As Matters Stand at the Marshall

Past President Chagrin

At the end of a very hectic annual meeting, I played some games of chess with Past President Stuart Chagrin.  I also shook hands with Gus, another person I've had disagreements with.  During my match with Stuart, Gus joked that the winner of the match could impose their ideology on the club for the next three years.  Though I won the match, I don't expect to impose my ideology on the club.  No one should.  The club should be run democratically as mandated by law.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about what me and my friends have been trying to do.  What we are demanding is that the club be run in a lawful manner.  I think new president, Mr. Paul Rachlin, understands many of our concerns, and he understands that words are not enough.  He needs to take some action.

President Paul Rachlin vs WCGM Magnus Carlsen

Shortly before the annual meeting we sent a list of allegations to the board and the past president.   As we see it, we have made many previous efforts, of the informal and political kind to get the club back into compliance.  We have never made this list of allegations public, because it is unfortunately not part of an informal or political process, and unfortunately a step in a legal process.


Hopefully Mr. Rachlin will solve many of the problems in the upcoming weeks.  Hopefully my role is winding down, and I will be able to return to the club just to play chess.  There are an infinite number of ways of running the club legally.  While I may throw out suggestions from time to time, I fully understand that the club is run by the board, not by me.

If the problems at the club become a matter for the authorities, they presumably will not be interested in the personalities or philosophies, but in whether the club is doing everything in a legal manner.

The motto of FIDE is Gens una sumus "We are one people".  So the ideas of having a chess community, and of chess bringing different people together are not new.  But to have a community there must be trust.  Only leaders who are fair, honest, and law abiding can maintain an environment of trust.  So let's hope for the best, and let's play chess.