Susan Polgar to be Inducted Into the World Chess Hall of Fame??!!

The US Chess Trust that has selected Ms. Polgar for induction into the Hall of Fame neglects completely the down side of her actions here in the United States a mere ten years ago. The Trust writes as follows about Polgar:

Susan Polgar 
(1969- ) 

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Susan Polgar immigrated to the United States in 1994. The top-ranked woman in the world at 15, in 1991, she became the first to earn the grandmaster title by norms and rating. Polgar won the Women's World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 1992. Her victory in the 1996 Women's World Championship also made her the first triple crown winner. Polgar won 12 Olympiad medals (five gold, four silver, three bronze) and led the U.S. to second place in 2004. She was undefeated in 56 games played on Board One. Polgar has coached men's college division I teams at Texas Tech University (2011-2012) and Webster University (2012-2018) to a record seven consecutive national championships.


Comment:

As one of some fourteen defendants in Susan Polgar's utterly unsuccessful legal action against US Chess and her critics on and off the US Chess Executive Board, I am appalled that she has been selected for inclusion into the Hall of Fame. 

Tellingly, the announcement of Polgar's nomination makes no mention of her law suit that nearly bankrupted US Chess or the fact that her web master was indicted on thirty four Federal felony counts, eventually pleading guilty to a Federal misdemeanor. The Trust also makes no mention of the misrepresentations she was caught in during her run for the US Chess Executive Board and during her deposition under oath in the litigation she commenced. Shame on the US Chess Trust.  

Perhaps we need a World Chess Hall of Infamy. I nominate Alexander Alekhine and Susan Polgar as initial inductees. 

Chess Clubs--The Heart and Soul of United States Chess

Chess clubs are and have been the core of chess in the United States. They are important and deserve our support and the support of our national FIDE affiliated organization, US Chess. If you are a member of US Chess, please ask Carol Meyer ( cmeyer@uschess.org ), the Executive Director, what US Chess is actually doing to support and grow local over the board chess clubs. 
From the 19th Century, here are two listings of clubs then existing in the US. Some of them still exist either continuously operating or in revived form. Support your local chess club!

https://books.google.com/books?id=08BAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA317&lpg=PA317&dq=Batavia+Chess+Club&source=bl&ots=bX0xOP3AsH&sig=ACfU3U0O_jKDcBMl56uxy0WHrbo7rcMoJQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKk8rtz_LgAhXF7YMKHevrCVgQ6AEwB3oECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=Batavia%20Chess%20Club&f=false

And from ChessManiac.com 

Early chess clubs in America appeared in almost every major city staring in the early 1800s. It was a place to play chess and hold matches and tournaments. The telegraph was the Internet of the 19th century and many clubs played against other clubs in telegraph matches. Chess clubs are dying now, but here is a list of early chess clubs that had a 100 to as many as 1,000 members at one time. Most are gone now, but a few remain today.

Amateur Chess Club (1859- ) in Philadelphia.
Albany Chess Club (1886- ). Located at the Union Railroad Depot in Albany, New York. Organized in February, 1886.
Anderssen Chess Club (1859- ) in Philadelphia.
Athenuaem Chess Club (1814- ). Chess Club located at 6th Street and Walnut in Philadelphia. It disbanded and re-formed in 1847 at 6th and Adelphi.
Atlanta Chess and Checker Club (1887- ).
Augusta Chess Club (1859- ) in Augusta, Georgia.
Baltimore Chess Club (1881- ). It met at Charles and Saratoga Street and had over 110 members.
Bassford’s Chess Rooms (1837). In New York.
Batavia Chess Club (1898- ). In Batavia, NY.
Beverly Hills Chess Club (1921- ).
Bishops Chess Club (1897- ). Located in Brooklyn.
Boston Chess Club (1845-1848). It started out with 20 members. It was reorganized in 1857 and incorporated in 1888. It met at the corner of Fremont and Montgomery.
Boston Young Men’s Christian Union (YMCU) Chess Club (1855- ).
Boylston Chess Club (1919-Present). Boston chess club still going strong.
Bridgeport Chess Club (1859) in Connecticut.
Brooklyn Chess Club (1852- ). At one time, it was the largest chess club in America.
Brooklyn Institute Chess Club (1911- ).
Buffalo Chess Club (1872- ).
Café Logeling (1877). Located on 49 Bowery Street in Lower Manhattan. It later became the Manhattan CC.
Café Europa (1870-1872). Chess club located in New York.
Camden Chess Club (1897- ). In New Jersey.
Carrollton Chess Club (1887- ). Located in Carrollton, Georgia.
Caxton Club (1895) at 1411 Fulton Street in Brooklyn.
Charleston Chess Club (1858- ).
Chicago Chess Club (1859- ). It met at 85 Dearborn St and the Portland Block.
Cincinnati Chess Club (1859- ).
Cleveland Chess Club (1855- ). It met at 216 Superior St.
Columbia Chess Club (1887- ). Chess club at Columbia College in New York.
Columbus Chess Club (1859) in Columbus. Ohio. Its first president was A.B. Buttles.
Cornell Chess Club (1868-1869 ).
Cosmopolitan Chess Club (1872- ). Located at the Café Cosmopolitan in New York City.
Dallas Chess Club (1885- ).
Damiano Chess Club (1896- ) at the College of the City of New York.
Danites Chess Club (1878- ). Located in Brooklyn.
Dayton Chess Club (1888).
Denver Chess Club (1859).
Detroit Chess Club (1881- ). Its first president was H.M. Keeler.
Dubuque Chess Club (1858- ). Founded by Louis Paulsen (1833-1891) in Iowa.
Federal City Chess Club (1835- ). Located in Washington, DC.
Franklin Chess Club (1884-1955). Located at 1037 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
Galveston Chess and Whist Club (1891- )
Germantown Chess Club (1897- ). Met at the YMCA in Germantown, PA.
Grand Rapids Chess Club (1888- ).
Golden Gate Chess Club (1885- ). Located in San Francisco. Its first president was Dr. Benjamin Marshall.
Harvard Chess Club (1874-Present).
Herman Steiner chess Club (1932). Founded by Herman Steiner in Hollywood, California.
Indianapolis Chess Club (1885- ).
Jeffersonian Chess Club (1888- ). Located at 101 West 10th Street in New York City.
Kenosha Chess Club (1867- ) in Wisconsin.
Knights Chess Club (1896) in Brooklyn.
La Bourdonnais Chess Club (1888) at Columbia College in NY.
Lafayette Chess Club (1859) in Indiana.
Leadville Chess Club (1885- ). Located in Leadville, CO.
Lexington Chess Club (1846- ). Located in Lexington, KY.
Log Cabin Chess Club (1934- ). Founded by E. Forry Laucks in West Oranged, NJ.
Louisville Chess Club (1846 – ). It met at the Polytechnic Building on Fourth Ave.
Manhattan Chess Club (1877-2002). It started out with 37 members.
Marshall Chess Club (1915-Present).
Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club (1854-Present). Its original building was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It was rebuilt in 1909.
Memphis Chess, Checkers & Whist Club (1896-Present). It was located above the Southern Express Office on North Court.
Milwaukee Chess Club (1857-1883). The chess club burned down in 1883 and was re-formed in 1887.
Minneapolis Chess Club (1887- ). Located in St. Paul, MN.
Monumental Chess Club (1858) in Baltimore.
Morphy Chess Club (1859) in Washington, DC.
Mount Auburn Chess Club (1886- ). Located in Cincinnati.
Nashville Chess Club (1881).
New Haven Chess Club (1859- ) in Connecticut.
New Orleans Chess Club (1838-1841, 1857-). In 1857, Paul Morphy was its President.
New Orleans Chess, Checker, and Whist Club (1880-1935). At one time, it had over 1,000 members. In 1890, it burned down, destroying all of its Morphy memorabilia. It was located at the corner of Baronne and Canal Streets.
New York Chess Club (1803-1804, 1869- ). Perhaps the first chess club in the United States. It was located at the Carlton House.
New York Divan (1835-1837).
Newark Chess Club (1887- ). Located at 842 Broad St. at Beecenow’s Restaurant.
Norfolk Chess Club (1840- ). Located in Norfolk, VA.
North Saint Louis Chess Club (1887- ).
Omaha Chess Club (1890).
Paul Morphy Chess Club (1881- ). Located in Brooklyn in Werney’s Place.
Philadelphia Chess Club (1827-1830). Formed after a visit by Maelzel and the Turk automaton.
Philadelphia Chess Club (1859-1867). Formed after a visit by Paul Morphy to the city.
Philidor Chess Club (1875- ). Chess club located on Meserole Street in Brooklyn.
Pittsburgh Library Chess Club (1881- ).
Pollock Chess Club (1890- ). Located in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Press Chess Club (1864-1874). An active chess club in Philadelphia.
Princeton Chess Club (1883- ).
Providence Chess Club (1887- ). Located in Providence, Rhode Island.
Quaker City Chess Club (1883- ) in Philadelphia.
Quincy Chess Club (1859- ) in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Richmond Chess Club (1884- ). Located in Richmond, VA.
Rochester Chess Club (1897- ). Located in Rochester, NY.
Rockford Chess Club (1878). Located at Rockford Female Seminary in Illinois.
Rutherford Chess Club (1888- ). Located in Rutherford, NJ.
Sacramento Chess Club (1897). Its first president was G. Dixon.
Saginaw Chess Club (1897- ). Located in Saginaw, NY.
Saint Louis Chess Club. Founded by Max Judd in the 1840s. It met at the corner of Ninth and Olive Streets.
Saint Paul Chess Club (1888- ). Located in St Paul, MN.
San Antonio Chess Club (1888-Present). Oldest chess club in Texas.
Scranton Chess Club (1887- ). Located in Scranton, PA.
Seattle Chess Club (1879- )
Spokane Chess Club (1899-Present)
Springfield Chess and Checker Club (1897) in Springfield, MA. It was held at the Union Christian Association.
Staten Island Chess Club (1890- ) at 10 Bay Street, Tompkinsville.
Steinitz Chess Club (1897- ). Located in Brooklyn.
Syracuse Chess Club (1858- ) in New York.
Tacoma Chess Club (1891-Present). My first chess club.
Toledo Chess Club (1888- ).
Trenton Chess Club (1897- ). Located in Trenton, NJ.
Turn-Verein Chess Club (1887- )
Union Chess Club (1859- ). It was located at 224 Grand Street in New York and composed mostly of Germans.
University of Pennsylvania Chess Club (1895- ).
Washington Chess Club (1839). Located in Washington, DC. It met at the St. Cloud Building on 9th and F Streets.
West Point Chess Club (1845- ). Founded by Hyacinth Agnel. Meetings were held at the quarters of the professors or officers.
Wilkes Barre Chess Club (1887- ). Located in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Wilmington Chess Club (1887- ). Located in Wilmington, Delaware.
Women’s Chess Club (1894-1949). Located in New York.
Yale Chess Club (1856- ).

Other 19th century chess clubs: Burlington, Cactus in Kansas, Castle CC in Brooklyn, Elizabeth in NJ, Kenwood CC in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Spartanburg, Urbana.

– Bill Wall

Major Cheating Discovered at 2018 US Chess Scholastic Nationals--Coach Banned for Life

From the US Chess Ethics Committee decision. Chapeau to Elizabeth Spiegel! The complete decision can be found here. 

https://lizzyknowsall.blogspot.com/2019/02/absolutely-unforgivable.html?m=1

From the decision:

"The committee majority finds this behavior by Coach Ramirez to be absolutely unforgivable. This majority takes the position that an adult who uses his position of authority to influence children to commit unethical acts has committed the most serious violation of the Code of Ethics. It is also worth noting that while he was apparently trying to enhance the self-esteem of his players by gaining them undeserved prizes at the national scholastics, he was simultaneously crushing the dreams of players from other schools, many of whom were also poor and facing serious challenges at home. The committee majority therefore agrees that its recommendation of a permanent membership revocation is fully justified."

Censorship Rife on the US Chess Member Discussion Forums

You won't see this topic being discussed in the US Chess Forums. What is US Chess leadership afraid of? It can be found on the chess.com forum and elsewhere.

US Chess Leadership Meets With Arkady Dvorkovich in Washington, D.C.

Such happy, smiling faces. Reminder: Dvorkovich has been mentioned widely in the press in relation to the Mueller investigation because he met with Carter Page during the 2016 campaign. 
From The Washington Post on 2/21, the day after the US Chess meeting with Dvorkovich in DC.

"What campaign staff members were told about George Papadopoulos’s and Carter Page’s interactions with Russia? In March 2016, as he battled for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump introduced a slate of foreign policy advisers meant to demonstrate the robustness of his campaign in that arena. Two of those advisers, Papadopoulos and Page, soon came under investigation by federal authorities for their links to Russia.

Papadopoulos was told in April 2016 — shortly after the DNC network and Podesta’s email had been accessed — that the Russians had a cache of incriminating emails for use against Clinton. The next day, he emailed a Trump campaign official to say that he had “some interesting messages coming in from Moscow about a trip when the time is right.” The comment about a “trip” probably refers to Papadopoulos’s efforts to get Trump to travel to Russia — but it’s not clear what else he might have shared about what he learned.

Page traveled to Moscow in July 2016 with the campaign’s permission. After speaking at an event, he emailed the campaign to say that he’d had a conversation with then-Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. Dvorkovich, Page wrote, had “expressed strong support for Mr. Trump and a desire to work together toward devising better solutions in response to the vast range of current international problems.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... 2b7d74dafb

Arkady is also presently on a US Treasury department list of 250 Russians  potentially subject to sanctions as Kirsan was and is. 

The IOC just rejected Dvorkovich's Paris initiative announced last week in Paris with a photo op with the lovely French IM Sophie MIllett. The speed of the IOC rejection raises the obvious question of how much of a shadow Putin's man Arkady casts over the organization and all who interact with him and FIDE.

One hopes for the best for US Chess. Still, no one should be surprised if the leadership gets up one morning with a flea infestation. 

European Chess Union Planning To Leave FIDE In 2019?

Will the European Chess Union Withdraw From FIDE? As reported by Kevin Spraggett, there are indications that such a split may be in the making. It appears that the shadow of Putin that follows Arkady Dvorkovich may be too much for some federations. 
http://www.spraggettonchess.com/fide-in-crisis/

Dvorkovich, a close Putin ally mentioned publicly in connection with the Mueller probe of  possible Trump election campaign involvement with Russia, may have enough of Putin's shadow following him to finally give pause in some quarters. This apparently doesn't bother Executive Board member of US Chess, despite having been made aware of the shadow. US Chess leadership increased their working relationship with FIDE at this past October's FIDE Congress. 

To be continued.........

IOC Quickly Rejects FIDE Inclusion Overture

"It took less than 10 days for the rain to fall on Kouatly and Dvorkovich’s parade. On Tuesday February 12, readers might recall, FIDE officially started an optimisticcampaign to try to become part of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

But on the Thursday of the following week a resounding ‘no’ was communicated to FIDE. Of course, this per se was not a surprise to me, but the speed with which the decision was made definitely surprised me.

And what is more, even today none of Chess.Com, ChessBase or other popular chess sites, which so enthusiastically reported the start of the campaign, have given their readers the news. Are they still in SHOCK? Must be…"

http://www.spraggettonchess.com/fide-in-crisis/