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Chessville
Green
Regulation
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FIDE-REFORM an open letter from the Action Committee for a Democratic FIDE Purpose of our Think-Tank and future Business Model of FIDE (a) and (b)
We would not be surprised if the President of FIDE, his assistants, the members of the Presidential Board and Executive Board of FIDE by now feel a bit hostile to what we have posted in the last two months through the fide-chess@yahoogroups.com and on various internet sites. However, at the outset of what we intend to post in the next week (just 5 weeks before start of the FIDE - Congress in Calvia Mallorca), we like to clarify our aim. We reiterate that none of the correspondents and members of our panel are interested in a (paid) position within FIDE. We do not seek power, but we strongly suggest you study our well-considered advice. Some of us even admired the current President or at least were willing to credit him with sterling qualities. Others only started having doubts when signed contracts were not honoured, and especially when promised funds were not forthcoming anymore. The final editor of this message has - and always has had - severe doubts about the origin of the funds that have supported FIDE over the past 9 years, and firmly believes that it is time for a change. In June 2000, GM Yasser Seirawan wrote an Open Letter to the President that started with the words "Enough is Enough." Since then he proposed and concluded the Prague agreement which was signed by the President, by Bessel Kok, by Yassser Seirawan himself, and all leading World Champion Candidates present in Prague (except the then FIDE champion GM Ruslan Ponomariov). Deadlines have come and gone, and unless something is done in Calvia, it appears that none of what the 'people in chess' really want i.e. unification of the World title, more openness, more grassroot support, less autocracy, and real Reform will ever be effected. In the next week, we shall therefore post in several installments more detailed proposals relating to the Open Letter sent on August 13th to the President of FIDE and the Office in Athens in particular the the proposal for FIDE REFORM The New Clothes of the Emperor (version 2004). After all of the material has been posted on our new website, we shall invite all members of the various internet groups we know to vote directly on our proposals, make comments and give us their verdict. We shall do the same with the federations that are members of FIDE who in the meantime have selected delegates to take part in the General Assembly. They are the ones who will decide on change, and they are the ones who will vote on the Motion of No Confidence submitted by the United States Chess Federation. We the Action Committee for a Democratic FIDE believe in democracy. When we make our recommendations to the FIDE-Congress, we shall not only listen to our own conscience, but also to those who are kind enough to take the time and the effort to judge what we have researched and concluded. The above proposal can be found back on the two following websites for the moment:
What we wish to cover today are points (a) and (b) below. An associate will submit his ideas over points (d) and (e) in the next week. We ourselves intend to expand on points (c) and (f). (quote)
Ad (a) In the next few weeks, Vladimir Kramnik (successor to Garry Kasparov) and Peter Leko (challenger) will contest the 'classical World Championship' in Switzerland, a match to be played over 14 games. They have already announced (press reports) that the winner will be the 'World Champion'. Whether there will be a match between Kasparov and newly crowned FIDE - champion Kasimdzhanov (winner of the Tripoli knock-out tournament in June) is uncertain as to date no sponsors have emerged. At least no announcement was made by FIDE (deadline was September 15th), and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has not replied to the request by many (including our group) to underwrite the rest of the unification cycle in accordance with the Prague agreement of May 2002. There is thus no prospect that the winner Kramnik-Leko will play the winner of Kasparov-Kasimdzhanov. In the meantime it was established that FIDE Commerce has gone out of business: the official receiver in the U.K. closed it down ! [Ed. - see Eulogy on the demise of FIDE - Commerce] As several of us have been involved in the past in attempts to host a World Championship (this editor e.g. in the failed bid by Oman to host the second part of the Karpov-Timman match), we emphasise that we are familiar with the intricacies of finding money. The problem in this case appears to be quite simply that major sponsors definitely exist, but that they would only be interested in hosting if there was just One World Championship. The problem is therefore just like in 1993 but worse. Unfortunately, chess has become like boxing: a lot of quarrelling, inflated ego's and confusion everywhere. Sponsors are just like banks (often they ARE banks). They want reliable people on the other side of the table who stick to their agreements. They want value for their money, and this simply cannot now be provided. Unless the current FIDE - leadership can offer a clear-cut solution at the G.A. in Calvia by guaranteeing funding of the unification process and showing signed contracts to that extent, we see no other alternative than that they resign their positions. Following that scenario, the only solution to restore credibility in FIDE will be - hard as it is - to restart the World Championship Cycle by organising Zonals, Interzonals, Candidate Matches and then the Championship match. A new President assisted by a team that does not do anything else than planning the Cycle with a professional manager will inspire enough confidence to take FIDE out of our present deadlocked situation. The players are ready, the politicians appear not to be. We sincerely believe that if the Prague agreement is finally honoured, major sponsors at once will come back to the game. Not shadowy people but reliable corporations quoted on the stock exchanges. Several CEOs have said that US$3 million for a Cycle is not much money. It is thus necessary to carefully budget for this department and to make a three year plan that takes into account all eventualities. Ad (b) Fundraising and Finance. It is often said that salesmen in a company are looked down upon, but indispensable. Everyone agrees that no company survives without the money they bring in. Provided the professional manager and his team under (a) deliver and are always accessible, serious sponsors will be happy to listen to the newly appointed professional fundraisers employed by this FIDE department. Chess is unique, but there are great salesmen everywhere. We need to find the best there is; not just people who happen to friends with the leadership of FIDE. Major corporations hand this kind of assignment to head-hunters. There is absolutely no reason why FIDE should behave differently in 2004. Being a good or even a top GM or a capable office manager does not mean one could easily convince the promotional department of a large corporation to part with a lot of money. You only can sell them if you are able to speak their language fluently, and if you can deliver. Times are gone that one person (like Campomanes in the 1980s) could combine several functions. No public company or organisation functions like that anymore. Why should FIDE ? It is a sobering but comforting idea that FIDE relied in the Campomanes' era (i.e. until 1992) on the World Championship Cycle as its major source of income. If lessons of the past are combined with modern management techniques, good times can and will return. A professional sales manager with proven knowledge of sports
sponsorship and especially the world of chess, ably assisted by a competent
team, and all of them on a modest but comfortable fixed income should do the
job. But they cannot do without an incentive, i.e. a (negotiable)
commission on the funds they raise. Additionally, FIDE should not be
afraid to pay a 2% or 3% commission to well-placed individuals in various
countries who could interest major sponsors and cities to host the events of
the World Championship Cycle. If our advice is listened to, we fully
intend to submit a budget for both (a) and (b), as well as an alternative
(shadow) budget for the entire FIDE - operations of the next three years.
So that the General Assembly may choose.
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