SECRECY IS ENDEMIC

By Larry Parr

Maybe the message is getting through to the new board which is now dealing with
a dismal situation after decades of mismanagement. One reader recently asked
why GM Larry Evans is loved by many players but hated by many chess politicos
(including wannabees like John Fernandez). One reason goes back to an 8-page
article he wrote for NEW IN CHESS (1987 #5). Here are some excerpts:

CHESSGATE

By Larry Evans

The American landscape is pleasantly dotted with many groups of hobbyists,
largely invisible to outsiders. One of these is the 59,000 strong USCF which
sells chess equipment at a discount, issues a slick monthly magazine Chess Life
and rates tournaments held mostly on weekends in every nook and cranny of the
nation throughout the year.

The serene world of chess is hardly the place one would expect a scandal. In
1951 The New York Daily News noted: "Scandal has already smeared baseball,
football and basketball. The only sports we can still trust are chess contests
and marble tournaments." But since this was written, several scandals have
rocked both the USCF and Fide, the world body of 125 countries that rivals the
United Nations in scope. Next to soccer, Fide is reputed to be the second
largest sports organization in the world -- which befits a game like chess that
can transcend languages and borders. Lately the USCF and Fide have become more
visible. And many people don't like what they see.

Signs of stress in American chess became evident during 1985 when the USCF
tried to arrange a big chess summit with a USA vs. USSR match to be hosted by
the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City. Like the earlier ping pong diplomacy that
opened the gate to China, this chess-pong diplomacy coincided with the new era
of Gorbachev's "glasnost" and was going to put chess on prime time.

The Soviets held out spectacular bait by offering to send their top chess stars
to our shores. There was just one small catch: they didn't want any of their
former nationals to play on the American team. This was going to be difficult
since a Jewish defector named Lev Alburt happened to be the American national
champion. Not to worry. American officials promptly caved in. Alburt got his
hands on a confidential USCF internal memo confirming they were prepared to
sacrifice him "if necessary" and then "try to reach an accommodation" with him.
Alburt refused to acquiesce in his own blackballing, the story broke in the
national press -- never to this day in Chess Life -- and the deal ultimately
collapsed.

Charles Krauthammer blew the whistle in The Washington Post of February 14,
1986, when he wrote: "This is my annual column on political scandals in the
world of chess. It is, admittedly, a small corner of the universe, but, like
most such corners, a microcosm. Last year I brought you the attempt to rob Gary
Kasparov of the world championship (Epilogue: it failed; he won.) This year a
bigger story -- an attempt to rob Americans of their self-respect...The scandal
here is not the Soviets' demand. After all, they were just being good
Leninists, making sure that no corner of life goes unpoliticized. The scandal
was the American response. Rather than refuse to discuss the blackmail,
American chess officials entered into negotiations. (The American disease: the
irresistible urge to negotiate anything.)"

The American negotiator who went to Moscow was USCF president E. Steven Doyle,
a chubby low-level executive in his mid-twenties...

In an atmosphere of intrigue and secrecy, the suppression of information
becomes almost routine...Indeed, it's hard for many people to understand why an
officer of a public organization is not permitted to have data by simply asking
for it -- unless there is something to hide.

[After he was elected to the USCF policy board] Alburt constantly got under the
skin of other USCF public officials. When asked about the basis of their
hostility, Alburt said: "My loyalty is to the USCF membership at large. The
board's loyalty is mainly to Executive Director Dullea and the other board
members. They have been used to running things their own way for a long time.
They regard me as a troublemaker and a maverick."

Many people are of the opinion that the USCF has betrayed good proper behavior
in a pluralistic society. The USCF has a long history of labor strife, large
turnover of office personnel, and censorship. Now the organization is under
fire from all sides, which is a tragedy for the game it promotes....

-- Larry Evans (1987!)

GM Larry Evans is loved by many players but hated by many chess politicos
(including wannabees like John Fernandez)

As a player, what's not to love? Multiple US Championships, some really sweet
games, and you can singlehandedly learn some openings (4. e3 Nimzo for White)
just from looking at his games.

It's just that what they do over the board and what they do off the board may
have no relation whatsoever.

I suspect Evans just gets residual Fischer love from those poor chessplayers.
Either way, good for him.

John Fernandez

"Parrthenon" wrote in message
...

Many people are of the opinion that the USCF has betrayed good proper
behavior
in a pluralistic society. The USCF has a long history of labor strife,
large
turnover of office personnel, and censorship. Now the organization is
under
fire from all sides, which is a tragedy for the game it promotes....

"Running the USCF is like trying to herd cats." -- T. Hanke

"They had dead cats. I could smell them" -- H. Finn

StanB