Rene’ Phillips: Victim or Victor?

There seems to be a rampant lack of accountability for tournament directors at major events. One of the games I was watching at the World Open 2008 showed just this.
There was a tournament director in a yellow shirt standing next to a board that was in a time scramble. One player had 2 seconds on his clock while the other had 5 seconds. The 5 second time delay was active on the chronos clock they were using. The position was drawn and player B was trying to flag player A. Player B had a bishop and pawn while player A had a knight and pawn. Both pawns were blocked by the opponents minor pieces. The kings were basically running around the board trying to gain opposition.
Player A claimed a three-fold repetition while the tournament director was standing there. But the tournament director had looked away from the board for a few moves and didn’t see the repetition. The whole purpose of him standing at the board was to watch the game for confusion/controversy, but he got distracted and looked away at a critical moment. Another tournament director was called and he suggested that the 50 move rule might apply – but that was incorrect because neither player was keeping score nor calling moves out loud. So the decision was made for the players to continue on. The tournament director really can’t suggest moves or draw claims to players but they can reply to claims. Insufficient loosing chances might have been a claim with a forgiving TD.
Anyway, the game continued and player B made a quiet bishop move instead of moving his King. Player A stopped to consider this new move and flagged. He was so irate that he flicked the pieces at his opponent and grimaced threateningly. He clearly wanted to fight anyone he could at that moment.
I often see floor TD decisions being appealed only to get rejected by the head TD at these large events.

This type of behavior can’t continue to take place especially among blk players who are qualified to win the rounds i have heard story after story to this event u hate to think that the games are set up for certain players to win, Renee was a pure accident i can’t believe the TD was that insensitive as well as the GM,forget winning the game what about character, intergrity of the game .. you have a real complain Rene

Rene –

Of course you were a victim! The floor TD made a bad call, and then the TD leadership did not allow you to make a timely and proper appeal of the bad call. They even treated you rudely!

I was really getting steamed until you said that Walter eventually approached you and admitted that now that he understood the incident, he agreed that the TD blew it. I know Walter, and was surprised by his initial reaction to your attempt to appeal. Perhaps he got intimidated by the approaching “mob” and used poor judgment in how he reacted. I also know you, and I know that you just wanted to appeal a really bad ruling, so the comments about calling security was totally uncalled for.

Unfortunately at that point, Walter did the only thing he could do – offer to refund your entry fee. Putting it in perspective, officials in other sports (NFL, NBA, etc) make bad calls all the time, and sometimes the call is REALLY BAD, and directly changes the likely outcome of the contest. The leagues sometimes make pronouncements after the fact that yes, the officiating crew blew it. They may “coach” the the officials involved, but they don’t change the outcome of the game.

So what can be done. First, you are doing the right thing by continuing to publicize in detail what you experienced. Secondly, we all need to be as aware as possible of the rules for the type of event that we are playing in, so we can act effectively during disputes. Thirdly, the USCF need to continue to work to improve TD training, and tournament organizers need to have a clearly defined appeal procedure, that can be executed in a timely fashion.

I am never surprised by how human’s behave under pressure. Those are the times that true character is revealed. Sometimes you find out that the person has integrity and courage, other times …

I only know a couple of brothers in the U.S. and one of them is Boyd Reed out of Pittsburgh. The other is the brother with the gray hair and glasses that we usually see at the World Open.

I think some of this is merely incompetence on the director’s part and there are a number of yellow shirts that fit this category. I am also surprised at how some GMs and IMs don’t know the rules in chess. The bad thing is the tournament directors often defer to (or favor) the GM because they assume they know the rules, but what Izoria stated was absolute nonsense. How can that game be ruled a draw? There is NO WAY.

There are so many questionable cases. I remember Jacob Wamala telling me (and Kayin Barclay) that when he won the Massachusetts High School championship on tiebreaks, they made him play a blitz tiebreak with Josh Bakker to determine who would represent the state in the Denker. I understand that this was not stated before the tournament. Bakker won the blitz and went to the Denker. Jacob wasn’t complaining, but just mentioning this case. Kayin said to Jacob, “You played blitz for the Denker????” 😕 There are all types of issues with American chess organization. Remember the K.K. Karanja case? He had won the Apis prize for top player under 13. When he kept the status the next year, they took it from him and gave it to another player because they said he had already won once. There was no stipulation saying a player couldn’t win two years in a row.

People of African descent are underrepresented in chess which is why these incidents continue to occur. We are grossly underrepresented in terms of titled players, arbiters, organizers, politicians and financiers. As long as that is the case, we will continue to see these cases.

I didn’t mention Kayin Barclay’s name above, but yes… he was the 12-year boy I was talking about. He still had his innocence and took it in stride, but I’ll tell you, it would have been mayhem had he lost that game! I can mention several other stories where the rulings were questionable. This just tells us that we need to learn the rule books of our respective federations and the FIDE rules… and as Kimani is pointing out, we need to get involved in other aspects of chess besides playing.

I think Kimani’s point is, if we don’t document these cases, they will reoccur because there is no recorded precedence… no memory from which to correct a future occurrence. When Vaughn Bennett filed a $150 million lawsuit against the U.S.C.F., the was bringing out some of these issues, but his rambling 49-page statement did him no justice. He told me he wasn’t expecting to get anything… he just wanted it on record and to make a strong statement.

There are a few brothers this could be- if we talk about the light
skin brother with grey hair and glasses this is likely to be Mr.
James Cope (Jr.) {He was at this year’s 2008 World Open}.
Otherwise in distant past though I am not sure about World
Opens because I do not attend them often – a brownskin brother
with grey hair and glasses could be Mr. Wilbert Brown who is
based in Baltimore. I know him well and will talk to him soon. Mr.
Ralph Mikell out of D.C. also does TD work but I don’t know if he
works with Continental Chess much. I simply don’t know the full
black TD landscape but when I see a brother TD at tournaments I
am participating in, I usually know their names as indicated above.
We must get to know all the people involved in this social and
sporting dance of chess and life. Keep in mind that because of my
own relative inactivity, there could be other brothers that could be
named.(I am presently not aware of any sister TDs.)

There was a younger brother acting in a TD capacity at the 2008 World Open. I didn’t catch his name, but I did observe how he handled issues. My overall impression from day one this year is that there was some tension amongst the organizers.

They weren’t the friendliest. If I am handing you $400, the least you could do is smile while you take it. I observed yellow shirts so preoccupied as to not look up at who was asking questions.

My experience in Philadelphia with Pete Rogers, Elvin Wilson, Jeff Johnson is still the best fellowship of Chess amongst brothers I have had the honor of experiencing after Hurricane Katrina. I also miss the inter-state matches between Philadelphia and Baltimore at Lamont Rogers house. I have had the honor of playing for Philadelphia in conjunction with meeting legend William “the exterminator” Morrison. The tournaments I have attended around the country pale in comparison to the fun, competition, and comraderie between the “brothers” of chess. Every African American player should have the joy of the experience of one of the Roger’s fellowship inter/cross state matches. I am back home in New Orleans and would recruit my coach Stephen Muhammed, and a few African American masters from Texas and Louisiana for a match against Philly or Baltimore.
Going forward, since money isn’t the most important allure of the tournament scene, I pray we began to look long term and invest in our youth’s maturity in chess play and its administration.
I find it interesting how issues of this sort seem to work towards galvanizing people in the chess community. We can only hope that the future will produce less drama and more tournament directors and organizers of color.

Rene – I assume that you have at least been given your entry fees back, as promised. An appeal to USCF ought to be possible, for the purpose of having the outcome of the game set to a win for you in the rating system, and likewise, I believe that USCF’s Tournament Director Certification Committee considers complaints regarding tournament directors, and this would be a way to get the situation clarified and the TD(s) involved reviewed.

By the way, when I used to run the main tournaments in LA through most of the 1980s, one of my two “right hand men” (though both were left-handed!) was perhaps the leading African-American TD in the US, Andrew Smith (also known as Angalifu, and he hosted radio shows for KPFK for many years by his African name). Another top-notch TD who comes to mind is Vincent Moore, an NTD from the east coast, who has also been a leading admin on ICC (handle: albi).

7YR OLD FEMALE CHESS PRODIGY IN COLUMBUS. HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCES IN TOURNAMENTS. PLAYERS RESIGNING AND THEN SAYING “PSYCHE” AND PICKING UP THEIR KING AND CONTINUING THE GAME. STOP THE CHEATING GOD SEES EVERTHING AND IS NOT FAIR TO ANY CHILD.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
CAN I GET A RESPONSE!!! SUBJUGATION ON THE CHESS BOARD PERHAPS! THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMMMMMMM!

Brother Shakoor,

If you what you said is actually happening, it may be a function of poor coaching of those kids, but certainly the director should be alerted so these kids can learn the right way. Kids should also learn that there are rules in chess and they are not to be bent or broken for ANYONE… not even for a coach or parent. These are life lessons.

If someone touches a piece or makes an illegal move, kids should get the coach, who will get the tournament director. One should never let their opponent play on. Unfortunately, some coaches are unsure of the rules. For example en passant and castling rules create problems for some coaches who have not learned the rules correctly.

I remember in my youth days of playing, I lost two casual games because I didn’t contest illegal castling (moving king across check) and later lost a winning position. Another time an opponent took en passant incorrectly. When I questioned it, he said, “En passant… fifth rank.” I was dominating and let him play on only to lose the game. In both instances, the illegal moves changed the course of the game immediately. I think we are obligated to correct these infractions. If not the effects can be devastating.

Rene’ Phillips told me in a phone conversation yesterday that GM Zviad Izoria (originally from the Republic of Georgia) was not arrogant in his expressions during the incident. That is to his credit. However, he did contribute to the incorrect ruling of Betsy Dynako. Someone needs to produce a rulebook to show where this ruling is stated. There needs to be restitution. Maybe I’ll write a front page article on misrulings in the USCF in order to draw attention to these repeated mistakes. If you have any misrulings by USCF TDs and/or organizers, please let me know… or post here.

Lionel,

Apart from the Fischer accusations of rampant cheating on the international level, what we see here in the states may be a different nature. I believe much of it is either incompetence or inconsistency of the stated rules. You also don’t have people who are strong enough to fight to maintain integrity. There is a lot of passing the buck which leads to lack of accountability. I’ve seen TDs say, “You’ll have to see so-and-so.” It is as if no one knows the proper ruling.

However, not competing in tournaments doesn’t help us. We need to do both… play in major tournaments and organize tournaments. How many of us are willing to make the sacrifices to raise money and organize tournaments? I have heard many proposals, but have not seen much in the way of execution.

I would also submit to you that tournaments in other parts of the world are a lot more professional than what you find here in the U.S. You are not carrying your set and clock around and wondering who you’ll play a hour before the round. There are not rapid games played in the same room with 40/2.

What is the alternative? It just so happens that the system we have is broken. If it were fixed then we wouldn’t be having this discussion. So… the organizers need to fix these problems and at the same time, others can produce well-organized and professional tournaments, to force existing organizers like Bill Goichberg to improve quality. Maurice Ashley’s tournament did this, but as you know the HB Global lasted one year.

I’ll echo Daaim’s suggestion – get involved in organizing and directing! As these stories make clear, there is a serious need for sharp, committed people, to improve the organization of events.

And in case you are wondering, yes I both organize and direct scholastic events. For free, on my own time. It’s part of my give-back to the community. I enjoy seeing the kids have an opportunity to play chess, and gain the same kind of benefits that the game gave me while growing up.

But it’s not easy or fun, like competing in tournaments, which I also do. I chuckled reading Daaim’s last post .. I am familiar with all of those types of challenges. Often the score takers are green volunteers, and floor TD’s not much more skilled. Most do not get paid, maybe they get a coupon for lunch, but that’s it. Scores get misreported. Bad game calls get made. Trophies have to be decided on tie-breaks. Players just leave without withdrawing.

So get involved, whether at the scholastic level, or the adult/open level — YOU can make a positive difference.

Hi – I’m way behind on my chess reading this year, what with work, political blogging, etc. I did notice this particular thread, though, and I wanted to throw in my general observations. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

First, with respect to the original post: I do apologize for any unpleasantness Mr. Phillips encountered. I was sequestered on the top floor of the Sheraton, running the U1400 section, so I was separated from the “fun” on the ballroom level. What I always tell any tournament player is this: know the rules, bring a copy of the rulebook with you, and don’t allow other players (no matter who they are) to speak for the TD who’s handling the situation. (TDs can be intimidated by titled players too, so someone in Mr. Phillips’ situation should make sure the TD verbally makes any pronouncements.)

Second, there are some African-American TDs. I believe Andre Harding is a Senior TD, who also has a hand in running the Marshall Chess Club in NYC. James Cope (Maryland) is also a Senior TD, who is usually at the World Open. Leonard Dickerson (Tennessee) is (I believe) a Senior TD as well.

I earned my National TD title after passing the exam in 2006. I’ve been involved in organizing and/or directing a number of national and state events in Illinois and Pennsylvania. The “secret” is to jump in and do it. Start at your local level. Talk to local organizers. Put out an e-mail for help. Find out who your state clearinghouse is; they can help you with scheduling. Most of all, be prepared to WORK. Chess organizing is hard, generally thankless work. You have to love the game to do it, because you sure won’t get rich.

More African-American TDs would be nice. What really needs to happen, though, is to get an organization together that can not only work within the USCF, but also get more African-Americans involved in organizing and directing. There are a lot of informal chess cliques and clubs in the larger cities, and a huge number of players who just show up for skittles. So, maybe some of the stronger players out there could do freebie exhibitions at these places – a “Game of the Month” lecture, a “Beat the Expert” exhibition, etc. That’s one way to get these players thinking beyond just showing up and shoving pieces around. Once they get the bug, maybe they’ll be interested in helping run local events, too.

Third, becoming a TD or organizer is about more than just knowing chess or business. Chess players, as we all know, are a very odd assortment of personalities and idiosyncracies. I’ve seen a player (quite literally) strip down to his boxers during a tournament, another high school player literally spit on a chessboard (that wasn’t even his!) and chased another player into a bathroom due to suspicion of cheating. (Yes, that was part of the Varshavsky incident at the 2006 World Open.) I could tell stories for days about the weirdness and underhanded behavior I’ve seen at chess tournaments – and guys like Bill Goichberg could probably go on for weeks on the same topic. If you can’t handle dealing with oddballs, don’t become a TD.

Fourth, I should note that a previous poster said that TDs don’t get paid. Well, at the bigger tournaments, they do – but the amounts aren’t exactly staggering. Examples: I worked at the 2008 National Elementary Championships, and I averaged $13/hour. Not too bad, you say – but that was for 45 hours of pounding a cavernous concrete exhibition-hall floor, taking questions, getting results slips, and watching players/spectators over the course of three days. My legs hurt for a solid 72 hours after the tournament.

At the World Open, after five days of running the U1400 section, I probably averaged $11 an hour. No, it wasn’t as taxing physically, as adult tournaments don’t require the same level of individual attention, but the mental load – especially when making pairings or resolving player disputes – is comparable to arbitration work, which pays quite a bit better than that. (So, for that matter, does my regular job.)

So, we do make money – but nothing to make a living on. Even Bill and Brenda Goichberg, who (obviously and deservedly) make the most on CCA events, can’t make THAT much, given the size of the prize fund.

(Here’s a fun exercise: Pick any year in the last 10 or so. Find out how much money the Open section paid out in prizes. Now, take the total number of players entered in the Open. Assume they all paid the maximum, late, on-site entry fee, and figure out how much would have been collected under that assumption. Then, try to pay the Open prizes from that amount. Dosvidanya!)

Last, this is a very good site. I have to commend Dr. Shabazz for his work in maintaining it, and the Drum community for its participation. I will try to add my meager voice to the beat as time allows.

Hi Boyd,
On the subject of minority tournament organising, I am a prospective tournament organiser(hope to do a lot of smallish competitions in New England and upstate NY in 2009) but for some strange reason, can’t get any contact information about any TD whom I can have work these for me. I asked a TD from Continental chess the other day when I was playing a small tournament in Delaware and he advised me to check with the Eastern New York Chess Association. I subsequently found their website and the email addresses of some of their office bearers and persons who run clubs in the general area. Sadly, more than a week later I have no information on whom I could get to TD tournaments in the upstate NY as well as the New England areas. I have a few hotels(and access to a building) who would be interested, but can’t do anything more without a TD. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it. I have already tried the USCF but for privacy reasons they can’t even release email addresses of prospective TDs