Danailov running for ECU President; players protest against zero-tolerance rule
10 March 2010, 10.01 CET | By Peter Doggers | Filed under: Reports | Tags: Politics
Besides round reports, currently the website of the European Championship in Rijeka has two interesting news items. It’s reported that Silvio Danailov is running for President of the European Chess Union, and that 110 participants have protested against the zero-tolerance rule.
At the European Championship website we’re informed of the following:
Mr. Silvio Danailov, vice-president of the Bulgarian Chess Federation will host a reception for delegates and guests of the ECU General Assembly on Saturday, 13th March at 9PM, in Opatija at the hotel Millenium (M. Tita 109).
At the reception Mr. Danailov will announce his candidacy for the President of the European Chess Union at the upcoming elections and will present the basic guidelines of his programme.
Danailov is executive director of the Grand Slam Chess Association and manager of Veselin Topalov and Ivan Cheparinov. By running for ECU President, Danailov is rivalling against the other candidates: Ali Nihat Yazici, President of the Turkish Chess Federation, and Boris Kutin, the reigning ECU President.
Chessdom posted part of the program that the Danailov team is preparing, which we quote below:
Dear friends in chess,
I speak to you as a person who spent his best years as a chess player, trainer, manager and organizer. Doing my job, I have always tried to make it as professional as possible, bringing new ideas and aspiring to higher standards.
I am proud of the fact that some of my ideas and standards of organizing competitions have been accepted even at the most important chess tournaments in the world.
I have accepted the initiative of my friends and I am running for the President of the European Chess Union, but this doesn’t mean I am ready to give unrealistic promises.
My campaign to win your vote will be led under the slogan “I know…”
In the highest interest of the progress of the European Chess Union and chess in Europe in general, I am prepared to implement all those ideas and results I have reached so far in the following areas:- Training and management of the leading chess players
- Organization of top-level chess competitions with the highest possible standards
- Drawing undivided attention of the media and sponsors towards chess
- Contacts with influential people for the prosperity of chess
Including youth competitions in elite tournaments…I will be happy if I win your support with this program and if you bring along any new ideas.
Sincerely yours,
Silvio Danailov
Another interesting item at the European Championship website is the protest of 110 players against the zero-tolerance rule:
The participants of the 11. European Individual Men and Women’s Chess Championsh have submitted a petition to the Organizing commitee and Boris Kutin (the president of European Chess Union) in which they request changing the delay tolerance from 0 to 30 minutes. They require this measurement to be valid from the 4th round and was signed by 110 participants.
Due to request, on the behalf of Organizing commitee, the president of the Executive Commitee Damir Vrhovnik said:
“The organizers are trying to do their best for the sake of our players. In accordance to that, on the behalf of Organizing commitee and myself, I support the participants’ request. However, this question is under the European Chess Union’ jurisdiction and therefore, they are the ones who must make the decision.“
We first mentioned the zero-tolerance rule in our article on all new rules in the FIDE Laws of Chess which came into effect on July 1st, 2009. Later, in our column ‘Too late to leave?’ we commented on the forfeiting of Li Chao and Wang Yue for arriving a little too late for their second rapid game in round 3 of the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. This column provoked 174 comments.
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Where are the pictures of Viktoria Smilyte??
Facet jest sprytny i dzia?a konstruktywnie
dlugosz, kto ci?, kurwa, zrozumie?
Danailov as president. Aren’t there enough crooks already? His bid for presidency is about as crazy as that awful alaskan hockey mom’s bid to be vice-president of the USA. I guess that suggests that he might get elected … Lord have mercy.
“I have always tried to make it as professional as possible, bringing new ideas and aspiring to higher standards.”
Yeah, that toilet stunt was high standard.
Dead right, NBC. I understand that in the same elections, Bernie Madoff will be standing as Finance Director and Gary Glitter as Child Protection Officer…
Is Danailov trying to put cameras in every bathroom in Europe?
Are the voters going to be accused of going to the bathrrom too many times while in session?
Is Danailov going to refuse to skake hands (specially with the English)?
With Toiletgate and Handshakegate on his resumè, Is anyone going to support his candidacy? Or, Danailov´s efforts are going to be flush down the toilet.
Wonder if Kramnik will vote for him.
Well “I know…” that Reagan did become president of USA (even though they could have voted for Alice Cooper). Samaranch did become president of IOC. And Iljumsjinov did become president of FIDE. “I know”…that such things do happen…
By the way: Have you heard of the new FIDE-rules on doping? Now they want to have informations about the players “Where-abouts”.
I hope ChessVibes will cover this item soon.
if there is one thing worse than the current administration it Danailov.
vote Danailov! Then the ECU will have the same high standard in management as FIDE!
It does sound like a scenario from hell.
That sums it up quite nicely Arne.
Love him or Hate him…. as far as I am concerned, Mr. Danailov takes
Action! And not just talks… ok toilet-gate marred his image….But he has done more positive for chess than many nay-Sayers combined.
Lone-Tiger – That must be some mighty powerful acid you are dropping!
Why, of course I would vote for Danailov! He’s done a great job of maintaining order at chess matches, has no wrongdoings to his name, and has been really supportive to Topalov by providing assistance of various types at Corus and San Luis. He’s been very helpful to Chepa as well, teaching powerful openings such as the ‘Anti Handshake Gambit’.
Also, he is infinitely better than the current administration with his brilliant plan of putting cameras in every bathroom. This is a really good way of making the game of chess more personal and between the two players, not the team behind the players.
Finally, Toiletgate was a great way to publicise chess, like Big Brother. And he has the money to start tournaments such as ‘The European Toilet Chess Championships’, thematic tournaments on the ‘Loo Gambit’, and finally begin a revolutionary ETS (Excretions Trading Scheme) to provide revenue for chess and advertise it as an ecologically sustainable product.
ETS – now that should be in his campaign
I just see Danailov drug testing requiring a full body cavity search excluding Topalov and Chep of course. The goal is mostly to nail Kramnik for his obvious drug cheating.
Loo gambit, dropping the c[heparinov] – pawn for ’speedy’ development.
A bit late of the players to protest against the zero-tolerance rule. Were they sleeping (or behind the database?) when this rule was discussed?
The point is that for proffesionals I can imagine such a kind of rule. For an organizer or a sponsor it’s nice to make some pictures at the start of the round. For amateurs it’s a stupid rule because it has absolutely no point.
Toiletgate = “Drawing undivided attention of the media and sponsors towards chess”
If Danailov is elected to be the ECU president, it would be the tragedy for the European chess.
It is a direct sense after hearing and reading his news on the web. Also I’m not an European.
leight, take it easy You are not an Europian!
Danailov is the best thing happened to chess for last 20 yers
I am European, and for me the issue is: An ECU president should be neutral. Can neutrality be guaranteed if he
- has very close ties to one top player, and
- openly hates another top player ?
IMO, asking the question is answering it. Regardless of whether Danailov did some good things for chess, mostly if not exclusively for a few elite players – but ECU should also cater to all other players!?
Tomas, I understand your viewpoint. But… what you will say about Karpov as president of FIDE? For me answer of that question is very interesting following your pointview. Is Karpov neutral?
Just one thing. Everybody may say what he want about Danailov, but every honest person must recognize that Danailov is primarily professional. And what he did he did it like this.
@Sherman: As an active player, Karpov was of course involved in chess politics and “shenanigans” – kind of unavoidable if you are world champion during cold war times. I wouldn’t dare to say who was right or wrong back then, but this was long ago and I am not aware of any current affairs which would cause him to be biased – unless one says “he is Russian, thus he must be biased”.
Sherman – and you are are obviously bulgarian?
@Sherman, your argument about Danailov being ‘professional’ is a total fallacy. There are countless ‘professionals’ in history who did the world more bad than good – no need to mention any names here. The word ‘professional’ in fact just means ‘doing a job’ – surely that doesn’t excuse someone from doing stupid or even damaging things within his job, not to mention the possible purpose or contents of the job itself!