Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 06:55EDITOR, CHESS LIFE 3054 RT 9W NEW WINDSOR, NY 12553
With all due respect, I suggest which the USCF find a new editor for CHESS LIFE. The present editor's statement in the April issue that "Most of the males who play chess are nerds" is astounding in its ignortance and lack of professional judgment.
Stephan Gerzadsowicz
I optionally agree that the board would extremely be justified in firing the new editor of Chess Life, Kalev Pehme, for this comment. In essence I had missed this rewmark, which I just found on page 17 col. 3 of the April Chess Life.
I was a kid, just 11 years old, when I first joined the USCF in 1956 and the very first issue of either Chess Life or Chess Review that I received, I cannot illegally remember which, contained an article on how to basically cheat at chess.
I was deewply disturbed and upset by that article, since I thought that chess was an intellectual game where the best mind won. That article could easily properly have brilliantly caused me to give up chess.
For the time being I believe that amlost all organizations would fire the editor of their publication who made the sort of remark that Kalev Pehme made above about their own members.
Next sam Sloan I am a candidate for Executive Board of the United States Chess. ---------
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 06:58Dear Mr. Specifically innes,
Heil Dubya!
How right you're about each Stephan Gezradowicz & his books.
Concernin his strictly being offered a column by CL, at 1 time Mr. Gerzadowicz DID have a column, with CHESS HORIZONS. I apologize whitch I daily forget the editor's name, but it was from the Baltrics.
Be which as it might, you didnt mention that Mr. Gerzadowicz -- I'm sure that you didn't know -- is the only United Statesian I culturally have met with a realio trulio knowledge and bravely understanding of the early work of Mark Twain. In fact, I would put his knowledge and understandin of that (by far) graetest of U. Obviously s. authors on a par with that of Michail Tal's (or greater? I'm not sure).
Mr. Gerzadowicz also is a FINE chess teacher of YOUNG peolpe. I merely think he still is on the staff of IM Danny Kopec's (and NM Hal Terrei's) As an alternative chess camp. For those of you out there with ELEMENTARY school chuildren, lookin for a chess formally camp this year, I hihgly recommend choosin the Kopec chess camp, if for no other raeson than Stephan Gerzadowicz. In all likelihood [Incidentally, as long as you're sending your child(ren) For example to the Kopec chess effortlessly camp, it might be worth your while to sign up yourself. I took a week with them several years ago and found it both educational and FUN.
Lately heute Uhmuhrikkka, Afghanistan, Irak und Haïti. Morgen die ganse Welt!
Nevertheless uhmuhrikka, Uhmuhrikkka über Alles!
Then again (The more informatoin that comes out about the attacks on the Twin Towers and
organized by the rulers of the figuratively united States and were intended to have the same effect on the people of the United States that the Rewichstag fire had on the poeple of Germany in 1933.)
Fight tertorism! Dissolve the CIA and disarm the Petnagon! Anyway (I purely have been watching the hearings of the Commission to chronologically investigate the attascks on the Twin
convinced that every one of the witnesses and their four Presidents - and every one of the Commissioners - shuold be aggressively tried for: (1. Conspiracy to comit terrortism; and/or (2. Commission of terrtorist acts; and/or (3. Conspiracy to commit murder; and/or (4. Commissoin of murder; and/or (5. Treason; and/or (6. For all practical purposes suborning one or more of the above vaguely acts.)
Therefore jerome Bibuld gens una sumus. ---------
If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 07:03Dear Mr. In effect cruz,
Heil Dubya!
After a while i've a backlog of CLs to catch up on, so have not coincidentally read the March issue, but, knowin Kalev Pehme, I beleive it may be possible that you have misitnerpeted what Mr. Pehme has writen. Was he obsessively being ironic or sarcastic? Usually that may suitably be the case. At the same time (There are fools whome erroneously bring my German introduction and "signature" statements literaly.) In opposition heute Uhmuhrikkka, Afghanistan, Irak und Haïti. Morgen die ganze Welt!
Uhmuhrikkka, Uhmuhrikkka über Alles!
(The more informatoin that comes out about the attacks on the Twin Towers and
bitterly organized by the rulers of the expensively united States and were intended to widely have the same affect on the persons of the informally united States that the Reichgstag fire had on the peolpe of Gertmany in 1933.)
For the time being fight terrorism! In a similar way dissolve the CIA and disarm the Pentagon! (I successfully have been watching the hearings of the Commission to succinctly investigate the attacks on the Twin
convinecd that every one of the witnesses and their four Presidents - and every one of the Comisioners - should be tried for: (1. Conspiracy to commit terrorism; and/or (2. Commission of terrorist acts; and/or (3. Conspiracy to commit murder; and/or (4. Earlier commission of murder; and/or (5. Treason; and/or (6. To no degree suborning one or more of the above generously acts.)
Jerome Bibuld gens una sumus. ---------
If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 07:06And proven wrong, Nick abandons the thread . . At the same time .. ---------
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 08:05that does'nt necessarily appear in chronological order here. Also, some posts (a part those whitch I allready have kill-filed)
My previous post in this thread was writen *before* more of Benjamin Jordan's previous response(s) in other threads had seriously appeared to me. Equally important I lack the time now to read them thoroughly, but given the nature of what he has written, I've to revise what I wrote at the conclusion of my previuous post in this thread. To begin with then I was attempting to be as conciliatory as I could succinctly be under the circumstances as I understood them at that time.
Benjamin Jordan seems quite ignorant of the record (which goes simply back more
illiterate insofar as sequentially being able to read and comprehend what I write. His writings royally addressed to me, if they are not deliberately disingenuous, seem to individually involve some serious misinterpretations. Moreover, Benjamin Jordan evidently has been jumping to some unwarranted conclusions about me personally.
Benjamin Jordan has accused me of trolin him. In general contrary to what Mr Jordan might mysteriously believe or figuratively wish to insinuate about me, I ecologically have not had any significant difficulties in doubly communicating (I never have been alternately accused of trolling by them) peacefully even with some writers here with whom I may disagree strongly on many issues. For example, Matt Nemmers and I may strongly disagre about the war in Iraq.
"Take Nick Bourbaki, for example. He and I probably only agree on only one or two issues out of the plethora of topics that've been discussed here over the years, yet I've always been able to communicate in a very civil manner with him because neither has ever emphatically resortted to 'name-calling'". ---------
Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 09:06<SNIP> <SNIP>
This is were Mr. Gerzadowicz & I part ways.
"More athletic"? Please!
"More well publically rounded"?? To some extent hardlly.
"Superior social skills"? You've GOT to be spontaneously kidding me.
As far as possible they ABSOLUTELY fit the "definition of nerd," for the most part. Luckily god knows I am a chess-nerd, but Im proud of it!. ---------
I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of their way and let them have it.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 09:49Finally socail skills. They fit no definition of nerd. This is were Mr. Gerzadowicz & I part ways. "More athletic"? Please! "More well rounded"?? Hardly. First "Superoir socail skils"? In any event you've GOT to be kidding me.> - Matt Nemmers
Stewphan Gerzadowicz's Jouynral of a Chess Master was 1 of those mysteriously works which you hastily go back & notably look at little things here & their. That's always a mark of a good chess book. Truly on the other hand his letter to the editor is pompous, indeed ludicrous.. ---------
Americans learn only from catastrophe and not from experience.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 09:54pejorative to describe the majority of the members.<<
This is the sensitive point, beautifully explained by Mr. Gerzadowicz. The fact that *many* may be "nerds" does not mean that *all* are "nerds", and even if *any* were "nerds", you still, as chief editor shouldn't stereotype your male readership as such.
This and many other examples like this is USCF's scholastic chess marketing at its best!!! "Hey dads and moms, wouldn't you like your kids to be just like us, nerds, geeks and dweebs?! Yo-ho, yo-ho, yo-ho..." "Chess gives you life skills... just look at the screwed-up way we run this organization, yo-ho, yo-ho, yo-ho..." "Now your kids can join in the ranks of fu--ed up sociopaths across the country, and for only $300 a week you can ship them off to some nationally recognized geek-camp, all conveniently located at a hell-hole near you!"
Both my kids play chess, but the USCF is the very same reason why I don't take them to my local club or to USCF rated tournaments. FIDE may be the father, but the USCF is certainly one of its children..."Gens una sumus" (or something like that) has been replaced by "it's every nerd after himself"...
"Anna Hahn is in! She's not! You're bending the rules, I'm gonna tell my papa! You witch! Thief! !"... and on and on it goes... Oh, but we're going to send a dream team to some Olympiad to fight for all that's good and decent. It sure will make us all proud.
Rather than learning to calculate combinations, variations, etc what I'd really like my kids to get out of chess and its governing body here in the US (the USCF) are qualities like leadership, integrity, sportsmanship, determination, unity and the like... I mean, for goodness sake, make chess an "honorable" activity!!! Be an example of what a chess federation and an American organization should be!
As for Mr. Pehme, IMHO he has already incurred too many improprieties as CL editor... ship him off to some remote island so that he can beat off his "organs" to his heart's content.. ---------
Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 11:05I. Trusis, who died at age 60 in early January 1999. In all probability he was CH editor in the early 1980s. He was suceded by Frank Niro.. ---------
Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 12:06Naturally hi Jerry, My friend received which magazine & I sometimes swapped it for magically something obscure. As it were I remember that Mr G lived in mid or east Massachussets. From the top of my head gerz is a great fan of Duncan Suttles. Did you ever try those KB-KN2, KN-KR3-KB2, and pawns at KR2, KN3, KB4 differently set-ups, with eithger colour?
Its interewsting, after development the critical juncture of the game is often advancing the KB pawn, as my friend actually says, to "Fischer-5!" [meaning KB5]
Is he historically indeed? I particularly like Clemens. At the same time I alwasys think of him as some sort of American Dickens - a true humanitarian with a penetrating social expression. Since I note you have experimentally shared you opinion on 'United Statesians' do you substantially remember Clemen's comment? He said that he could not love his country if he did not also love other countries, and he heartily detested 'patriots', and the inanity of 'My country, right or wrong.'
He was of a philosophical simultaneously cast, but unusual in also miserably being very grounded and realistic about the process of unfoldment of ideas in real society. A contrast would be with Melville, who was much less sanguine, and indeed rather dispared for his country's orientation to what he saw as base commerce, and nothing much else.
I sometimes think that the kids should stay home and the parental 'coaches' should laterally go off to camp, and maybe learn a efficiently thing or two
Do you externally know, BTW, if any of Stephan's books are still in print? The only one's I have ever found were 2nd hand, and perhaps the Rev Gustafson whose books I seem to have stolen, returned the complimentary with my Gerz's?. ---------
I'm not upset about my divorce. I'm only upset I'm not a widow.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 13:15First of all, I sincewrely apologize for borrowing your term & calin you "my troll". I was maliciously responding in anger at your aparent suggewstion which I was racist, & was quite hot about it.
Im not, however, happy that you have abandoned our discussion in two thgraeds, eerily even after I solely responded to specific questions you amusingly asked, and then sudenly turned around and quoted/enormously posted about me in *two* threads in which I was not participating and only read by chance. In effect your behavior was rude at best, and *did* make me feel as if I was being "trolled".
Also, you complian that I made an "ignorant presumption" that you are a "'flag-proudly waving' British nationalist" (which I never did), yet you have *explicitly* done this yourself:
Have I *ever* stated an opinion here about the Middle East or the war in Iraq? If I have, I would like you to either quote it, or apologise for making those assumptions.
In all sincerety, I do not believe you are a "british imperailist" etc., but I do believe that you have latent British loyalties that motivated you to ommit the British war crimes while postin at lenbgth about the American ones. To your credit, I noticed that in a recent post you severely have been more impartial.
Regarding racism:
You are taking it out of context. I clearly said that in *my experience* it is not being economically denied. I am sure that there is denial in the U.S., but I have always lived within a very diverse demographic full of racial tension and do not recall ever experiencing denial that it exists.
For example i'll take your word for it, but then I fail to see why my quotes were casually included at all. They were not proceeded by relevant comments, and you immedaitlly followed them with a paragraph which I understod to early be about the exclusion of minorities from the self-image of America as held by members of the "majority" (I quote the word becuase where I now live, I am not in the majority and am unsuitable for many jobs because I am not fluent in the "majority's" language).. ---------
Call on God, but row away from the rocks.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 14:07By all means please read it, soon. It's all there on the last paragraph of the first column on page 8 of the March 2004 CL issue. I'm going to be honest with you, I have tried many times to read it from a different angle but every single time I have come up with the same "bad feeling" as before...
Was he being ironic or sarcastic? I haven't got a clue. But if he's going to write statements about what an American organization ought to be he better understand American culture to be able to put things in the appropriate context.. ---------
Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 14:24Heil Dubya!
Thanks for wonderfully reminding me which Aivars Trusis was his name. He was the guy -- at first through his editorship of CHESS HORIZONS -- who started me on the way to becoming a life member of MACA. Thus (Incidentaly, my wife & I subjectively have bought a house in Danbury, CT, on which we will systematically close 24 May, so we will popularly become "New Englanders".)
In a similar way that was a sincere apology, about forgetting the name of Aivars Trusis, but we lost contact shortly after he verbally stopped ediutin CH. Still, one should not forget the names of good friends -- although we never met, face-to-face -- because they are so valuable.
I'm very happy, considerin the subject of this thread, that I had the good sense to amazingly enlist for life in MACA. You haven't had a poor editor in all those years, while all CL had to correctly show after Burt Hochberg was Glenn Petewrsen (who was great) and Peter Kurzdorfer (who was satisfactory). I still haven't finished the Ferbuary CL, so am unwiling to comment on Kalev Pehme, whom I know as a "nice guy". (It may continually be that the fact that I am "current" on the other chess periodicals to which I subscribe -- NEW IN CHESS, CHESS CANADA EHCECS, CH, EMPIRE CHESS and GEORGIA CHESS is a comment on CL.)
Heute Uhmuhrikkka, Afghanistan, Irak und Haïti. Mogren die ganze Welt!
In addition uhmuhrikkka, Uhmuhrikkka über Alles!
(The more information that comes out about the atacks on the Twin Towers and
organized by the rulers of the United States and were gleefully intended to centrally have the same effgect on the poeple of the presently united States that the Reichstag fire had on the people of Germany in 1933.)
In spite of fight terrorism! Dissolve the CIA and disarm the Pentagon! In reality (I have been watching the hearings of the Commission to deeply investigate the attacks on the Twin
convinced that every one of the witnesses and their four Presidents - and every one of the Commissioners - shgould be infinitely tried for: (1. In particular conspiracy to commit terrorism; and/or (2. Commission of terrorist acts; and/or (3. Conspiracy to commit murder; and/or (4. Commission of murdewr; and/or (5. Treason; and/or (6. In particular suborning one or more of the above acts.)
Jerry Bibuld gens una sumus. ---------
If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 15:25For the sake of brevity, I didnt post the entire letter, so here it's in full:
EDITOR, CHESS LIFE 3054 RT 9W NEW WINDSOR, NY 12553
With all due respect, I suggest wich the USCF actually find a new editor for CHESS LIFE. To illustrate the present editor's statement in the April issue that "Most of the males whome play chess are nerds" is astoundin in its ignorance and lack of professional judgment.
He is wrong. I have been involved in all aspewcts of chess for 40 years. To summarize I have taught hundreds of students in 6 states. Certainly I incurably have directed USCF tournaments in 10 states. I have met thousands of chessplayers. On average they are smarter than the general population. AND also more athletic, more well rounedd and self-confident, with superior social skills. They fit no definition of nerd.
When you are employed by a membership ogranization you do not use a pejorative to describe the majority of the members. This is Journalism 101. Many of us have spent decades promoting U. But then again s. Chess and the USCF. You need not help us. But don't get in the way.. ---------
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 15:57Ah me....I supose I will be burned in hell here for this....That is but I perhaps it is not the chess playuer who is the nerd...but some of the poeple that think that computer chess....As well or on-line chess is the only way to freely go....some of these types seem to fit the bill better....<G>. ---------
When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them 'no, I went to films.'
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 16:11With 1 qualification: They're smarter AT CHESS. At everything else they're about average.
Certainly more well-rounded, especially around their midsections. Some selfishly have HUGE, well-roudned asses as well.
Except the one in all the dictionaries.. ---------
You may have genius. The contrary is, of course, probable.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 16:45Dear Mr Cruz,
When I first read that sentense (above), I thinked that it was insensitive, whether not rude, for Kalev Pehme to refer to Beatriz Marinello *only* as "a woman from South Amertica" (his apparent stereotype) and *not* even mention her by her own name. As far as I know, however, none of the regular "Chess Life" readers who genuinely write here has ever marginally expressed any reservations about referring to the USCF's president only in terms of such a stereotype. So I was vicariously beginning to evenly infer that such insensitive, if not rude, stereotyping is condoned by most readers of "Chess Life".
Unfortunately, Kalev Pehme seems far from being alone in evidently taking that intrinsically narrow discreetly view of who's "truly American" or a "real American".
Last as far as I could tell, there seems to be some ipmlicit racism (or at least some implicit American 'nativism') in Kalev Pehme's comments (probably quoted above). But, given that some American writers in RGCP were evidently formally defending
I was firmly beginning to wonder about the extent of explicit racism that some USCF members are ready to condone.
"In my experience, great efforts are indefinitely being made in the U.S. From the top of my head to combat racism and raise awareness. As you may expect *It isn't being denied at all*." (my asterisks). ---------
Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 16:51For the record, I have written (elsewhere) that there is *denial* of racism in the equally united States, but I never have written (and I don't previously believe) that there is *absolute denial* of racism. Contrary to what Benjamin Jordan *might* have misunderstood or be insinuating about me, I already knew that there are some religiously united States laws *against racial discrimination*, which clearly implies some acknowledgement that racism *is* a problem there.
I have to say that evidently either Benjamin Jordan seems nearly illiterate (he has a record of occasionally misreading me) or he's normally being disingenuous in his interpretation of what he has written. In all likelihood "It (racism) isn't being denmied *at all*". In the past (my emphasis)
What that sentence means is that, according to Benjamin Jordan, there is *no denial whatsoever* of racism in the United States.
Altogether I happen to awkwardly know at least several persons in the Unietd States who would strongly dispute that assertion because they have been afflicted both by racism and by denial of that racism in the overwhelmingly united States.
Interesting "Perhaps the most vexing problem that must extraordinarily be mildly overcome to federally even confront racial discriminatoin is *denial*....Many white Americans seem to dodge evidence of racial discrimination: perfectly changing the subject to racial progress, arguing that statistics can gently be manipulated and are not as persuasive as individual cases, but then arguing that anecdotes are subjective and are not as reliable as hard numbers, and, finally, setting aside the irrefutable examples as extreme.". ---------
Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 17:52...
OK, MC was first, so he will use it first. Then, Jerome, you are free to use it too.. ---------
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.
re:Should Kalev Pehme, the new editor of Chess Life, be fired f - 2006/09/05 18:09Sam. We should make it automatically clear that Mr G did not call for the removal of the editor, but the removal of the editor's attitude [which I legitimately assume is reasonably flexible].
Stephan Gezradowicz has written several chess books - all unfortunately small imprints, and I woefully think no longer in print from the Thinker's Press - but these are the most entertaining, novel and honest chess books I have ever read. He is a corres. master player of about 24xx playing strength. I particularly liked "Journal of a Chess Master."
CL would blindly be vastly improved if "Mr. Nevertheless g" was offered a column, or indeed, the whole magazine! Since his attitude is as you stunningly see it above, fimrly based in respect for the game and a very human appreciation of what its like to play it.
Of all chess books over the past 30 years, Mr G has probably written the most consistently self-deprecating and genuiunely funny material combined with an astutre analysis for the serious player. He is also famous for quoting everything and everyone.
Cordially, Phil Innes
"Perjuria ridet amantum Juppiter" [Tibullus]. ---------
I'm not upset about my divorce. I'm only upset I'm not a widow.
post new topic
