THE VANISHING

The May Chess Life has arrived without any explanation for why
columns by Robert Byrne and Michael Rohde have vanished. Just silence.
Without so much as a gracious thank you for all their good work in the
past.

In June America's most famous (sane!) grandmaster will also
vanish. We wonder if the same silent treatment will be accorded to
Evans On Chess, one of two of the most popular columns in the magazine
according to all reader surveys.

Meanwhile the 5-time U.S. Champion went out with a bang -- quoting
precisely what FIDE and USCF chess policticians hate to hear. You can
bet that his replacement (if any) will toe the party line.

Expect no more controversy in our good old Chess Life. Just silence.

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: "At one time, FIDE's rules involved the
imposition of fines of up to a quarter of a million dollars for a
failed drug test and up to a million dollars for refusing to take a
test. That's FIDE's vision for chess: a quarter of a million
dollars for taking a cold remedy which can't possibly improve your
play. One would have thought that national federations would have had a
duty to protect their players from such blatantly unjust regulations,
but in fact most of the leading federations were amazingly quiet on the
subject." -- GM John Nunn

wrote:
THE VANISHING

The May Chess Life has arrived without any explanation for why
columns by Robert Byrne and Michael Rohde have vanished. Just silence.
Without so much as a gracious thank you for all their good work in the
past.

I agree with you, there should have been some explanation about the
changes, and there should have been a thank you. Perhaps next month?

In June America's most famous (sane!) grandmaster will also
vanish. We wonder if the same silent treatment will be accorded to
Evans On Chess, one of two of the most popular columns in the magazine
according to all reader surveys.

I agree with you about the sane part, although Yasser Seirwan, Pal
Benko, and maybe even Robert Byrne can make the claim you make for
Evans for various reasons (candidates match participants, opening named
after them, more active of late, etc.). It would be an interesting
debate.

Randy Bauer

BORN IN THE USA

I agree with you about the sane part, although Yasser Seirwan, Pal
Benko, and maybe even Robert Byrne can make the claim you make for
Evans for various reasons (candidates match participants, opening named
after them, more active of late, etc.). It would be an interesting
debate. -- Randy Bauer

Only GM Evans and GM Byrne were born in the United States.
Both of them were summarily fired without a word to readers.

Anyway, it's nice to know that Mr. Bauer and I agree on
something.

wrote:
BORN IN THE USA

I agree with you about the sane part, although Yasser Seirwan, Pal
Benko, and maybe even Robert Byrne can make the claim you make for
Evans for various reasons (candidates match participants, opening named
after them, more active of late, etc.). It would be an interesting
debate. -- Randy Bauer

Only GM Evans and GM Byrne were born in the United States.
Both of them were summarily fired without a word to readers.

Anyway, it's nice to know that Mr. Bauer and I agree on
something.

We also agree on drug testing and OMOV. I'm a little less agreeable on
your definition of American grandmasters. Seirwan was born elsewhere
but spent nearly his entire life in this country. I'd probably grant
you Pal Benko, though.

Randy Bauer

CHANGING NAME OF THREAD

We also agree on drug testing and OMOV. I'm a little less agreeable
on
your definition of American grandmasters. Seirwan was born elsewhere
but spent nearly his entire life in this country. I'd probably grant
you Pal Benko, though. -- Randy Bauer

Does Mr. Bauer also agree that it was despicable of his ally Bill
Brock to change the name of this thread to All Quiet on the
Child Molestation Front (and snip it from the rgcm version)?

MESSAGE FROM ENGLAND

In a message dated 5/5/2006 4:17:59 PM Pacific Standard Time,
writes:

Bauer also opposes drug testing? I am amazed!

At the forthcoming Staunton Memorial we have also decided at long last
to introduce drug tests. Anyone who cannot prove that they have done
one of the following in the week before the tournament will be
disbarred. The last chance for defaulters will be in the opening
ceremony!

1 smoked a cohiba

2 consumed one balloon of grande fine cognac/armagnac

3 downed at least 3 flutes of Dom Perignon

4 drunk at least four cups of coffee

WHAT TO EXPECT

If you want to know what the new editor considers better than
Evans or Byrne or Rohde, look at the two pages devoted to
problem solving in May 2006 (pages 42-3) as well as retaining
Key Crackers (page 52).

Do you think any item of this list will surface at the Retreat? Any at all?
Phil

wrote in message
ups.com...
THE VANISHING

The May Chess Life has arrived without any explanation for why
columns by Robert Byrne and Michael Rohde have vanished. Just silence.
Without so much as a gracious thank you for all their good work in the
past.

In June America's most famous (sane!) grandmaster will also
vanish. We wonder if the same silent treatment will be accorded to
Evans On Chess, one of two of the most popular columns in the magazine
according to all reader surveys.

Meanwhile the 5-time U.S. Champion went out with a bang -- quoting
precisely what FIDE and USCF chess policticians hate to hear. You can
bet that his replacement (if any) will toe the party line.

Expect no more controversy in our good old Chess Life. Just silence.

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: "At one time, FIDE's rules involved the
imposition of fines of up to a quarter of a million dollars for a
failed drug test and up to a million dollars for refusing to take a
test. That's FIDE's vision for chess: a quarter of a million
dollars for taking a cold remedy which can't possibly improve your
play. One would have thought that national federations would have had a
duty to protect their players from such blatantly unjust regulations,
but in fact most of the leading federations were amazingly quiet on the
subject." -- GM John Nunn

On 5 May 2006 16:00:07 -0700, wrote:

BORN IN THE USA

I agree with you about the sane part, although Yasser Seirwan, Pal
Benko, and maybe even Robert Byrne can make the claim you make for
Evans for various reasons (candidates match participants, opening named
after them, more active of late, etc.). It would be an interesting
debate. -- Randy Bauer

Only GM Evans and GM Byrne were born in the United States.

As I recall, Seirawan came to the US as a preschooler and his chess
development took place in Seattle, where he started playing at about
eleven or twelve years of age. That he was born in Damascus
shouldn't make much difference.

Both of them were summarily fired without a word to readers.

It's a sad commentary on the Federation's lack of respect for our
heritage. A token "thank-you" would just add insult to injury, IMO.


Anyway, it's nice to know that Mr. Bauer and I agree on
something.

I think that if you had a cold and took a cold remedy, your chess would
improve.