Dear friends and colleagues:
I just wrote a guest editorial piece about the upcoming USCF election for www.Chessville.com. In this piece, I discussed about the unsavory and sickening behind the scene chess politics of the USCF. It is a harmful culture that held back US Chess and the USCF for a long time.
There is no more Bobby Fischer boom. It is up to us to set the course of this federation. It is up to us to set up the positive image for US Chess and the USCF. It is up to us to make this federation financially sound. It is up to us to help the USCF become a desirable organization for corporate sponsors and supporters.
Many life long chess politicians think that I am a detriment to chess and the USCF. They publicly said so. They prefer the way how the USCF operates for past decades. They do not approve of the scholastic, college, adult, military, professional, correspondence, internet and women’s chess that I promote every single day. They do not approve of the countless positive media attention that I have brought to US Chess and the USCF. They do not want changes. They desperate want to preserve the status quo.
Instead of helping me help US Chess and the USCF and focusing on doing the right things, they resorted to lies, personal attacks, insults, legal threats and potential lawsuits to try to force me to drop out of this election. They tried to split up my team even before the election takes place to keep control of the USCF.
Some even purposely leaked confidential info or made up outrageous lies for political purpose while putting the USCF in serious legal trouble. They tried every trick in the book. I could probably write a best selling book about what I have faced in the past 5-6 months. But I have news for them. I am not going to stop promoting chess positively and helping our sport grow. Every negative act by our chess politicians motivates me to do even more!
What kept me going is the thousands of supporting and encouraging emails and messages from YOU! What kept me going is your belief in me! What kept me going is my passion and love for chess. What kept me going is my strong belief of always doing the right things.
The integrity of this game will always come first in my book! Thank you again for all of your support! You have no idea how much it means to me. I hope that you will give the four of us, Mikhail Korenman, Paul Truong, Randy Bauer and me a chance to fix the USCF. Your voices will be heard in a few weeks when you receive the ballots in the June 2007 Chess Life. Thank you for believing in my mission and passion!
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
Click here to read my guest editorial piece.
You have my vote!
Your courage and conviction is contagious! You have the support from many of us. Thank you and keep it up! We’re behind you all the way!
Susan, I read with disgust the piece by Jerry Hanken. I lost all respect for the man. This is the guy who begged people to vote for him as President of the CJA. His writing is venomous and people like him can’t let go of the past. Thanks for fighting for all of us.
You’re right on.
For the record, the EB today voted to allow Mr. Jerry Hanken to lie and attack Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. I was in Chicago when Mr. Hanken asked Mr. Truong for a job in the upcoming world championship in Mexico City. When it was clear that it wasn’t going to happen, Mr. Hanken shouted at Mr. Truong in the lobby of the hotel while defending Sam Sloan’s record. This was done in front of about 50 people in disbelief! You may wonder why would someone like Mr. Goichberg, Schultz, Sloan, Hough and Ms. Marinello would vote to allow this lies and public insults toward an American icon. This is the description from a neutral USCF member:
“It’s rather obvious why the post was voted to be restored by the EB.
Sam Sloan and Don Schultz would have voted that way because the post trashes two of their opponents in the upcoming election.
Bill Goichberg would have voted that way because he has gone on the record as supporting other candidates (including Don Schultz).
Beatriz Marinello has a history of opposing Susan Polgar.
Randy Hough has been endorsed by Bill Goichberg and I wouldn’t expect him to vote in opposition.
That’s 5 of the 6 voters right there.
But it’s pretty blatant to restore this post without restoring my response to it.”
Herbert Vaughn, USCF member
This is politics at its absolute worst.
It’s disgusting! I hope you and your team will win. This is truly pathetic! Simply pathetic!
I can’t believe this board would vote to allow Jerry Hanken to write such filth. How low can they go?
The board must be desperate to pull a stunt like this. Very sad. How could they allow Hanken to viciously lie and attack GM polgar like that? This is another sad chapter in chess politics. Susan, why don’t you respond to their insults and attacks?
Susan, just take the high road and let Hanken rant and rave as usual. This will work against him and the current chess politicians. The members will clearly see them for who they are. Just stay above them. Go Susan!
They just proved the point that Susan talked about in her editorial. Time for change.
Very strong and powerful article. You have my vote!
How unethical for sitting board members to vote to allow mean spirited lies against incoming board members. Mr. Goichberg should resign as he clearly showed his bias and he has too much conflict of interest running the CCA and the USCF.
I hope everyone can clearly see the unethical conducts and shameful behavior of these chess politicians. I’m very saddened by this.
Mr. Goichberg, Hough, Schultz and Hanken owe GM Polgar a public apology. I don’t expect much from people like Sloan but I’m very unhappy with what this board just did.
Excellent editorial by Susan and I’m proud that Chessville is supporting her and her efforts to finally improve the USCF and get it on the right track. We’ve seen enough incompetence and corruption there over the past few decades. It’s time to throw the bums out and get competent people in there who will restore the dignity of the USCF, promote chess effectively, and bring in sponsors instead of losing them. Chess could become a major sport in the US with the right people promoting it, and I think Susan, Paul, and the rest of her slate have shown they can do this.
Kelly Atkins
Chessville.com co-founder and forum host
Please hold off your criticism toward the board members. We want to unite everyone and end the political destruction. We don’t need more internal fighting.
Thank you for your understanding.
ADMIN
Don’t blame the board. Blame Hanken and Goichberg. Hanken is a big supporter of Goichberg and he would do anything for Bill including this. We all know that the article is full of lies and malicious attacks. But who in their right mind would believe Hanken? After all, Hanken supported and defended Sam Sloan. Just look at the people who endorse Lux and Jones. They’re the same people who endorsed Sam Sloan in the last election. The only way to change this is to bring in fresh blood.
This was stated by Bill Goichberg:
“Sam Sloan first brought up the post, expressing the opinion that it should not have been removed. Several other board members commented and appeared to feel that the post represented acceptable political argument.”
There you have it. The board members who run for reelection and endorsing other candidates see nothing wrong with having the President of the CJA posting vicious lies and vindictive attacks against their opponents.
Welcome to the ugly truth! Vote for Schultz, Sloan, Lux, Jones and Goodall to keep the USCF the way it is.
Vote for Polgar, Korenman, Truong, Berry and Bauer for changes!
I understand your frustration. Imagine how Susan or I feel. But we must not sink to their level. I have full confidence in the USCF members. I am confident that they can see through the political games by some people to win the election at all costs, even if it harms people who contribute so much to chess. Let them continue the attack and we will stand by our principles.
Thank you!
Admin
Thank you Mr. Truong but I’m still very disappointed in Mr. Hanken, Mr. Goichberg and this board. They should have spoken out against this kind of vicious attacks instead of contributing to it. I was hoping they would behave with more class.
Thank you Chessville for publishing the editorial. I don’t know what the “post” by Mr. Hanken is all about and I don’t care to know. I know what I need to know, and that is that Susan Polgar, Paul Truong and their slate of candidates for the EB is the ONLY way to vote if we want a positive future for the USCF.
Janet Newton
Nice to see people finally waking up to the truth.
The corruption in the uscf is far deeper than expressed here. Unbelieveable deep.
The engine that drives this corruption must be the money that is siphoned off into their hands in various ways.
Certainly Hanken is well paid for writing little “interviews” for Chess Life Magazine. Again we see here how he is driven to get little jobs. And becomes angry when he does not get the “job”.
For example Joe Lux has worked for years for Goichberg at like the World Open. He is loyal to Goichberg because of these little jobs. So he is supported as a “loyal” worker candidate.
The nice words for all this is the “Old Boy Network”.
The dirty politics will continue to get worst because they are not dead yet. No one likes to die. So they are hanging on for dear life. Look out in the next few weeks. I expect more dirt will hit the fan. You aint seen nothin yet.
I believe too much energy is required to save the USCF. We need an alternative. An organization that just lets people play chess. I believe with one major scholastic organization and chess express, we could have what we need to make chess better. Please think about it.
Mr. Hanken attacked their marriage. He attacked the work of the Susan Polgar Foundation. He attacked them for telling the members the problems with the USCF. He attacked Paul for refusing to allow his opponents to contact his previous employers or clients because he’s afraid that they would ruin any future potential sponsorship. He attacked them just for the sake of attacking them. But the truth is Mr. Hanken vigorously defended Sam Sloan and his conviction record. He screamed at Mr. Truong’s face in front of everyone at the lobby of the hotel during the 2006 US Open in Oak Brook. This took place after Mr. Truong refused to give him a job. I was there when he bragged about Mr. Truong then changed his tune after he didn’t get the job. This is how these people intimidate their opponents for decades. People like Hanken would never go away and they’ll continue to attach themselves to the USCF for personal gains. Someone here pointed out the fact that Mr. Lux works for Mr. Goichberg. Mr. Hanken relies on his income with the USCF to survive. Bogner also needs the USCF for business. So they’re doing everything to fight for their jobs. Welcome to the real USCF!
Hanken, Bogner, Sloan, Lafferty, Lux and Goodall. What can I say? What can any of us say?
President Bill Goichberg once again stated that he supports Jerry Hanken’s lies and malicious attacks toward Susan and Paul. Of course Bill Goichberg has no conflict of interest saying this while endorsing other candidates. The Goichberg ship is sinking.
Goichberg and Jim Berry are decent men,but Jerry Hanken is a jerk…he insulted me at the US Open in Phoenix(i978).I hope Chess Life gets rid of his columns!