Okay, so in less than a week I'll be playing in the Kentucky Open. For most of this week I'll be getting back into shape to hopefully place well in the event and qualify for my state championship.


I'll still be posting about current world events but every day I'll try to recap the study regimen. In my view this ensures my sticking to my goals as well as gets input from my viewers.


Some people will no doubt say that this was too late to start studying but I think Boot Camp is more about refreshing what you already know rather than expanding on it.

This morning I received the following e-mail (all links removed):

URGENT! USCF EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTION
by Bill Goichberg
Please vote in this crucial election for four members of the seven person USCF Executive Board. Ballots will be in the June issue of Chess Life and the TLA Newsletter, and any member age 16 or over, who was also a member on April 30, may vote. Members who do not receive a ballot may request one from the USCF office.
The Executive Board currently includes a member who has sued USCF, the organization she has a fiduciary duty to support and protect, for $25 million (later reduced to $10 million), a lawsuit I believe is totally without merit. Her husband, who has refused to deny under oath charges that he made many anonymous and defamatory internet posts, is also on the Board. If two candidates are elected who support or tolerate the outrageous conduct of these two, I believe that the Federation will be in great peril. See www.uschess.org/legalupdates for details regarding numerous legal problems that USCF now faces.
See www.checkmate.us for my detailed commentary on the election. I am a candidate for re-election to the Board, but am not eligible to continue as President due to a term limit. The Board elects the President, so with the support of just two more Board members out of the four to be elected, the next President of USCF could actually be someone who has an active lawsuit against the Federation which, if successful, would bankrupt the organization!

Please don't let this happen! - Vote: GOICHBERG, HARING, ATKINS, BERRY

FOUR PAST USCF PRESIDENTS ENDORSE BILL GOICHBERG.

Tim Redman, USCF President, 1981-1984, 2000-2001- USCF ISSUES - May 13, 2009

Dr. Leroy W. Dubeck, USCF President 1969-1972, was responsible for the “Fischer membership boom” when USCF membership more than tripled in 3 years.

Steven Doyle, USCF President 1984-1987, was responsible for creating and funding the Life Member Assets (LMA) fund with over $1 million in cash as well as paying off the mortgage on the USCF’s headquarters. The LMA pays for the costs of delivering service to our thousands of life members.

Beatriz Marinello, USCF President 2003-2005, saved the USCF from bankruptcy in 2003 after the USCF had run deficits for many prior years.

ENDORSEMENTS IN THE USCF ELECTION BY THREE PAST PRESIDENTS

Click here: ENDORSEMENTS IN THE USCF ELECTION

BRIAN LAFFERTY WITHDRAWS (May 23)

Endorsing - GOICHBERG - HARING - ATKINS - BERRY

Click here: Checkmate
by Bill Goichberg

While there are a number of offensive notions present in this political Spam - two things really tweaked my melon.

1) What are candidate statements in Chess Life magazine for if by a whim Bill can type an e-mail and send it to the entire continental chess list (assuming that he didn't use the USCF e-mail or Life Member list ... that would be unethical). I don't remember giving Bill permission to send me political e-mails. Tournament announcements and important USCF member news, yes - political trash from ANY CANDIDATE (EVEN ONE I SUPPORT) ... nope. The editor of Chess Life will be hearing from me on this one.

2) Bill all but mentions Susan Polgar by name. Even if I agreed with Bill's view of the suit it shows poor judgment on his part to add a negative spin to the campaign. The question isn't "who should I vote for?" ... after reading this the simple minded reader could be confused and read the question as "do I want to be sued?" Nobody wants to be sued (or at least no sane person welcomes the notion). The truth is that Susan cannot maintain a suit against individuals when those individuals acted in their official capacities ... no judge on the planet would alloy it.

Quite frankly, the notion that I'm held responsible for the actions of the executive board (positive or negative) makes me ill. Perhaps I should run for an executive board seat in the future ... at least then I would be responsible for MY OWN ACTIONS.

You should take a break over the weekend .... I am ... but check this video out first (my second attempt to break a concrete brick with my bare hand):