It’s Saturday Open Forum!
Last night, I has a chance to meet somewhere around 20 very important people in Brownsville, Texas about putting together a national and international chess event early next year for over 1,500 players (Our goal is to attract above 2,000 players). We are very fortunate to have the support from the city and many of its agencies, University of Texas in Brownsville, local schools as well local businesses, etc. I am confident that it will be a spectacular event!
I will be conducting a Training Course today for about 60 school teachers in South Texas. There are so many children wanting to play chess but there is a big shortage in teachers who know how to correctly teach chesss. I believe that this is one of the reasons why there is a big drop off in scholastic chess. When children are taught wrongly, they do not have long term success and this causes a lot of frustration for them. I will be using the Susan Polgar Foundation curriculum which is now being used by individual parents, coaches, clubs and schools in over 80 countries.
In the mean time, the political situation in Russia and the USCF Election are both heating up or getting uglier depend of how you view it.
Irina Krush is on her way to a GM norm in Gausdal. Cheparinov is in a 4-way tie for first at Sigeman.
What would you like to discuss? The forum is yours!
Susan,
What happened to the Internet training lectures you spoke of late last year? I know this niche is currently being filled by Chess Lectures, but I like your style of teaching. If you have decide against this, do you have a recommended site? Also, do you have any appearances planned for the Kansas City area? I know I everyone would love to see you at The Chess Club in KC! Oh, I forgot your Birthday…So a belated Happy Birthday!
GO Irina.
I really like Irina Krush.
Krush them all Irina. I like your picture on the April issue of Chess Life. I was just thinking about how you deserve to be a GM. I hope you score big time at Gausdal and everytime.
You have certainly scored big in the hearts of all American chess fans.
I have always looked out for Irina Krush’s results after she did such a great job on the Kasparov-World game on the Internet some years ago.
She showed outstanding energy, character and chessic ability then.
g
Perhaps because this is a blog promoting chess, it doesn’t seem to include an objective analysis of why and how chess is ‘good’ for, e.g., children.
Authoritative sources welcomed. I know of Adrian de Groot’s ‘Thought and Choice in Chess’, but that was aimed more at understanding the thought processes of chess players rather than analysing the sociological pros and cons of chess.
I can see that chess requires vision, memory, logical thought, accurate analysis, stamina, and the ability to “treat those two imposters – triumph and disaster – just the same”.
But it also requires a lot of time and mind-capacity to remember large chunks of ECO and Chessbase. So, would a ‘CBA’ Cost-Benefit Analysis show how much to get involved in chess and where to leave off, the answer depending on the individual of course?
The cost of gnoming through endless chess books is that one spends less time enjoying other aspects of life – such as music, theatre, nature – and less time learning to live with other people.
There are many other games which promote the family as a community, and develop generic skills. Many of these are more accessible than chess.
So, how about a comparative analysis v OXO, Nim, Snakes-and-Ladders, Checkers, Dominos, Othello, Backgammon, Connect4, some card games, or even sub-chess varieties of chess like 6×6 chess (which do not have large opening books or game-histories)?
Didn’t Lazlo Polgar use a smaller board to teach the Polgar sisters tactics?
g
Hi, Susan –
I’m wondering about how other kids feel when they play your kids. I know you preach playing the board, not the opponent, but this is very tough to do.
I can think of three kinds of reactions they might have to being paired against a Polgar:
1) They’ve never heard of the Polgars, so it’s just another game.
2) They’re intimidated at the thought of playing a Polgar, and play worse than they normally do.
3) They’re excited at the chance to score a victory against a Polgar, and put everything they have into the game.
Do you see any of these reactions, and with what frequency? Any other reactions? Are your kids aware of any special treatment from their opponents, due to their last name?
Anyway, thanks for the great blog.
Cheers,
Andrew Schechter
The USCF Administration and I disagree on the management of audits. I believe that the Executive Board (EB) ought to be much more aggressive in the management of audits. That includes managing audit costs as well as seeing to it that everything gets looked at that ought to. In my view, more EB oversight of the audit process and knowledge of it will result in less controversy later and less heartburn all around. Future attacks on the USCF can be met quickly, decisively, and authoritatively. But that can only be done if USCF’s leaders know what areas were examined, and how.
Mike Nolan today wrote, “I’ve been at a meeting between the Board and the auditors, I doubt most of the current members of the Board (and most of the 10 candidates) would know what questions to ask in an audit exit interview, why should the USCF spend the money to send the full Board to Tennessee only about two weeks before they’re going to be spending the money to send them somewhere else (wherever the US Open is?)”
President Goichberg wrote, “I agree with Mike Nolan that this would be a waste of time and money.”
(The above is from the USCF Forums.)
This is a scathing indictment of the Board and from its own leader!
The money objection can be dismissed easily. (The Board ought to meet with the auditors during one of its regularly scheduled meetings – not an additional one.)
The leadership issue is far different. Is the implication of Nolan’s and Goichberg’s statements true? Will the election of Polgar and Truong, and the rest of her team mean that the Board will continue to handle finances and the audits thereof in the same ham-handed manner as before?
Jack
jacklemoine.blogspot.com
Jack,
If you engage a cpa firm to do an audit, the cpa’s determine the scope, not the client. They base a lot of procedures on statistical sampling – not every transaction is looked at. There has to be a level of materiality – you can’t redo an enire year’s transactions. I also believe there is little use in the entire comm to go to an audit meeting. Results can be supplied ahead of time and a conference call arraged to discuss. In a lot of cases, the auditors won’t cite an ineffective control or procedure if the the end result on the books is correct. What the USCF most likely needs is an audit of internal controls. Also, the best way to control audit costs is to have an effective/efficient set of controls and procedures. The more deatil “digging” the cpas have to do, the higher the costs.
Todd, ICC is still working on the technology to make it happen 🙂
Irina has the talent and knowledge to become a GM long ago. She just needs the self confidence to make it happen. I can say the same thing about Anna Zatonskih. They are both very talented.
Andrew, I would say 50-50. 50% play harder to prove and 50% get scared and play worse.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Great to hear about Irina Krush. She is another big inspiration (along with the Polgar sisters) for my daughter.
I think that my daughter feels very lucky/privileged when she gets to play against a player as strong as Tommy, not necessarily because of his last name but because he is such a strong player for his age. She obviously gives him a lot of respect but at the same time is excited for the challenge. I think that some players are intimidated, however.
How many points are needed to score the GM norm? I mean for Irina Krush
John, what you say is true up to a point. A client can tell a CPA areas of concern. If you have followed the USCF issues, then you know that there’s been a number of cases where management has been caught flatfooted because they didn’t know if an area has been looked at or not and what was done if it had.
As for the necessity of a meeting of the EB with the auditors, there’s this HUGE disconnect with the two. Meanwhile the finances are under as much suspicion as ever. If Susan truly wants to put the USCF on a more professional basis, then she’s going to have to become more proactive with the auditors. As will the rest of the Board
I just want to say that I am looking forward to Mtel. It looks promising only taking a look at the number of sponsors http://www.mtelmasters.com/en/sponsors.html
bday present…
Nf3 d5
g3 c6
d4 Nf6
Bg2 e6
0-0 Bd6
c3 0-0
Bg5 Nbd7
Nbd2 Be7
Re1 Ne8
Bxe7 Qxe7
e4 Dxe4
Nxe4 Nef6
Nxf6+ Nxf6
Ne5 Nd7
c4 Nxe5
dxe5 Rd8
Qg4 Qc5
Be4 b6
Qh4 Ba6
Qxh7+ Kf8
Qh8+ Ke7
Qxg7 Rg8
Qf6+ Kf8
Rad1 Bxc4
Rd7 Bd5
Qxf7++.
me – him…
blitz 2´. 19.04.2007.
jb.
p.d. Susan, did u go to the olympiads on 2006,if so did anyone manage to beat u? who else went?
well how was your bday day?
bye, hope u like it…
do u know if kosteniuk has retired from chess?
USCF should put its entire books online for public examination, nonstop forensic auditing by internet. Without that it has too much secrecy covering up for incompetence.
Susan,
Your training today was spectacular. Your delivery was very effective, and easy to understand. This was the first time I have seen your curriculum, and I was very impressed. Our kids will definitely improve with your approach. Thank you very much, and I will see you for the second half of the training tomorrow.
Kind regards
There’s no always much actual discussion on this blog – a topic is mentioned and gets maybe two replies but that’s it, everyone has moved onto the next day. I think one reason might be the format – a discussion forum would have any number of threads working at once, easily accessible and allowing an extended discussion of the topic over several weeks even.
I would have liked more about the Horizon programme and ideas concerning chess, creativity, intelligence and so on but nothing came of it.
Any chance such a forum could be set up – this blog is one of my regular reads, it’s just not so interactive.
Thanks
lsur
rE: bOBBY fISCHER
I really like Bobby.I know everyone thinks whatever they think and I dont care. I wonder how much it takes to critize….without walking through someone else shoes…he’s had a tough life with entire regimes balsting on him..if I were him I’d probably be a bit freakin mad now too…whatever..(HE IS WHAT HE IS…LETS GET ON WITH IT)
Live in peace Bobby,,and thanks a lot for letting us see your brilliance.
Mike Magnan…
There…always wanted to say that…thanks for the Sat morning forum sUSAN..i GOT A SNEAKING SUSPICION HE READS IT.
If he asks ya Susan tell him its me.
Later.
Mike
Isur is quite right: there is little discussion on this blog.
Paul Truong has dropped in draft storylines of his life story, but the three non-SP members of SP’s USCF-bid-team are just about absent from this blog.
I don’t think SP is into the exchange of ideas: maybe it’s a time thing. There are SP statements, followed by Hallelujah choruses and the occasional raised eyebrow. Any more loudly questioning voices are unwelcome and are erased from the comment-stream as they obviously belong to ‘chess politicians’.
The Horizon programme was an investigation into the nature of intelligence. It examined the capabilities in various ‘dimensions’ of seven people who excel in specific ways.
The relative performance of the seven guests were briefly mentioned: SP has not commented on this but if she had wanted to, she would hae done. It’s not important.
In my view, it’s not a format that enables discussion. There is no way to start a thread, keep it going or find it conveniently again. Even with this blog, there is no way to edit or delete a post once made.
My point is simply that a blog is not a discussion forum and it would be nice if someone could set up such a forum under Ms Polgar’s direction.