Greetings GM Susan Polgar,
I am writing you on behalf that your present position and prestige might address the point I am going to relay. I watch as the American chess scene is virtually strangled by Bill Goichberg. If you do not participate in his events you have next to no events to play. He controls not just the USCF but practically all the conditions for chess tournaments able to squeeze his competition out of existence. An example would his last year’s new “Chicago Class Championship” which destroyed the Green Bay Open tournament.
I write to you because I see this a Monopoly which is illegal (and grounds for a lawsuit itself). I watch as Goichberg does not care about the cheating in his events, high entry fees, the quality of his sites, conditions for masters, prizes or just the satisfaction of his customers. Because he has the power to simply say: you play my events or you don’t play anywhere. If there is no legitimate competitor to his tournaments than there never will be a good chess scene in America because Goichberg has no reason to improve his tournaments into a playable condition.
In America, we are supposed to have laws to prevent monopolies. I write to you as a dissatisfied customer who intends to pick the option of not playing tournaments anymore (tantamount to quitting chess) over participating in future Goichberg events. I hope you will converse with me on this topic. I give you permission to reproduce any part of this email you desire for your blog purposes against Goichberg. I only ask you withhold my name and email. Thank you for your time.
Regards,
USCF member (name withheld as requested)
IMO, the USCF will NOT survive until the end of the year if Bill Goichberg and his friends continue to control the USCF. There will be more lawsuits from USCF members as countless people have had it. Some of these people ignored the bylaws as well as the laws and do as they wish for their personal and political interest at the expense of USCF members. Money from USCF members are being used to finance the legal fees of his own personal for profit company. You can read more information below.
https://chessdailynews.com/the-state-of-the-uscf/
https://chessdailynews.com/very-important-facts-about-the-uscf/
https://chessdailynews.com/grandmasters-statement/
http://www.chessdiscussion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2556
Dear Bill Goichberg,
I just got my subpoena to produce documents for your case against Susan and Paul.
Not a problem – I have absolutely nothing to hide.
But I am appalled at who is requesting this information.
IT IS CONTINENTAL CHESS!!!!!!
Not the USCF. Not Sam Sloan. Nope, it’s you, Bill Goichberg.
Why the vendetta? When I found out that you and Jerry Hanken arranged, by paying for rooms and free entries, to have Jessica and her husband Hero, vote to expel Susan and Paul from the board and your lawyer accusing them of doing things that are still in question – I decided I really don’t want to associate with an organization run like this.
After your failed attempt Jerry Hanken sent me a ” drop dead – get lost” email.
Hanken and you are the reasons I am getting out of chess.
And now you are personally pursuing this. You should be ashamed!!
Fred Gruenberg
(There are a total 9 emails between USCF President Bill Goichberg, USCF EB Secretary Randy Hough, Journalist of America President Jerry Hanken and the individual who was bribed. These two individuals were certified as delegates from Southern California delegate and NY Downstate by Bill Goichberg. These emails are now part of the evidence.)
Note that the legal fees for Continental Chess is paid for by the USCF instead of Bill Goichberg personally while Goichberg and the USCF denied Polgar and Truong of indemnification.
Also note that Fred Gruenberg is at least the 4th person who has corroborated with the bribery charges against Goichberg, Hough and Hanken.
How come the USCF attorneys are not investigating this issue? How come the USCF attorney are not reporting this illegal conduct to the authority as they have done with others, especially when the proof is in black and white? How come the members are not informed of this illegal conduct instead of the BS that is being put in Chess Life and CLO by Bill Hall?
How come honest Randy Bauer and Jim Berry are not talking out about this? How come honest Bauer and Jim Berry are not demanding an investigation?
How come Goichberg’s candidates Ruth Haring, Mike Atkins and people who are on his camp like Brian Mottershead and Brian Lafferty are not demanding for Goichberg and Hough be removed from the Executive Board for their illegal conduct?
How come all these guys are not demanding to have Jerry Hanken removed as President of Chess Journalist of America? And these are pretending to demand for transparency and honesty?
Example 1: (Hanken to Goichberg)
Come on Bill, I will go half on the airfare. There are so many good reasons to do this. Give it some thought. Just think what going half means to me and what it means to you. If we lose a critical vote, you will think of this. All the money you have given the USFCF will be in the toilet if we ultimately lose this fight.
Jerry
Example 2: (Hanken to the person who they bribed)
If Bill says “yes”, you wouldn’t owe anything to him. I asked for a sponsorship gift, not a loan. At the Open, you could still spend lots of time with … Also you may have some pay for the blog you will do for Jennifer.
…Notice that I am willing to provide some food for you and …. I will have a fridge which will help. As to changeing, aren’t you on Southwest? They .don’t charge to change or cancel a trip.
Example 3: (Hanken to the persons who they bribed)
Dear …. and ….,
If …. is willing to serve as a Delegate, it is important that you go on line today (when it is still July) and purchase a six month membership in USCF. It is $25 and I will personally reimburse you this money. I hope to talk with you later today, ….
Jerry
Note that both persons were certified by S. CA and NY (by Goichbrg himself), states of Hough, Hanken, and Goichberg!!! And look up when one person became a USCF member, days before the vote. There are plenty more. It can also be backed up with phone records among all parties. You can do your own research for the rest.
Bribery is illegal. This one involved the USCF President Bill Goichberg, USCF Secretary Randy Hough and Chess Journalist of America President Jerry Hanken. USCF VP of Finance Randy Bauer, USCF VP Jim Berry and USCF ED Bill Hall are hiding this very serious illegal conduct from ALL USCF members. When will honest Randy Bauer, Jim Berry and Bill Hall launch an investigation against Goichberg, Hough and Hanken? Hmmm? When will you demand for Goichberg, Hough, Bauer, Hall and Berry to resign? How come I don’t hear the bogus moral outrage scream from Harry Payne, Ruth Haring, Mike Atkins, Brian Lafferty, Brian Mottershead, and the rest of the gang? Where’s the phone call from Lafferty to the authority to report this illegal conduct? How pathetic!
Defendants Hanken, Hough and Goichberg wanted so badly to see Truong removed from the Board that they even went as far as bribing a USCF member, Jessica Lauser, and her husband, Hero Smith, with free hotel accommodations, airline tickets, tournament entry fees, meals and future writing opportunities in exchange for them to come to Dallas for the Delegates Meeting and vote to remove Truong. Lauser was never a Delegate, and Smith was not even a member of the USCF until days before the USCF Delegates’ Meeting, when Hanken, Hough and Goichberg paid Smith’s membership fees. Hough and Goichberg then certified both Lauser and Smith as Delegates so they could vote against Truong in the motions to remove Truong from the Executive Board. After the “USCF trial” against Truong, Lauser and Smith voted against removing Truong from the Executive Board. Despite attending the meeting with the purpose of voting for Truong’s removal, they changed their votes after hearing facts Truong presented in his defense and which facts were suppressed by Defendants Kronenberger, Goichberg, Hall, Hough, Hanken, and Berry.
by fpawn on Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:19 am #152335
The article is right on the homepage when it comes up. The article #1 titled “Najer and Nakamura Win the 2009 World Open!” points to a website that gives World Open results and then has a section about the election.
I don’t begrudge Goichberg’s use of his private company to promote
himself. After all, a big part of his experience in chess comes
through the many big tournaments that he runs. For some people, this
experience is why they are voting for Goichberg. For other people, the conflict of interest is a reason to oppose his reelection.
However, I find it most unfortunate that in the middle of a political season, that Chess Life Online pointed to a page with such a prominent campaign message posted. There is no article written about World Open at all; the link posted is given in lieu of an article, which probably
will appear in a day or two.
National Master Michael Aigner
Brazil – Rio de Janeiro
Prezada GM Susan Polgar;
Reproduzi este artigo em meu blog.
Infelizmente, vejo que o problema não é exclusivo dos EUA.
Esta carta foi re-publicada no seguinte endereço:
http://xadrezlivre3g.blogspot.com/2009/07/carta-denuncia-presidente-da-federacao.html
Saudações !
Una gens, una sumus!