Chess politics - IQ Tests to be required to run for the USCF Board?

Author

IQ Tests to be required to run for the USCF Board?

Sam Sloan

2006-02-28, 7:31 pm

I have long maintained that anybody who runs for the USCF Board should
be required to take an IQ Test and anybody who cannot score at least
70 on the test should be disqualified from running.

This, I realize will disqualify so many people that few who are or
have been on the board would be or have been able to make the grade.

Still, I am revamping my old proposal.I feel that the events of this
past weekend provide good examples of the problems that could have
been avoided had we required that every board member have an IQ of at
least 70.

One example comes from Tim Redman's proposal that every issue of Chess
Life have one entite page devoted to college chess.

There is a USCF rule that before proposals like this are passed upon
by the board, they should be referred to the appropriate committees,
in this case the Publications Committee.

Even a moron should have realized that there is only one person
promoting college chess in this country. That is Tim Redman.

Plus, those with good memories will remember that while Redman was
president for only one year from August 2000 to August 2001, he
REQUIRED the editor of Chess Life to include in every issue of Chess
Life at least one article praising Tim Redman's program at the
University of Texas at Dallas.

Also, those with good memories will remember that while Redman was
president, Chess Life hit rock bottom and was the worst ever, thereby
breaking the record for BAD Chess Life set while Redman was previously
president in 1981-1984. Redman, in one of his first acts as preident,
in 2000 had Glenn Petersen FIRED (Donald Trump style) as editor of
Chess Life and replaced with a Redman lackey.

So, the members of the current board, had they had IQs over the
required 70, would have known that Redman's proposal would be highly
objectionable to the membership and to the Chess Life editorial staff.

(From this I am exempting Joel Channing. Channing was not around when
Redman was president, so he does not know this history. Channing also
does have an IQ over 70.)

I will give another example from history. Some years ago, Arnold
Denker made a motion that the age limit for the US Senior Championship
be raised to 70.

This motion was passed immediately unanimously, without much
discussion.

A few months later, it was discovered that no sponsor could be found
who was willing to hold the US Senior Championship.

Then, somebody realized that the only chess player in the US over age
70 with a master rating was Arnold Denker.

Therefore, the 70 age requirement was quietly rescinded.

This is often excited as an example of why proposals should not be
passed upon without vetting by the approproate committee.

The fact that the board several times forgot to do this this past
weekend (I am not even getting to the Polgar Chess Jackets deal) shows
why an IQ of 70 should be a requirement to serve on the board.

Sam Sloan

Say No To g4

2006-02-28, 11:31 pm

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sam Sloan" <sloan@ishipress.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess.politics,rec.games.chess.misc,alt.chess
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 10:13 AM
Subject: IQ Tests to be required to run for the USCF Board?

quote:

>I have long maintained that anybody who runs for the USCF Board should
> be required to take an IQ Test and anybody who cannot score at least
> 70 on the test should be disqualified from running.
>
> This, I realize will disqualify so many people that few who are or
> have been on the board would be or have been able to make the grade.
>

None of the prior or current board member have IQ's less than 70.
As usual Scammie is full of shit.

quote:

> The fact that the board several times forgot to do this this past
> weekend (I am not even getting to the Polgar Chess Jackets deal) shows
> why an IQ of 70 should be a requirement to serve on the board.

I'm more concerned with barring former felons, deadbeat dads, and vagrants
from running for the board.