactic, which never fails to delight.
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Termitewatch 36 - Missing, presumed Penguined
Alarm seems to be spreading over the fate of one of our favourite termites, Justin "CITC" Horton. Over at the Bedlam Brigade site, his article about the Austrian racism allegations (one where he took nearly 5,000 words to say that nobody should say anything on the subject!), together with all of the accompanying 25 comments, has suddenly disappeared. Instead, it has been replaced with a picture of the old BBC test card (considerably more informative, by the way...) and a laconic message from one of Horton's fellow inmates, which reads
What could have happened to our Justin? Has the Spanish equivalent of BT cut off his internet connection? Or have the men in white coats come for him again? And why just this one post? After all, none of his other ramblings have disappeared. Could it be that someone has posted a comment that the free-speech loving Bedlam Brigaders don't like? Perish the thought!
Either way, the news brought a devastating response from Peter Sowray, one of the few sane people who still contribute (albeit rarely) to the Egregious Chess Forum. He wrote
Personally, I blame Ray Keene. My sources tell me that he has broken off from his attempts to frame Julian Assange, imprison Pussy Riot and organise the bombing of Iran, to kidnap poor Justin and subject him to the inhuman torture of having to go through all of Ernie Lazenby's Forum posts and correct all the spelling mistakes. On that basis, we shouldn't expect to hear from Justin again any time before Christmas 2015, at the earliest.
This post temporarily removed pending EJH's return to the internet
What could have happened to our Justin? Has the Spanish equivalent of BT cut off his internet connection? Or have the men in white coats come for him again? And why just this one post? After all, none of his other ramblings have disappeared. Could it be that someone has posted a comment that the free-speech loving Bedlam Brigaders don't like? Perish the thought!
Either way, the news brought a devastating response from Peter Sowray, one of the few sane people who still contribute (albeit rarely) to the Egregious Chess Forum. He wrote
Very suspicious indeed.
I always thought that these S&B bloggers were trying to hide something.
Gizza timeline ...
Personally, I blame Ray Keene. My sources tell me that he has broken off from his attempts to frame Julian Assange, imprison Pussy Riot and organise the bombing of Iran, to kidnap poor Justin and subject him to the inhuman torture of having to go through all of Ernie Lazenby's Forum posts and correct all the spelling mistakes. On that basis, we shouldn't expect to hear from Justin again any time before Christmas 2015, at the earliest.
"Expect you to talk? No, Mr Horton - I expect you to die - if only of boredom!" (Photo: en.wikipedia.org)
Invisible only to some...
Browsing the outstanding book Invisible Chess Moves, I came across a tactic that I loved when I first saw it, eight years ago, and which is no less striking now.
Karyakin - Kosteniuk, Brissago 2003
The 13-year old Karjakin now played the spectacular 30.Qxa6!? Black should have replied 30...Rcb8, with unclear play, but instead, Kosteniuk thought her young opponent had blundered and she went down the main line: 30...Rxc1+? 31.Rxc1 Rxa6. She had seen the point 32. Rc8+ Qe8!. But what had she missed? For an extra bonus point, which famous 1960s game, involving an ex-world champion, anticipated the same tactical idea?
Answer tomorrow.
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Assange calls for end of "witchhunt"
"They are only pursuing him because he has not joined the ECF compulsory membership scheme." (photo: John Saunders)
Friday, 17 August 2012
Kasparov arrest "violates free speech"
"All I said was that 'Pussy Riot' sounds like a Friday night out in Basildon!"
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Termitewatch 35: Fliptop's front
Over on the Forum, a thread has appeared, asking why the London League fixtures have not yet been published. Astonishingly, the world's worst correspondence chess tournament controller, John "As much use as a chocolate fire-guard" Philpott, chimes in, with the comment:
I had raised this very issue with the London League President yesterday (he happens to be a club mate of mine). He did not know the answer but was doing his best to find out.
I hope for the sake of the chessplayers of the capital that Fliptop himself is not responsible for the fixtures, else the forthcoming season might see a distinct shortage of "smiting across the chequered boards".
I had raised this very issue with the London League President yesterday (he happens to be a club mate of mine). He did not know the answer but was doing his best to find out.
I hope for the sake of the chessplayers of the capital that Fliptop himself is not responsible for the fixtures, else the forthcoming season might see a distinct shortage of "smiting across the chequered boards".
Double standards?
I recently came across what must surely be the nastiest and most offensive obituary ever published within the chess world. It was Bill Hartston's obituary of W Ritson Morry, published in The Independent newspaper on 16 February 1994. The title alone was enough: "Chess: The world is now a less smelly place". The full piece is now available online, and can be found here.
Readers are invited to read the above piece, and then consider what the reaction within the chess world would be, if say, Nigel Short were to have authored the piece. His numerous termitic detractors never cease to harp on about his (admittedly rather tasteless) quip about sleeping with Tony Miles' girlfriend, in his own obit. of Miles. None are more vociferous in this regard than the Bedlam Brigade, especially Justin "CITC" Horton. Yet some 18 months ago, the Bedlam Brigade published a fawning interview with Hartston and they have never, to my knowledge, uttered a word of criticism of him.
As I have said many times before, the chess world needs its moral compass re-calibrated.
Readers are invited to read the above piece, and then consider what the reaction within the chess world would be, if say, Nigel Short were to have authored the piece. His numerous termitic detractors never cease to harp on about his (admittedly rather tasteless) quip about sleeping with Tony Miles' girlfriend, in his own obit. of Miles. None are more vociferous in this regard than the Bedlam Brigade, especially Justin "CITC" Horton. Yet some 18 months ago, the Bedlam Brigade published a fawning interview with Hartston and they have never, to my knowledge, uttered a word of criticism of him.
As I have said many times before, the chess world needs its moral compass re-calibrated.
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Just as I figured
As chess books go, the category of individual game collections and/or biographies is by far my favourite, and I will buy just about any I come across. Thus, when I read a few weeks ago that Walter Browne was bringing out a book of memoirs and best games, I ordered a copy immediately. It has not disappointed.
Browne was enjoying his best years as I was first becoming a serious player, and thus I always knew him as a very strong GM. He won the first of his six US Championship titles in 1974, a year after I had first joined a chess club and first read a chess magazine. Over the next decade or so, he was a very active player, who chalked up many successes in strong GM events. Wijk aan Zee was an especially successful hunting ground - in seven appearances, he never had a minus score, including two first places, a 3-4th, a 4th, a 5th and a 6th. Browne was also the King of the American Swiss circuit, for which his uncompromising style made him ideal, and he has won literally hundreds of Swiss events.
He always had a reputation for several things - aggressive attacking play, deep theoretical knowledge (especially in his beloved Najdorf Sicilian), ferocious concentration, appalling time-scrambles, and for being extremely brash. Much of this fascinating personality came over when he appeared in a couple of series of the BBC TV programme, The Master Game. My abiding memory of those is that his first words, after his opponent's move, were almost invariably, "Huh, that's what I figured!".
The Stress of Chess is an excellent read, and a superb collection of annotated games. One gets a very good feel for the life of a chess professional in the 1970s and 80s, especially one as active as Browne. Many is the tale of last-minute flights, delayed flights, lost luggage, sleepless nights travelling, followed by a game the next day, etc. Nobody who reads the book could ever think there was anything easy or relaxing about life as a chess pro, just as nobody who watched Browne play could ever get that idea, either.
In addition to chess, Browne has always been a great gambler, and part of the book details his exploits, making serious money at poker, backgammon, etc. Indeed, I recall Robert Bellin describing the evening atmosphere at Wijk aan Zee in the mid-1970s, and especially the legendary Sonevanck Cafe, where in those days, the GMs would spend their evenings (nowadays, you won't spot an elite GM anywhere near a bar in Wijk - they are all in their hotel rooms, wired up to their computers...). Bellin gave a memorable description of how the ordinary players could rub shoulders with the top GMs, ask their opinion on a game for the price of a beer, chat, or "challenge Browne to a game of anything at all for a couple of guilders"! Browne was like a figure lifted out of The Cincinnati Kid.
Above all, though, any GM's ultimate legacy is his games, and Browne played plenty of brilliant ones. This is the one he himself names as his "Immortal". His sacrifice at move 14, found over the board after an hour's thought, is amazing enough, but the follow up makes the game a masterpiece:
You can order a copy of Browne's book here. It is every bit as good as I expected. In fact, it's just what I figured...
Browne was enjoying his best years as I was first becoming a serious player, and thus I always knew him as a very strong GM. He won the first of his six US Championship titles in 1974, a year after I had first joined a chess club and first read a chess magazine. Over the next decade or so, he was a very active player, who chalked up many successes in strong GM events. Wijk aan Zee was an especially successful hunting ground - in seven appearances, he never had a minus score, including two first places, a 3-4th, a 4th, a 5th and a 6th. Browne was also the King of the American Swiss circuit, for which his uncompromising style made him ideal, and he has won literally hundreds of Swiss events.
He always had a reputation for several things - aggressive attacking play, deep theoretical knowledge (especially in his beloved Najdorf Sicilian), ferocious concentration, appalling time-scrambles, and for being extremely brash. Much of this fascinating personality came over when he appeared in a couple of series of the BBC TV programme, The Master Game. My abiding memory of those is that his first words, after his opponent's move, were almost invariably, "Huh, that's what I figured!".
The Stress of Chess is an excellent read, and a superb collection of annotated games. One gets a very good feel for the life of a chess professional in the 1970s and 80s, especially one as active as Browne. Many is the tale of last-minute flights, delayed flights, lost luggage, sleepless nights travelling, followed by a game the next day, etc. Nobody who reads the book could ever think there was anything easy or relaxing about life as a chess pro, just as nobody who watched Browne play could ever get that idea, either.
In addition to chess, Browne has always been a great gambler, and part of the book details his exploits, making serious money at poker, backgammon, etc. Indeed, I recall Robert Bellin describing the evening atmosphere at Wijk aan Zee in the mid-1970s, and especially the legendary Sonevanck Cafe, where in those days, the GMs would spend their evenings (nowadays, you won't spot an elite GM anywhere near a bar in Wijk - they are all in their hotel rooms, wired up to their computers...). Bellin gave a memorable description of how the ordinary players could rub shoulders with the top GMs, ask their opinion on a game for the price of a beer, chat, or "challenge Browne to a game of anything at all for a couple of guilders"! Browne was like a figure lifted out of The Cincinnati Kid.
Above all, though, any GM's ultimate legacy is his games, and Browne played plenty of brilliant ones. This is the one he himself names as his "Immortal". His sacrifice at move 14, found over the board after an hour's thought, is amazing enough, but the follow up makes the game a masterpiece:
You can order a copy of Browne's book here. It is every bit as good as I expected. In fact, it's just what I figured...
Monday, 13 August 2012
Termitewatch 34 - Tears of a McClown
Today's Forum activity has brought forth a hilarious tantrum from Paul McClown, our favourite chess biographer. Having seen my piece Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, he launches into a massive tirade, all of it based on a deliberate misreading of what I wrote, and all of it just an excuse to throw childish abuse. Sadly, it failed to generate the desired response, as the only two people who bothered replying to his drivel both defended this blog! In particular, Paul Jackson responded as follows:
The only good thing I got out of joining this forum was finding out about Steve Giddin's chess blog. I'm not interested in saying here any longer. I can stay updated on ECF matters via Steve's blog.
Carl "Old Mother" Hibbard, please can you delete my account?
But what astonished me about McClown's outburst is that it runs to 470 words. Given that my blog piece only went up last Friday, that means McClown has taken only 72 hours, to produce his 470 words, an astonishing average of almost six and a half words per hour!
Would that poor old McClown could achieve this rate of veritable literary diarrhoea in his work on his long-awaited biography of Bob Wade. Had he managed it, he just might have come close to finishing the book while Bob was still alive...
The only good thing I got out of joining this forum was finding out about Steve Giddin's chess blog. I'm not interested in saying here any longer. I can stay updated on ECF matters via Steve's blog.
Carl "Old Mother" Hibbard, please can you delete my account?
But what astonished me about McClown's outburst is that it runs to 470 words. Given that my blog piece only went up last Friday, that means McClown has taken only 72 hours, to produce his 470 words, an astonishing average of almost six and a half words per hour!
Would that poor old McClown could achieve this rate of veritable literary diarrhoea in his work on his long-awaited biography of Bob Wade. Had he managed it, he just might have come close to finishing the book while Bob was still alive...
Team GB basks in Olympic medals triumph
"Of course, it only happened because the British Olympic Committee doesn't have a compulsory membership scheme".
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Termitewatch 33: The Curse of the Anteater Strikes Again!
You read it here one day, and it happens the next. Just as advocated on this blog recently, The Egregious Chess Federation's CEO, Andrew "Aintwortha" Farthing, has finally and belatedly taken his leave of the Forum. "Worn down", in his own words, by the endless interrogations from the termites, he stated yesterday that
Increasingly over the last few weeks, I have been contacted by people concerned over the impact of the endless discussions on this forum. Each has advocated that ECF officials should disengage from this informal dialogue.
Sounds as though a few of them have been reading this blog! Anyway, Farthing has finally come to his senses and realised the enormous damage the ECF has suffered, as a result of its participation in the online kangaroo court, run by the likes of de Coverly and Horton. In recent weeks, these two have really excelled themselves, in their behaviour over the CAS timeline, seemingly each seeing himself as some sort of cross between Lord Leveson, Pontius Pilate and Klaus Barbie. "Sir Roger" rather gave the game away the other day, when he responded to one post from Farthing with the words
It would have saved a lot of interrogation to have said this in the first place
There it is, the "i-word - oh, how proud of himself he must be! Woodward and Bernstein must be in awe of him...
And "CITC" Horton went one better a few days before that. First he demanded the publication of the timeline, with the breathtakingly arrogant comment
I'd appreciate that timeline, whenever it can be produced.
Rather reminds one of a boss, talking to his secretary, doesn't it? "I'd appreciate that letter typed as soon as you can manage it, Miss Jones"! But once the timeline was published, he got even cockier, with the immortal comment:
Just to say thank you to Andrew Farthing for producing the time line. I've not digested it properly yet - we had a guest last night and a three-hour power cut - but I'm just working my way through it now. Questions may follow, I'm afraid.
I'm afraid I cannot help picturing some Gestapo officer, announcing to his hapless victim "So, tonight ve make ze party viz ze friends. But do not zink zat ve ve haf finished viz you yet! Ve vill be back tomorrow viz more qvestions for you, Englische Schweinhund!"
But such is the arrogance of these termites. They have no official position, they represent nobody, and they count for nothing. And it HURTS!
Well, now it's going to hurt even more, because Farthing has announced that he will take no further part in Forum discussions. He also threatens that
I intend to include the topic of how the ECF should engage with the English chess community on the agenda of the AGM in October
- clearly, a sign that relations with the Forum will once again be the subject of a Council discussion. Will it result in another Council fatwa against the Forum? And if so, how long will it be before the Board again votes to override Council's decision, with the same predictably disastrous consequences for English chess?
Watch this space.
Increasingly over the last few weeks, I have been contacted by people concerned over the impact of the endless discussions on this forum. Each has advocated that ECF officials should disengage from this informal dialogue.
Sounds as though a few of them have been reading this blog! Anyway, Farthing has finally come to his senses and realised the enormous damage the ECF has suffered, as a result of its participation in the online kangaroo court, run by the likes of de Coverly and Horton. In recent weeks, these two have really excelled themselves, in their behaviour over the CAS timeline, seemingly each seeing himself as some sort of cross between Lord Leveson, Pontius Pilate and Klaus Barbie. "Sir Roger" rather gave the game away the other day, when he responded to one post from Farthing with the words
It would have saved a lot of interrogation to have said this in the first place
There it is, the "i-word - oh, how proud of himself he must be! Woodward and Bernstein must be in awe of him...
And "CITC" Horton went one better a few days before that. First he demanded the publication of the timeline, with the breathtakingly arrogant comment
I'd appreciate that timeline, whenever it can be produced.
Rather reminds one of a boss, talking to his secretary, doesn't it? "I'd appreciate that letter typed as soon as you can manage it, Miss Jones"! But once the timeline was published, he got even cockier, with the immortal comment:
Just to say thank you to Andrew Farthing for producing the time line. I've not digested it properly yet - we had a guest last night and a three-hour power cut - but I'm just working my way through it now. Questions may follow, I'm afraid.
I'm afraid I cannot help picturing some Gestapo officer, announcing to his hapless victim "So, tonight ve make ze party viz ze friends. But do not zink zat ve ve haf finished viz you yet! Ve vill be back tomorrow viz more qvestions for you, Englische Schweinhund!"
"For you, Farzing, ze var on ze Forum is over!" (photo: karnival-house.co.uk)
But such is the arrogance of these termites. They have no official position, they represent nobody, and they count for nothing. And it HURTS!
Well, now it's going to hurt even more, because Farthing has announced that he will take no further part in Forum discussions. He also threatens that
I intend to include the topic of how the ECF should engage with the English chess community on the agenda of the AGM in October
- clearly, a sign that relations with the Forum will once again be the subject of a Council discussion. Will it result in another Council fatwa against the Forum? And if so, how long will it be before the Board again votes to override Council's decision, with the same predictably disastrous consequences for English chess?
Watch this space.
Still match-fixing
Played on Wednesday in the Russian Championship Superfinal, the latest instalment of the ongoing theoretical battle between the "Бесстыдная" sisters:
Saturday, 11 August 2012
The 100th British Championship - a modest proposal
I see on the Forum that Reuben Stewpot is asking for suggestions for special events, to be held at next year's 100th British Championship. His stated objectives for such events include "everybody connected with the event enjoy themselves as much as possible", "the event attract publicity for chess, the sponsors and Torquay", and "the event makes a surplus of income over expenditure". Ever keen to assist the Egregious Chess Federation, I have a sure-fire winner.
I suggest an afternoon of dwarf-throwing, from the top of the Riviera Centre. Places as throwers would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. I am confident that, with the right volunteer missile, one could easily raise enough money to finance the British Championships for the next 100 years, as well as generating much publicity for "chess, the sponsors and Torquay". As for "everybody enjoying themselves as much as possible", I think that goes without saying...
I suggest an afternoon of dwarf-throwing, from the top of the Riviera Centre. Places as throwers would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. I am confident that, with the right volunteer missile, one could easily raise enough money to finance the British Championships for the next 100 years, as well as generating much publicity for "chess, the sponsors and Torquay". As for "everybody enjoying themselves as much as possible", I think that goes without saying...
"Of course, if Icarus had consulted me initially..."
Friday, 10 August 2012
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...
Whilst the termites on the Forum continue wittering on about trivia, and engaging in a sickening bout of self-congratulation over the CAS court case timeline, they ignore the emergence of a story which threatens to decimate the ECF altogether. This story, concerning a Muslim family's allegations of racism against the ECF, at the latest World Junior event in Austria, could easily blow up into the biggest thing to hit the ECF since the Brian Eley affair.
Admittedly, the allegations are pretty thin in some ways. Quite how it is racist of the ECF for the Austrian tournament organisers to have failed to provide halal food, for example, is beyond me. I also fail to see why it is racist of the rest of the English delegation to refuse to give up alcohol, just because the Muslim members disapprove. Surely tolerance goes both ways, doesn't it?
But these considerations are small beer (pun intended). In practice, if this story is picked up by an ambitious journo, with access to mainstream news media, it will be a simple matter to blow it up into something devastating for the ECF itself, and British chess more widely. Bolt on last year's post-Sheffield allegations of homophobia, and it will be child's play for any journalist to present a picture of English chess as run through with bigotry and prejudice. And, once that happens, any remote hopes of attracting commercial sponsorship to English chess will have been torpedoed, once and for all.
Just when you thought things could not get any worse!
PS. 17.00, 10/8/2012
The ability of the termites to get things arse about face really is breathtaking. Even before I wrote the above blog post, I had discussed with several friends the fact that the most worrying thing about this whole affair is the likelihood, if not virtual inevitability, that the ECF will screw up their response. And sure enough, the termites are already calling for this to happen!
Several of their number are already posting stuff on the Forum, saying such things as "we must have answers and quick!", and "a full and transparent enquiry is essential". This may sound reasonable, until one thinks about what they really mean. To the termites, this means that they, who are not officials of the Federation, and in some cases not even members, should be given all the facts. They mean that their forum, an unofficial collection of self-appointed trolls, which has no official status whatsoever in British chess, and with which the ECF chose to sever its official connection several years ago, should have all the facts. They mean that ECF officials should "come to this forum" (to use the termites' own favourite phrase) and account for their actions. They mean those officials should submit themselves to cross-examination from self-appointed inquisitors, such as CITC Horton, who will act as Prosecuting Council, jury and judge.
In reality, exactly the opposite is needed. The ECF should make absolutely no public comment whatsoever, except such official statements as are agreed with its legal advisers. No officials of the federation should be permitted to make any other public comment whatsoever on the matter (a comment has already been made by one Non-Exec, on the blog where the accusations appear. It is not clear if that is official or not). The very last thing the ECF needs, in such a delicate legal predicament, is loose-lipped directors, putting in their two-penn'orth on unofficial internet forums, and thereby providing further ammunition to the opponents. In this case, careless talk may not actually cost lives, but it can certainly cost a great deal of money, and could potentially wipe out the ECF altogether.
But will the ECF learn their lesson? Don't hold your breath.
Admittedly, the allegations are pretty thin in some ways. Quite how it is racist of the ECF for the Austrian tournament organisers to have failed to provide halal food, for example, is beyond me. I also fail to see why it is racist of the rest of the English delegation to refuse to give up alcohol, just because the Muslim members disapprove. Surely tolerance goes both ways, doesn't it?
But these considerations are small beer (pun intended). In practice, if this story is picked up by an ambitious journo, with access to mainstream news media, it will be a simple matter to blow it up into something devastating for the ECF itself, and British chess more widely. Bolt on last year's post-Sheffield allegations of homophobia, and it will be child's play for any journalist to present a picture of English chess as run through with bigotry and prejudice. And, once that happens, any remote hopes of attracting commercial sponsorship to English chess will have been torpedoed, once and for all.
Just when you thought things could not get any worse!
PS. 17.00, 10/8/2012
The ability of the termites to get things arse about face really is breathtaking. Even before I wrote the above blog post, I had discussed with several friends the fact that the most worrying thing about this whole affair is the likelihood, if not virtual inevitability, that the ECF will screw up their response. And sure enough, the termites are already calling for this to happen!
Several of their number are already posting stuff on the Forum, saying such things as "we must have answers and quick!", and "a full and transparent enquiry is essential". This may sound reasonable, until one thinks about what they really mean. To the termites, this means that they, who are not officials of the Federation, and in some cases not even members, should be given all the facts. They mean that their forum, an unofficial collection of self-appointed trolls, which has no official status whatsoever in British chess, and with which the ECF chose to sever its official connection several years ago, should have all the facts. They mean that ECF officials should "come to this forum" (to use the termites' own favourite phrase) and account for their actions. They mean those officials should submit themselves to cross-examination from self-appointed inquisitors, such as CITC Horton, who will act as Prosecuting Council, jury and judge.
In reality, exactly the opposite is needed. The ECF should make absolutely no public comment whatsoever, except such official statements as are agreed with its legal advisers. No officials of the federation should be permitted to make any other public comment whatsoever on the matter (a comment has already been made by one Non-Exec, on the blog where the accusations appear. It is not clear if that is official or not). The very last thing the ECF needs, in such a delicate legal predicament, is loose-lipped directors, putting in their two-penn'orth on unofficial internet forums, and thereby providing further ammunition to the opponents. In this case, careless talk may not actually cost lives, but it can certainly cost a great deal of money, and could potentially wipe out the ECF altogether.
But will the ECF learn their lesson? Don't hold your breath.
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Termitewatch 32: Cuckoo clocks out!
The latest person to exit the Egregious Chess Forum is Paul "Cuckoo" Cooksey. After becoming embroiled in a ludicrous debate with some of the worst termites currently active, he has given up the ghost, withdrawn from the Forum and asked for his account to be deleted.
This blog will not be shedding any crocodile tears over his departure, but it does have to be said that he was one of the ever-diminishing number of forumites who was actually literate. Before leaving, he described the Forum as "a mixed ability group", which I think is Sir Humphrey Appleby-speak for "they are a bunch of illiterate morons, leavened only by a tiny minority of intelligent and sensible people"!
This blog will not be shedding any crocodile tears over his departure, but it does have to be said that he was one of the ever-diminishing number of forumites who was actually literate. Before leaving, he described the Forum as "a mixed ability group", which I think is Sir Humphrey Appleby-speak for "they are a bunch of illiterate morons, leavened only by a tiny minority of intelligent and sensible people"!
Will the last one out of the door please switch off the lights?
The ECF has today published a list of the Board members, and who is/is not offering themselves for re-election at October's AGM. The list makes astonishing reading:.
President: C J de Mooi. Seeking re-election.
Chief Executive: Andrew Farthing. Not seeking re-election
Non-Executive Chairman: Mike Gunn. Seeking re-election.
Director of Finance: Gareth Caller. Not seeking re-election.
Director of International Chess: Lawrence Cooper. Not seeking re-election.
Director of Junior Chess and Education: Phil Ehr. Seeking re-election.
Director of Home Chess: Adam Raoof. Not seeking re-election.
Director of Marketing: Tim Woolgar. Not seeking re-election.
Non-Executive Director: Jack Rudd. Seeking re-election.
Non-Executive Director: John Wickham. Not seeking re-election.
FIDE Delegate: Nigel Short. Seeking re-election.
Chairman of the Finance Committee: Mike Truran. Seeking re-election.
Chairman of the Governance Committee: John Philpott. Not seeking re-election.
The first thing to note is that no fewer than seven of the 13 officials are not standing for re-election, a veritable meltdown for the federation. Of course, "not seeking re-election" only means for their current post, so some may be intending to stand for other positions. Sadly, that seems to be the case with "Odious" Adam Raoof. Rumours have recently linked him with a move to Marketing Director, although I remain unconvinced that one can rule out this most ambitious of individuals going after the vacant CEO role. But I am not aware that most of the other outgoing Directors are intending to go after other posts. Few tears will be shed for most of them, but the loss of Lawrence Cooper from the International Director role will be a sad one.
The second thing which stands out is that the four most important positions - CEO, Home Director, International Director and Finance Director - are all set to become vacant. Maybe other candidates will come forward, but I am at this moment not aware of a single definite candidate for any of those four vital roles. Without filling them, the ECF simply cannot function.
But the most amazing thing of all is that the Dear Leader is planning to stand for re-election as President! Even those of us fully aware of his veritably bombproof vanity find it amazing that he should even contemplate standing again, after all that has happened in the past twelve months. Fortunately, this is one case where the ECF's byzantine constitutional structure might come in handy. Under its absurd set-up, an unopposed candidate is not simply elected automatically, but can still be rejected by the AGM, who have the option to leave the post vacant, by voting for "None of the above candidates". If no other Presidential candidates come forward, then we just have to hope that "None of the above" triumphs. For de Mooi to be re-elected, after all that has happened, would be the final degradation for British chess.
President: C J de Mooi. Seeking re-election.
Chief Executive: Andrew Farthing. Not seeking re-election
Non-Executive Chairman: Mike Gunn. Seeking re-election.
Director of Finance: Gareth Caller. Not seeking re-election.
Director of International Chess: Lawrence Cooper. Not seeking re-election.
Director of Junior Chess and Education: Phil Ehr. Seeking re-election.
Director of Home Chess: Adam Raoof. Not seeking re-election.
Director of Marketing: Tim Woolgar. Not seeking re-election.
Non-Executive Director: Jack Rudd. Seeking re-election.
Non-Executive Director: John Wickham. Not seeking re-election.
FIDE Delegate: Nigel Short. Seeking re-election.
Chairman of the Finance Committee: Mike Truran. Seeking re-election.
Chairman of the Governance Committee: John Philpott. Not seeking re-election.
The first thing to note is that no fewer than seven of the 13 officials are not standing for re-election, a veritable meltdown for the federation. Of course, "not seeking re-election" only means for their current post, so some may be intending to stand for other positions. Sadly, that seems to be the case with "Odious" Adam Raoof. Rumours have recently linked him with a move to Marketing Director, although I remain unconvinced that one can rule out this most ambitious of individuals going after the vacant CEO role. But I am not aware that most of the other outgoing Directors are intending to go after other posts. Few tears will be shed for most of them, but the loss of Lawrence Cooper from the International Director role will be a sad one.
The second thing which stands out is that the four most important positions - CEO, Home Director, International Director and Finance Director - are all set to become vacant. Maybe other candidates will come forward, but I am at this moment not aware of a single definite candidate for any of those four vital roles. Without filling them, the ECF simply cannot function.
But the most amazing thing of all is that the Dear Leader is planning to stand for re-election as President! Even those of us fully aware of his veritably bombproof vanity find it amazing that he should even contemplate standing again, after all that has happened in the past twelve months. Fortunately, this is one case where the ECF's byzantine constitutional structure might come in handy. Under its absurd set-up, an unopposed candidate is not simply elected automatically, but can still be rejected by the AGM, who have the option to leave the post vacant, by voting for "None of the above candidates". If no other Presidential candidates come forward, then we just have to hope that "None of the above" triumphs. For de Mooi to be re-elected, after all that has happened, would be the final degradation for British chess.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
They've been around longer than you think!
The August issue of Chess, Britain's leading chess magazine, has an interesting and instructive story in John Saunders' 1970s retrospective. Entitled "Self-eating chess set", it quotes a story from the 1976 volume of Chess:
Mark Langley, 13, and his brother Lee, 10, of Bilsworth heard strange munching noises from a wardrobe in which they had left a magnetised set in a wooden case given to them as a present last Christmas, eight months before. The set had come from Taiwan. It was sent to the British Museum who found in it a bug called cerambycinae hesperophanini, otherwise longhorn beetle... which had slowly hatched from larva through pupa and finally left very little of the chessboard and case undevoured.
Clearly, an early example of the pernicious effects of termites...
Mark Langley, 13, and his brother Lee, 10, of Bilsworth heard strange munching noises from a wardrobe in which they had left a magnetised set in a wooden case given to them as a present last Christmas, eight months before. The set had come from Taiwan. It was sent to the British Museum who found in it a bug called cerambycinae hesperophanini, otherwise longhorn beetle... which had slowly hatched from larva through pupa and finally left very little of the chessboard and case undevoured.
Clearly, an early example of the pernicious effects of termites...
Monday, 6 August 2012
An Old Testament story
And lo, it came to pass that the people of Caissa were
summoned unto the place they called North Shields, where there took place a
great smiting across the chequered boards. And the people saw that it was good,
and didst rejoice, and didst offer thanks unto the fair maiden of the North, she that
was called La-ra.
But then there came into the garden a serpent, sent by the
people known as the Plymouth-ites, who didst entice La-ra, offering her great
riches for the people of Caissa, if they wouldst hold their next smiting in the
territory of the Plymouth-ites. And La-ra was tempted, and didst eat of the tree
of the Plymouth-ites.
But the King of Caissa, he that was called Far-thing, had
already bound his people in servitude to the people of the Riviera, and they couldst purchase their freedom only
with a great purse of monies, which they didst not have, for the stores of the
people of Caissa were as bare as the head of the man called Reu-ben. So La-ra
didst approach the people of Riviera, and didst beseech them, that they might
free her people from servitude, saying unto them "Have mercy on us, in the
name of the Lord, and free us from our great penury!"
But when he heard of the words of La-ra, Far-thing didst wax
wroth, and didst pour great imprecations on her head, saying unto her,
"Dost thou know of what thou hast done? Verily art thou the woman of whom
the Scriptures hath warned us, she that is as to the cannon, that is as loose
as the drawers of the one called Jordan".
But the people of Caissa, that were called Ter-mites, were
sore afraid, and didst say amongst themselves "Didst not the prophet warn
us that there be no smoke without fire? Verily must it be so, that Far-thing
doth conceal something from us". And, tho Far-thing didst appeal to the
people to trust him, saying unto them "Oh ye of little faith, dost thou
believe that I would forsake you?", the Ter-mites didst turn towards him the ear that heareth not, and didst cry out "Woe is to us!", and didst prattle on, and on, and on.
And the prattling didst continue, even unto page 94.
Getting away from it all - the study solution
J Fritz, Ceske Slovo 1933
White to play and win
The solution runs as follows:
1. b7 Ra5+ 2. Kd6 ({Other king moves, eg. 2. Kf4? allow the defence Rb5 3. Bc6+ Kd8 4. Bxb5 Kc7 stopping the pawn.) 2... Rb5 (2... Ra6+ 3. Bc6+ wins.}) 3. Bc6+ Kd8 4. Bxb5 Bc8! The point of Black's defence. The major promotions both result in stalemate. However, after 5. b8=B! the terrible position of black's pieces means he cannot avoid mate or loss of the bishop,
eg. Bd7 6. Bc7+ $1 Ke8 7. Bxd7+ etc.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
The Vodafone Gambit's latest victim
A tale reaches me from this morning's playoff at the British Championships in North Sheilds. Partway through the rapidplay event (won 2-0 by Gawain Jones, who thus becomes 2012 British Champion), the arbiter Alex McFarlane was forced to expel and ban from the playing room a spectator, whose mobile phone rang during the play.
And who was the culprit? Obviously an inexperienced chess fan, unused to the finer points of the Laws of Chess, and their prohibition on mobiles, you are probably thinking. But alas, no! It was in fact someone who might have been presumed to know better.
Step forward this blog's oldest friend, Stewart "When I drew up the Laws of Chess" Reuben!
And who was the culprit? Obviously an inexperienced chess fan, unused to the finer points of the Laws of Chess, and their prohibition on mobiles, you are probably thinking. But alas, no! It was in fact someone who might have been presumed to know better.
Step forward this blog's oldest friend, Stewart "When I drew up the Laws of Chess" Reuben!
Friday, 3 August 2012
Getting away from it all
A neat little study I came across a few days ago. As with many studies, the main difficulty is not finding White's moves, but Black's defensive resources, so be careful if you think you've solved it easily! The full solution is five moves long.
I am off to spend the day walking in the area near my home in Kent, "The Garden of England", in a bid to forget the farcical last-round pairings for the British Championship. The title could well be decided by the result of the board 2 game, where a 2660 professional GM is playing a 2246 amateur!!
Study solution tomorrow.
J Fritz, "Ceske Slovo" 1933
White to play and win
I am off to spend the day walking in the area near my home in Kent, "The Garden of England", in a bid to forget the farcical last-round pairings for the British Championship. The title could well be decided by the result of the board 2 game, where a 2660 professional GM is playing a 2246 amateur!!
Study solution tomorrow.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Making a rod for his own back
It seems that increasing numbers of people are coming round to my view of the Egregious Chess Forum and the termites who inhabit it. It has always been a mystery to me why anyone with any sense or goodwill would want anything to do with that motley collection of narcissistic personality disorders, but there remains a hard core who do. But their numbers are steadily thinning.
The latest person to express his dismay at the place is the ECF's Chief Executive, Andrew "Aintwortha" Farthing. In recent months, he has spent inordinate amounts of time, trying to defend himself and the Federation, from the many allegations levelled against it, including T-shirtgate, the Sheffield accounting fiasco, and, most recently, the arguments over the CAS court case in Lausanne. But he seems to be nearing the end of his tether, as witness yesterday's comment:
About half the Board chooses not to post on the forum at all, which is their choice to make. This is not always a pleasant environment. ECF officials have to take account of confidentiality, due process and the need to resist speculation; everyone else is much freer to offer opinions, insinuations and conspiracy theories without worrying about whether the facts support them.
I post here out of a sense of duty and the hope that it does some good. I'm not at all sure that after 13 October I'll want to stay a member.
It would be easy to sympathise with him over some of the drivel written recently, especially in relation to the CAS court case. But the problem is, Farthing only has himself to blame. Several years ago, the ECF Council, in a rare display of common sense, voted to sever connections between the ECF and the Forum, after it became clear that the termites had cost the ECF at least one major sponsor. But, a year or so later, the Board voted to reverse a large element of that decision, re-establishing relations between the ECF and the Forum, and allowing/encouraging individual directors to post on the Forum. Even if not technically ultra vires, it was a clear breach of the spirit of Council's vote. Even more importantly, it was spectacularly stupid.
I am told that Farthing has had a successful career in business management, and if that is so, he should know better. No responsible organisation allows its employees and/or officers to make unauthorised comments to the media, not even to respectable media outlets such as TV and national newspapers, let alone to a self-appointed, unofficial bunch of internet trolls. As CEO of the Federation, Farthing should have ensured that all public comments on behalf of the ECF were put through a competent, designated Media Relations Officer, with all other Directors/officers/employees of the Federation strictly forbidden to issue comments. That is how any responsible organisation operates.
I recall an example from my working days. A major client of mine was one of the first international companies to move its London offices out of the City to the then new site of Canary Wharf. A week or so later, the BBC sent a film crew down, to report on employee reaction. One unfortunate employee, who had popped out for a sandwich at lunchtime, had a microphone and camera thrust in his face, and was asked what he thought of Canary Wharf. He was unwise enough to mutter some mildly negative comment, to the effect that it was a bit of a dump and he would rather be in the City. The comment went out on the 6.30 BBC London evening bulletin. When he arrived at work next morning, he was dismissed on the spot, for unauthorised media comments - a tad harsh, perhaps, but an illustration of the seriousness with which responsible organisations take media relations.
Instead, Farthing has been naive enough to allow the ECF officers a free-for-all, with himself at the forefront. They stupidly try to interact with the termites, and to reason with them, instead of ignoring them totally. As my own experience shows, there is nothing that so annoys a termite as being ignored - witness the non-stop expressions of outrage from them, over my refusal to allow comments on this blog! Farthing has made a rod for his own back, and has no grounds for complaint, now that he is being flayed alive with it.
The latest person to express his dismay at the place is the ECF's Chief Executive, Andrew "Aintwortha" Farthing. In recent months, he has spent inordinate amounts of time, trying to defend himself and the Federation, from the many allegations levelled against it, including T-shirtgate, the Sheffield accounting fiasco, and, most recently, the arguments over the CAS court case in Lausanne. But he seems to be nearing the end of his tether, as witness yesterday's comment:
About half the Board chooses not to post on the forum at all, which is their choice to make. This is not always a pleasant environment. ECF officials have to take account of confidentiality, due process and the need to resist speculation; everyone else is much freer to offer opinions, insinuations and conspiracy theories without worrying about whether the facts support them.
I post here out of a sense of duty and the hope that it does some good. I'm not at all sure that after 13 October I'll want to stay a member.
It would be easy to sympathise with him over some of the drivel written recently, especially in relation to the CAS court case. But the problem is, Farthing only has himself to blame. Several years ago, the ECF Council, in a rare display of common sense, voted to sever connections between the ECF and the Forum, after it became clear that the termites had cost the ECF at least one major sponsor. But, a year or so later, the Board voted to reverse a large element of that decision, re-establishing relations between the ECF and the Forum, and allowing/encouraging individual directors to post on the Forum. Even if not technically ultra vires, it was a clear breach of the spirit of Council's vote. Even more importantly, it was spectacularly stupid.
I am told that Farthing has had a successful career in business management, and if that is so, he should know better. No responsible organisation allows its employees and/or officers to make unauthorised comments to the media, not even to respectable media outlets such as TV and national newspapers, let alone to a self-appointed, unofficial bunch of internet trolls. As CEO of the Federation, Farthing should have ensured that all public comments on behalf of the ECF were put through a competent, designated Media Relations Officer, with all other Directors/officers/employees of the Federation strictly forbidden to issue comments. That is how any responsible organisation operates.
I recall an example from my working days. A major client of mine was one of the first international companies to move its London offices out of the City to the then new site of Canary Wharf. A week or so later, the BBC sent a film crew down, to report on employee reaction. One unfortunate employee, who had popped out for a sandwich at lunchtime, had a microphone and camera thrust in his face, and was asked what he thought of Canary Wharf. He was unwise enough to mutter some mildly negative comment, to the effect that it was a bit of a dump and he would rather be in the City. The comment went out on the 6.30 BBC London evening bulletin. When he arrived at work next morning, he was dismissed on the spot, for unauthorised media comments - a tad harsh, perhaps, but an illustration of the seriousness with which responsible organisations take media relations.
Instead, Farthing has been naive enough to allow the ECF officers a free-for-all, with himself at the forefront. They stupidly try to interact with the termites, and to reason with them, instead of ignoring them totally. As my own experience shows, there is nothing that so annoys a termite as being ignored - witness the non-stop expressions of outrage from them, over my refusal to allow comments on this blog! Farthing has made a rod for his own back, and has no grounds for complaint, now that he is being flayed alive with it.
"When precisely did CJ first tell you about the CAS court case, Mr Christian?" (photo: bluejacket.com)
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Olympic badminton stars disqualified for "not trying hard enough"
"Of course, if they had consulted me first, I could have shown them how to be disqualified for not trying at all, as I was at the 1975 Luton Open."
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