Chessville Editorials - ASlekhine's Parrot Special Report: 2007 USCF Board of Director Elections - An interview with Susan Polgar, Paul Truong, Randy Bauer and Mikhail Korenman

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The Parrot Interviews...
2007 USCF Executive Board Candidates
Dr. Mikhail Korenman, GM Susan Polgar, Randy Bauer, Paul Truong


Dr. Mikhail Korenman	GM Susan Polgar	Randy Bauer	Paul Truong

Question 1: If there was to be only one thing that you personally would like to achieve as a USCF board member, what is it, and how would you achieve it?

I do not want to come to the Executive Board with only one thing to accomplish. I am going for four years of hard work to place USCF at the top of the list of chess federations that:

a) provides best possible service to all its members,

b) help young kids stay with the organization and not quit it at the age of 10 or 11,

c) helps those who are coaching kids at schools and local communities on a way to provide best practice and receive best results,

d) to work with US colleges and universities to generate more chess activities for college students and faculty,

e) work with state affiliates to generate more local programs and organize more local events.

Restore respectability, integrity, credibility and professionalism to the USCF. There has been too much destructive chess politics in the past few decades that seriously harmed the USCF. This has to stop. I will lead by example as I have done my whole life.

I think it is unwise for a Board member to only seek to accomplish a specific task: we don't need myopia, we need a collective vision and seven people with the skills and temperament to move the USCF forward.

That said, an area of personal expertise is budgeting, including performance budgeting. I am proud of the fact that the year I served on the Executive Board, the budget was balanced, and I will make that an area of focus.

Change the way chess is being marketed and promoted. There is practically nothing going on now and it is a pity. We are wasting so many opportunities to make chess and the USCF more viable which in turn will bring more absolutely needed revenues.

I plan to propose to create a strong chess marketing and promotion committee and I plan to work closely with this committee to give the USCF something it never had before.

Question 2: To what extent do you feel the USCF has any obligation to establish and maintain ethical standards in the recruitment and security of women and children in US chess? How would you go about implementing such a program? Should the USCF, in the process of establishing such standards, conference with both women and parents of scholastic players to gain their insights and hear their recommendations? Should USCF develop standards and certifications for chess teachers?

The certification program is developed and approved by the EB. It needs to be implemented and the first steps are on a way by the scholastic council. This program, if applied correctly, should help to clear the problem who can and can not teach chess at schools. I see no reason why women should be treated differently than men. I see the problem of developing a system of chess professionals. Not everyone can coach basketball or tennis at schools, but anyone can be a chess coach. It should be changed.

Regarding protection of women and kids: All chess players should be protected from any attacks by non-professional people. USCF should use the organizational right to take membership away from people who proved to be problem-makers (this is the best polite explanation I have.)

The USCF should set ethical standards for its many programs. I do think that we should get feedback from our members to set better standards. It can easily be done through surveys or conferences at various major events across the country. I have done that continuously with the Susan Polgar Foundation.

I also think that the USCF should work closely with the USCF Scholastic Council to develop standards for certifications for chess teachers. The USCF Scholastic Council has done a magnificent job and they should play a more important role in the welfare of our kids.

I think the USCF should stress ethical standards in all of its programs and the services it provides to its members. Likewise, the USCF definitely should solicit regular feedback from its members and stakeholders as well. I pushed for greater opportunities for member communication while on the Board the last time. As with many things, it is often couched as a question of resources, but I think it is a priority and that opportunities are available.

The USCF has an active and involved scholastic council, and I think they are the appropriate vehicle for developing standards and/or certification for chess teachers or instructors.

I think that the USCF has a strong obligation to establish and maintain ethical standards in the recruitment and security of women and children in chess. It has already been implemented by the Susan Polgar Foundation. We can share our findings and knowledge with the USCF.

In regards to developing standards and certifications for chess teachers, I do not think the USCF should be investing the time and resource to do this. The USCF has no one who is capable of creating this. We will be ending up wasting time and resources just to get around red tape and bureaucracy.

Therefore, it is better to reach out and partner up with organizations like the AF4C, the SPF or the Karpov School of Chess, etc. It is better to leave it to the hands of the experts instead of chess politicians.

Question 3: In a previous Chessville interview then USCF-President Beatriz Marinello stated she thought retention of scholastic members in chess was of the first priority. Activity rate for adult members has also declined though, so that only an estimated 7,500 adults play more than 10 rated games per year. Does the USCF need to change its traditional focus from OTB clubs and rotating scholastic membership, to encourage all age groups to stay active in chess?

Last summer I made a research analysis based on the USCF membership based on age, membership category, state, etc. One of the problems USCF is having is that the organization is managed without any concepts of development. Everybody has many great ideas but there is no concept of what we want to see in the USCF for the next 5, 10, etc years. There must be a scientific way to analyse all that has happened in the organization in the past, then build a concept for the future. I would be happy to assist with such process.

My question is what has the USCF done to keep more kids in chess? The USCF has failed miserably in this area.

One of the ways to keep kids in chess is to make chess events more exciting, more personal and less stressful. This is what the Susan Polgar Foundation has done and we have had many kids coming back to our events.

In addition, the best true liaison between scholastic chess and adult chess is college chess. For some reasons, the USCF has not done much in promoting college chess. Dr. Tim Redman has done a magnificent job with UTD and Dr. Alan Sherman has done a magnificent job with UMBC. Many schools now try to emulate their success.

It is only natural that if the USCF wants to maintain a consistent adult membership, there has to be strong focus on college chess. The clear message should be: “You do not have to be 2500 to get chess scholarships.”

I hope the USCF is evolving in this respect; I am one of those adult players who is no longer an active over the board tournament player (although I was for over 20 years). By improving the chess content on its website, updating the layout of the magazine, exploring greater opportunities to embrace online play, the USCF is moving in that direction.

There has been much discussion about how to maintain scholastic members, and this should be broadened to also include those active in college who don't continue once they get out into "the real world."

At the same time, we need to "pick our battles." An area where I've done a fair amount of professional work is in demographic economics. One of the things we finally figured out in Iowa was that spending a lot of effort keeping college graduates in the state was not a great return on investment: Iowa doesn't have mountains or an ocean or mega-cities, and many young people are attracted to those things. We did better by focusing on 30-somethings interested in settling down in a place with good schools, low crime, little traffic congestion, affordable housing, etc. The USCF also needs to figure out where it is most appealing and target its resources.

It does not matter what anyone says. Politicians like to make promises that they cannot deliver. Let us look at what has been done by the USCF, which is minimal if anything, so far. The USCF has had no plan to keep our kids in chess and they do not want to reach out to consult with people who know how to do this. This is one of the many reasons why there have been clashes between the USCF Executive Board and the USCF Scholastic Council in the past.

First of all, the National Scholastic Events, even though are big money making machine for the USCF, are very costly and chaotic, especially for the younger players. This is not due to the fault of the organizer but this is expected to happen when the number is too large. These events are not parent and family friendly.

One way to overcome this is by having MORE communications, directions, instructions for the players, parents, coaches or teachers, etc. I realize that there are instructions printed in the event program books, but why NOT put it on the web way in advance? That way, parents, coaches, teachers and players can learn in advance of the procedures. They would then know where to go or how to plan things out in advance. Why not put a list of what to do, restaurants to go, places to visit, etc. on the web as well. Make it friendlier and more fun please!

(Continued below, left.)

Paul Truong (cont.): I am in Marketing and Promotion, this is elementary for me. But why wouldn’t the USCF reach out and seek advice from people who know what they are doing? POLITICS!

The next step to save the scholastic memberships and enhance the adult memberships is by heavily promoting College Chess. This is a natural bridge. But unfortunately, this has been an area often forgotten by the USCF politicians. Why? Because it is small and less profitable for them! This makes the point about LONG term goal, not short term. Think far! Think wise!

Question 4: Question #1 asked about relatively short but primary goals for your board-tenure. What long-term goal would you also wish to initiate or re-invigorate that will benefit chess health in USA over the next 5-10 years?

See my response to the previous question.

There are plenty of things that can be done to re-invigorate chess. I know how to do that. So do some others. But we must solve the biggest problem first. Please allow me to explain:

In major sports such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc., if players say derogatory things about other players, about league officials or the sponsors, the players would get fined and sometimes even suspended. They would even fine or suspend the owners. The point is they do everything possible to protect the integrity of their sports.

Unfortunately, it is not the same in chess. I am stunned by the lack of professionalism within the USCF. I personally have been insulted by a past USCF President, current and past board members, and a former Chess Life Editor. And for what? Because I want to help US Chess and because I am successful in what I do?

Some of these people have treated other USCF supporters and sponsors the same way. How can we move forward unless we fix this very disturbing mentality? No individual or personal ego should come before the integrity and welfare of our sport. We have to treat all our members, supporters and sponsors with kid-gloves.

The USCF needs regular membership growth - without it, we will always be careening from one financial crisis to the next. In many respects, we are still a makeshift operation with a lot of questionable business processes. We've got to modernize our operation and utilize best practices -- both in how we do business and in how we do governance.

Short term:

#1 Totally end the dirty, destructive and petty politics! If we cannot end this, the USCF has no future.

#2 Put in successful, experienced, and knowledgeable board members who can help the USCF and not the same old dinosaurs who want to rule the USCF with 19th-century technology and ideals.

Long term:

#1 Effective chess marketing and promotion! I have demonstrated through the success of the Susan Polgar Foundation that it does NOT have to cost mega bucks to create successful marketing or promotional campaign. This “correct” image will open many doors for new opportunities and revenues. People need to know what the USCF wants to say!

#2 Taking better care of our customers! The USCF sometimes seems to forget that USCF members are their customers. Stop taking them for granted. Stop taking away their privileges or benefits. Give more, not less. We need to add more value to our memberships by partnering up with other chess organizations that can offer things the USCF cannot.

(Continued below, left.)

Paul Truong (cont.): #3 Take advantage of the latest technology! The USCF has a tendency of being way behind the times. Why? Again, the same problem as I have pointed out before. Many of our board members still operate with a 19th-century philosophy and they feel that if it ain’t broken, why fix it? The problem is “IT IS BROKEN!” when we are losing money and members year after year.

Susan Polgar and I can put out information on her daily blogs much faster and much more efficient to many more readers than the entire USCF. People go to her site for US Chess News and not the USCF. Isn’t there something wrong with that?

Question 5: Interestingly, three of you were not born in this country, and evolved in chess-cultures elsewhere. Whether of your native country or a chess-culture you have admired in another country, what do they do that could well be imported, encouraged or amplified in the United States of America?

Any time you can bring to the table any positive ideas from any sources would help to generate number of positive programs. I still remember how chess programs were generated and supported in former USSR and in Russia. I hope that some of those ideas might help to generate some new life and enthusiasm in the US chess community.

In most of the world, professional chess players are well respected. Chess is also more accepted, especially as part of the educational system. These are some of the things I would like to promote here since I fully believe in the benefits of chess in education.

Given that I am the one born in this country, there are likely others who can better answer this question. I will say that on a visit to England, I was impressed with the way chess seems to stay connected throughout the country. Of course, it's a much smaller country, both in terms of size and population. That said, things like the online US Chess League are a step in that direction.

CPR: Courtesy, Respect and Professionalism! I may disagree with some GM, but I respect them and I would never show them up publicly. I may disagree with board members but I would express my view to them in a private email. It is inexcusable when a past President, Chess Life Editor, current and past board members and USCF delegates insult and call USCF members, Grandmasters or World Champions names!

(Continued below, left.)

Paul Truong (cont.): This is not acceptable in my book. Other sports would never allow this and yet we think this is OK in chess? Is this how we want to teach our kids? Shame on them! If I would be in the position to make a difference, I would. People can disagree but do it properly. It is an absolute disgrace to have board members lying, deceiving, attacking, insulting, demeaning USCF members, Grandmasters and World Champions.

This is why I said in my election statements in Chess Life, if the USCF members want to see the same old things, vote for the other six candidates. If they want real positive changes, vote for Susan Polgar, Mikhail Korenman, Randy Bauer and me. We will make a strong positive difference!