I have related my one of my own crazy chess stories/bad experiences (see Cheating in the World Open?
But i've heard many more! I would like to start collecting some of these stories/bad experiences. I encourage my readership to send in their own experiences! It is important for us all to know the quality of the product we consume!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Dream Organization?
Everyone complains about FIDE and USCF for breaking just common sense laws and contracts. (World Championship cycle anyone?) But what do you really desire most out of your organization?
I feel as though membership dues are collected that then head to a blackhole never to be seen again (in USCF's case: lawyers and Goichberg's pockets).
I feel as the consuming membership we need to gather our voice and demands together if we ever want to be heard.
I feel the core duties of the organization are to... ORGANIZE.
1)We shouldn't have 3 adult tournaments conflicting in the same day when the other three weekends of the month are vacant!
2) We should be supporting our GMs and IMs with better conditions and true NON swiss competitions in this country.
3) We should support our life members instead of acting as though their membership was meaningless or solely for the purpose of entering tournaments.
4) It should not just be about the kids and scholastics... after all when the kids grow up where do you expect them to play? The adults matter too!
This list is just a beginning! Send in your additions!
I feel as though membership dues are collected that then head to a blackhole never to be seen again (in USCF's case: lawyers and Goichberg's pockets).
I feel as the consuming membership we need to gather our voice and demands together if we ever want to be heard.
I feel the core duties of the organization are to... ORGANIZE.
1)We shouldn't have 3 adult tournaments conflicting in the same day when the other three weekends of the month are vacant!
2) We should be supporting our GMs and IMs with better conditions and true NON swiss competitions in this country.
3) We should support our life members instead of acting as though their membership was meaningless or solely for the purpose of entering tournaments.
4) It should not just be about the kids and scholastics... after all when the kids grow up where do you expect them to play? The adults matter too!
This list is just a beginning! Send in your additions!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Rules
I would like to ask what little readership I have what they would do in the scenario I had at the World Open.
When your opponent cheats and the TD knowingly allows it... what do you do? Do you quit chess? Boycott that TD and tournament organizer?
For 5 years I ran TD/organized for a prominent gaming website in which any cheating infraction resulted in a YEAR ban from all hosted games. I fielded regular complaints every month that this year ban punishment was too light. I constantly heard people repeat "A cheating infraction should result in being banned forever." I always retorted that many of the cheaters are young people who do not know better. In a few years, they will come to regret what they did to the people and integrity of the game those people love.
However, now I am on the other side of the coin. I am calling a 2 minute addition to the clock too light. Most would say 2 minutes can be a lot of time... but lets put it into percentage format for perspective's sake. A 6 hour game is 360 minutes so 2min/360min is only a .5% time advantage in a game where your opponent tried to win by BREAKING the agreed rules. Is this truly a fair penalty? I would say no. I would hope most would agree with me. If you cheat in the real world, you usually face massive fines, jail time and certainly bans of certain types. In school... you get a 0 for the assignment and the class. In chess? 2 minutes? I should think the person would be forfeited, removed from the tournament and membership from USCF revoked for at least a year (as was done in my website!). What kind of punishment is two minutes? It in fact encourages people to try cheating! If they fail... so what?
My biggest worry is once cheating becomes rampant... what is to stop it from happening again and again? I mean my thing is I love this game cause we all play by the same rules and start with the same position. If this changes and there aren't any rules what is the point of this game at all?
When your opponent cheats and the TD knowingly allows it... what do you do? Do you quit chess? Boycott that TD and tournament organizer?
For 5 years I ran TD/organized for a prominent gaming website in which any cheating infraction resulted in a YEAR ban from all hosted games. I fielded regular complaints every month that this year ban punishment was too light. I constantly heard people repeat "A cheating infraction should result in being banned forever." I always retorted that many of the cheaters are young people who do not know better. In a few years, they will come to regret what they did to the people and integrity of the game those people love.
However, now I am on the other side of the coin. I am calling a 2 minute addition to the clock too light. Most would say 2 minutes can be a lot of time... but lets put it into percentage format for perspective's sake. A 6 hour game is 360 minutes so 2min/360min is only a .5% time advantage in a game where your opponent tried to win by BREAKING the agreed rules. Is this truly a fair penalty? I would say no. I would hope most would agree with me. If you cheat in the real world, you usually face massive fines, jail time and certainly bans of certain types. In school... you get a 0 for the assignment and the class. In chess? 2 minutes? I should think the person would be forfeited, removed from the tournament and membership from USCF revoked for at least a year (as was done in my website!). What kind of punishment is two minutes? It in fact encourages people to try cheating! If they fail... so what?
My biggest worry is once cheating becomes rampant... what is to stop it from happening again and again? I mean my thing is I love this game cause we all play by the same rules and start with the same position. If this changes and there aren't any rules what is the point of this game at all?
GM Joel Benjamin scoffs at FMs
Fellow blogger TCG has already mentioend this on his blog over at
TCG
But still his point needs to be reenforced.
A junior player announced his goal to be FM and asked for advice on how to obtain it from prestigous GM Joel Benjamin. Not only did he have no advice to offer... he had this to say of FMs "I have to say, I have never heard a developing player define FIDE Master as a career goal. Master yes, grandmaster and international master of course, but an ill-respected title invented by FIDE to squeeze more money from title applications? Well, to each his own."
USCF
I know several experts and masters whose sole goal is to make FM. So I find his claim not only unbelievable but quite rude to those who are FMs. While ratings flucuate, for one to claim one title has no meaning is to indicate all titles have no meaning. While this claim has certain logic to it (and appeals to such prestigous figures' opinions like that of Nigel Short)... it is an opinion best epoused as a polite opinion not stated as "ill-respected title." Respecting a person's talent not their title is a commendable statement and a more appropiate prompt than the 'ill' chosen words of GM JB.
TCG
But still his point needs to be reenforced.
A junior player announced his goal to be FM and asked for advice on how to obtain it from prestigous GM Joel Benjamin. Not only did he have no advice to offer... he had this to say of FMs "I have to say, I have never heard a developing player define FIDE Master as a career goal. Master yes, grandmaster and international master of course, but an ill-respected title invented by FIDE to squeeze more money from title applications? Well, to each his own."
USCF
I know several experts and masters whose sole goal is to make FM. So I find his claim not only unbelievable but quite rude to those who are FMs. While ratings flucuate, for one to claim one title has no meaning is to indicate all titles have no meaning. While this claim has certain logic to it (and appeals to such prestigous figures' opinions like that of Nigel Short)... it is an opinion best epoused as a polite opinion not stated as "ill-respected title." Respecting a person's talent not their title is a commendable statement and a more appropiate prompt than the 'ill' chosen words of GM JB.
World Open Photos
Some photos I am posting late from the World Open (better late than never no?)
How many of these masters can you identify?
A view of one of the three playing halls.
How many of these masters can you identify?
A view of one of the three playing halls.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Cheating in the World Open?
As I mentioned in my last post, I heard of all the famous cheating stories on the way up to the World Open. I heard all about their famous anti-sandbagging and cheating measures... so I was led to believe that they took cheating occurrences very seriously these days. The last thing I expected was to be cheated against in this very tournament! Not only, did my opponent cheat - the td helped him do it by bad ruling! Further, my incident was far from the only poor td assisted cheating incident during this tournament!
In round 6 with a 3/5 score, I played a guy the following game (which is only important to relate the error of td judgement):
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nc3 Qa5 7. Nd2 dxc4 8. Bxf6 Nxf6 9. Bxc4 Be7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. e4 e5 12. d5 b5 13. Be2 Bb7 14. d6 Bxd6 15. Nc4? bxc4 16. Qxd6 Rfd8 17. Qa3 Qxa3 18. bxa3 Rd4 19. f3 Nd7 20. Na4 Kf8 21. Rab1 Ba6 22. Rfc1 Ke7 23. Rb4 c5 24. Rb2 Kd6 25. Rc2 Nb6 26. Nc3 Rab8 27. a4 Nd7 28. Nd5 Nb6 29. Nc3 Nd7 30. Nd5 Nb6 31. Nc3 three repetition draw claim. At this point my opponent decides to refuse the claim and not write down 30... Nb6 31. Nc3 the position on the board. There were two spectators watching the whole thing from 27. a4 to 31. Nc3 that could verify it. The first was my friend watching the end of my game and the second was the guy who had just lost on the board next to me. My opponent was most likely repeating moves because he had only 9 minutes left to make timecontrol but still he was losing his cpawn and back into an equal position. While I go to get the TD, my opponent destroys the position on the board! And while he is creating a new position I come back with the TD who sees my opponent messing with the board! The td plays through my scoresheet to see I have a correct 3 rep draw. Then he decides since my opponent doesn't have the same score sheet and my opponent destroyed the position on the board... he can't give a draw to me! He wanted me to agree to play the game from an earlier point in the scoresheet. He refused to look at the clock move counter or ask any of the spectators. I was being forced to play a new position entirely in which I was losing! In disgust I said I withdraw from the tournament. I went to Goichberg to appeal with the witnesses. The witnesses were told they had no involvement in the dispute! I was essentially told to go away! Rule 21F1 Page 90 of the USCF Rule book states "a delayed claim may still be in order if it is based on evidence not previously available, such as the testimony of a witness" yet the witnesses were told not to speak!
I am proud to say I will not vote for Goichberg!
In round 6 with a 3/5 score, I played a guy the following game (which is only important to relate the error of td judgement):
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nc3 Qa5 7. Nd2 dxc4 8. Bxf6 Nxf6 9. Bxc4 Be7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. e4 e5 12. d5 b5 13. Be2 Bb7 14. d6 Bxd6 15. Nc4? bxc4 16. Qxd6 Rfd8 17. Qa3 Qxa3 18. bxa3 Rd4 19. f3 Nd7 20. Na4 Kf8 21. Rab1 Ba6 22. Rfc1 Ke7 23. Rb4 c5 24. Rb2 Kd6 25. Rc2 Nb6 26. Nc3 Rab8 27. a4 Nd7 28. Nd5 Nb6 29. Nc3 Nd7 30. Nd5 Nb6 31. Nc3 three repetition draw claim. At this point my opponent decides to refuse the claim and not write down 30... Nb6 31. Nc3 the position on the board. There were two spectators watching the whole thing from 27. a4 to 31. Nc3 that could verify it. The first was my friend watching the end of my game and the second was the guy who had just lost on the board next to me. My opponent was most likely repeating moves because he had only 9 minutes left to make timecontrol but still he was losing his cpawn and back into an equal position. While I go to get the TD, my opponent destroys the position on the board! And while he is creating a new position I come back with the TD who sees my opponent messing with the board! The td plays through my scoresheet to see I have a correct 3 rep draw. Then he decides since my opponent doesn't have the same score sheet and my opponent destroyed the position on the board... he can't give a draw to me! He wanted me to agree to play the game from an earlier point in the scoresheet. He refused to look at the clock move counter or ask any of the spectators. I was being forced to play a new position entirely in which I was losing! In disgust I said I withdraw from the tournament. I went to Goichberg to appeal with the witnesses. The witnesses were told they had no involvement in the dispute! I was essentially told to go away! Rule 21F1 Page 90 of the USCF Rule book states "a delayed claim may still be in order if it is based on evidence not previously available, such as the testimony of a witness" yet the witnesses were told not to speak!
I am proud to say I will not vote for Goichberg!
World Open 2009
Congratulations to Hikaru Nakamura and Najer for being the lucky lottery winners of 2009. During my 1st (and consequently only) trip to the World Open, I was discussing with my friends whether the probability of being A) Hit by Lightning, B) Winning the World Open or C) Winning the Lottery was more a likely proposition. I think option A wins out but I would love to hear others opinions.
As I rode along in the passage seat on the great American highway... I heard all the stories of the world opens past. From near success stories, to cheating attempts, to dreamers of big money. Unfortunately, the World Open is never going to be a profit making prospect for your average chess player so why does the big money draw have the big crowd draw?
My own personal experience at the world open was awful. I had to withdraw after a TD witnessed my opponent cheat and refused to do anything about it. Still, Philadelphia's cheesesteaks and the all day bughouse extravaganza combined with watching a last round swindle over IM Angelo Young over IM Timothy Taylor... almost made the trip worth while! Until you consider it cost me $350 entry fee, $250 hotel fee and that doesn't even cover: Gas, tolls and food! It was a good experience though that I shall never repeat.
A special congratulations to IM Alex Lenderman who scored his 3rd and final GM norm!!
As I rode along in the passage seat on the great American highway... I heard all the stories of the world opens past. From near success stories, to cheating attempts, to dreamers of big money. Unfortunately, the World Open is never going to be a profit making prospect for your average chess player so why does the big money draw have the big crowd draw?
My own personal experience at the world open was awful. I had to withdraw after a TD witnessed my opponent cheat and refused to do anything about it. Still, Philadelphia's cheesesteaks and the all day bughouse extravaganza combined with watching a last round swindle over IM Angelo Young over IM Timothy Taylor... almost made the trip worth while! Until you consider it cost me $350 entry fee, $250 hotel fee and that doesn't even cover: Gas, tolls and food! It was a good experience though that I shall never repeat.
A special congratulations to IM Alex Lenderman who scored his 3rd and final GM norm!!
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