David Kane wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message


Can we agree that there is a risk?
Can we agree that there is currently no organized method to screen
volunteers or coaches?

Now, what are the suggestion if there is a problem?


You've provided no indication what the
problem is or why a solution is needed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------eacher
admits years of abuse

From the archive, first published Tuesday 19th Feb 2002.

A teacher has admitted sexually abusing 19 pupils while looking after
them at after-school clubs and summer camps.

John Walker, 58, of Blackthorn Close, Headington, admitted 35 counts of
abusing children as young as seven at an Oxfordshire school during the
1970s and 1980s.

One witness claims to have warned the school about him in the late
1980s, but police were not called to investigate until more than decade
later.

After leaving the state primary school, he worked at Rye St Antony
independent school in Oxford for more than a year before being arrested
in November, 2000. None of the charges related to pupils there.

The case has led to calls for tougher checks on teachers moving between
the state and independent sectors.

At Oxford Crown Court yesterday, Judge Christopher Compston told Walker
he was going to prison for "a very long time".

Sandra Stanfield, prosecuting, said the victims were 12 boys and seven
girls.

She said: "Mr Walker abused both boys and girls in a pattern that
became familiar. He had his favourites. If you weren't in, you were
out. If you were out, you would be subjected to bullying and
humiliation in front of class. If you were in, you became the subject
of sexual abuse."

One boy was abused regularly between the ages of 12 and 16. He was
molested at Walker's home and at chess tournaments.

Walker started abusing one girl during PE lessons when she was ten.
Miss Stanfield added Walker regularly visited the girls' dormitory at
an annual summer camp and would molest children. He also invited
children on midnight walks where he would isolate one child, whom he
would abuse.

He also wrote chess books, and invited children back to his home --
where he lived alone with his mother -- to help with proof-reading.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A judge has ordered chess teacher and author
Robert Snyder to stand trial on charges of sexually assaulting three
students at his home, including one who may have been his stepson.

Robert Michael Snyder, 51, faces four counts of sexual assault on a
child by a person in a position of trust plus two sentence-enhancing
counts of sexual assault on a child pattern of abuse. After a hearing,
District Court Judge David Williams bound the case over for trial.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chess prodigy's father charged with rape

GUILFORD, England, July 29 (UPI) -- The British father of a promising
young chess player who plunged to her death from a hotel window is due
to stand trial over allegations he raped her.

Ian Gilbert, a 48-year-old financier who works for the Royal Bank of
Scotland, has been charged with seven counts of rape and two of
"indecent assault," The Times of London reported Saturday.

Police refuse to say if the charges relate to more than one victim.

On Wednesday, Gilbert's 19-year-old daughter, Jessie, fell or jumped
from her eighth-floor room at a hotel in the Czech Republic city of
Pardubice, 65 miles east of Prague, where she had been taking part in
the Czech Open, the biggest chess tournament in Europe.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 September, 2006: An organizer who had just recently [August]
advertised in Chess Life Magazine [name and location of accused
suppressed by the Parrot], is a teacher and faces 30 Charges of Incest
and Rape.

The head of ** High School's math department, and a prominent chess
player, has been ordered held on $1 million bail today after being
arraigned on 30 felony rape and incest charges. The accused was
arrested Tuesday on 19 counts of incest and 11 counts of aggravated
felonious sexual assault. He is accused of sexually assaulting three
young women, two now in their teens and one in her early 20s. Police
said one of the women had reported that ** began assaulting her five
years ago when she was 10.

In addition to teaching, ** organizes chess tournaments around the
region, and runs the high school's chess club. His daughter and two
sons all are nationally ranked chess players, according to various
chess Web sites. The accused has a doctorate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Offhand, I wouldn't see any reason why
the risk would be any greater for chess
than it is for other youth activities, such
as soccer or baseball, or why the steps
similar to those taken in other activities
do not also work for chess.

I don't know that it is any different as far as the risks go.


The notion
that there is no screening is simply
wrong. If chess is organized as a school
activity, the protection methods employed
by the school, which themselves are likely
mandated by law, will be used. In
my state, all school volunteers are
legally required to undergo a check.


That is not true for all states.

An article in my soccer association
newsletter has a discussion of the
process for soccer coaches and
mentions that the average cost to
do a background check in most
states is $10 per clearance (a
clearance is valid for 2 years here).

I certainly don't feel that any of these
activities have a reputation for being
unsafe, nor have I ever heard any
grass roots clamor for more regulation.
So from my inexpert perspective we
already have in place simple,
unburdensome, low cost systems
that seem to be working.

There are low cost measures for sure that can be advocated. There seems
an unwillingness to do this when it comes to chess.

I can see no rationale for having the
USCF (which is essentially a magazine
publisher with a ratings division) involved.
It makes about as much sense as
putting Runner's World magazine in
charge of protecting youth on high
school track teams. Of course, the
USCF should take steps to ensure
the safety of its own events, but
no one has provided evidence that
they are not already doing so.

The USCF had a chess coach certification program. The USCF publishes
material which advises how to set up a chess club.(which includes
nothing regarding advise or suggestions for insuring the childrens
safety) The USCF encourages membership and formation of affiliates as a
means of creating a profit center.

Unless of course you are referring
to the danger of being able to
purchase bottled beverages ....

"Rob" wrote in message
ups.com...

David Kane wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message

news clippings snipped

Of the examples, the one claiming abuse
during a tournament (in the 70's or 80's)
should be examined.



The notion
that there is no screening is simply
wrong. If chess is organized as a school
activity, the protection methods employed
by the school, which themselves are likely
mandated by law, will be used. In
my state, all school volunteers are
legally required to undergo a check.


That is not true for all states.

Perhaps not. But the point is that
whatever policies are employed by
the school already apply to school
chess. You seem to be arguing that
there should be special "chess" policies,
without explaining why.

You have opened my mind to the
possibility that tournaments themselves
may not be covered yet possibly
should be.


There are low cost measures for sure that can be advocated. There seems
an unwillingness to do this when it comes to chess.

You've provided no support for that statement. I suspect
it is completely untrue.

The USCF had a chess coach certification program. The USCF publishes
material which advises how to set up a chess club.(which includes
nothing regarding advise or suggestions for insuring the childrens
safety) The USCF encourages membership and formation of affiliates as a
means of creating a profit center.

None of which addresses the argument
that child safety would seem to be way
beyond the competency of the USCF.
I agree that it would be reasonable for
the USCF's published materials to
address the issue.

David Kane wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message
ups.com...

David Kane wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message

news clippings snipped

Of the examples, the one claiming abuse
during a tournament (in the 70's or 80's)
should be examined.



The notion
that there is no screening is simply
wrong. If chess is organized as a school
activity, the protection methods employed
by the school, which themselves are likely
mandated by law, will be used. In
my state, all school volunteers are
legally required to undergo a check.


That is not true for all states.

Perhaps not. But the point is that
whatever policies are employed by
the school already apply to school
chess. You seem to be arguing that
there should be special "chess" policies,
without explaining why.

Not all scholastic events imvolve schools nor do all club events
involve teachers who are formally trained..Whenever there is a
gathering of children, it is bait for pedophiles. Chess is just another
of those activities.

You have opened my mind to the
possibility that tournaments themselves
may not be covered yet possibly
should be.


There are low cost measures for sure that can be advocated. There seems
an unwillingness to do this when it comes to chess.

You've provided no support for that statement. I suspect
it is completely untrue.


What part is untrue? The the USCF or FIDE appears to be unwilling to do
anything or that there are low cost ways to do it?

The USCF had a chess coach certification program. The USCF publishes
material which advises how to set up a chess club.(which includes
nothing regarding advise or suggestions for insuring the childrens
safety) The USCF encourages membership and formation of affiliates as a
means of creating a profit center.


None of which addresses the argument
that child safety would seem to be way
beyond the competency of the USCF.
I agree that it would be reasonable for
the USCF's published materials to
address the issue.

The USCF has as it's mission statement to promote and advocate chess.
If promotion to the general public means only publishing a magazine and
not organizing or encouraginfg children to play chess ,then it has not
responsibility.