chess and the Haiti relief effort

All Things Chess
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I am spurred to write today because the the tragic earthquake in Haiti, so I could pass along some information that you might wish to disseminate further to people you know, or to help directly.

For the last several years, a group of students in Haiti have been using Chess Magnet School, and I was able to read of their school’s survival and role in the relief efforts. My partners and I have made a donation through their school, Quisqueya Christian School. I believe that these are very good and reliable people, and are a good conduit for support, as a more direct alternative to the many excellent relief organizations (such as OxFam and Red Cross) that also need and deserve support. Here is their main web page, followed by blogs with personal stories by affiliated folks actually there in Port au Prince, doing their best to help everyone they can:

quisqueya.org/

bleshblog.wordpress.com/

benandkatieinhaiti.com/

tmdekoter.blogspot.com/

My wife is a seismologist, and the tragedy touches us deeply. It’s amazing that the internet provides means to see reports even from such a poor and devastated city without power and water, as you will see from some of the blogs.

Please, whether through the above, or in any other way, find some way of contributing to the relief efforts in Haiti if you can.

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A week back to this date Haiti was rocked by a magnitude 7 earthquake and though we continue to chat, go on with our daily lives and even continue playing at tournament, directing them or organizing there’s a country that can think less of a board and s et of pieces now. So it left me thinking Haiti as a member of FIDE (http://www.fide.com/component/fidedirectory/?task=country&fid=61) has a team and program ironically Dr. Daaim Shabazz wrote an article on CLO http://main.uschess.org/content/view/10052/571/ and as with him left me wondering did the team members make it out unscathed, are the president and other officers each okay?
Hal Bogner wrote a moving piece on the open-area of the forum viewtopic.php?f=23&t=12433 and it’s wild to think that while we chat over scholastics, governance, rules and other issues there’s one country who could care less about chess right now then more so about food, medicine and secure shelter. Credit FM Mike Klein for using a simul to raise $379.00 http://main.uschess.org/content/view/10046/571/ for relief efforts, something is better than nothing. When you read reports that have as many (and the number rising) as 200,000 feared dead and 1.5 million homeless with countless missing and now presumed dead it blows one’s mind. When you read some of the blogs found on Hal Bogner’s thread you’re left in awe over what some of these individuals are experiencing and doing to pass another day. Their pictures move one to disbelief, certainly contribute to some reputable charity (I have)
But if our organization cared so much, if our Delegates were wise for once as too out EB they’d ask each state chapter one tournament to raise funds for Haiti. The national can do it itself, not only would we be helping Haiti (and boy do they need help) but it would send an international message that the USCF cares of its FIDE neighbors and would be a first among all FIDE members and could start a wave of other FIDE countries. Where are the delegates, or the EB or at minimum the International Affairs Committee to think such an idea up? It’s there, now challenge yourselves to propel USCF into distinguished honors among the international arena!

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I think it’s a great idea. Even though USCF isn’t in a financial position to send cash, we could rate the games for free as an in-kind donation and suggest all EFs be donated.

Why limit it to one per state, even? Some of the best and most active and compassionate fundraisers for disaster victims are young people, kids and teens. We should reach out to our scholastic organizations, who can put on events much quicker with local notification (and media publicity) and get kids involved. We might be surprised what they can do.

My prayers for the victims and survivors.

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That’s an excellent idea! It will not hurt (and I realize the financial state of the USCF) to rate the tournament(s) for free on this rare issue. especially when it’s a win win for both Haiti as well as public relations for the USCF. :wink:

Hey I just started the fire, if great ideas such as those fuel it I welcome it. But the above should be done!

:neutral_face: Absolutely, here, here!

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No objections to the concept - a most humanitarian idea.

Without trying to be a screen door on your submarine, here are a few concerns:

A) How do you ensure that any EFs collected actually do reach the area? The concerns here are: Crooked organizers and crooked “relief agencies.” Also a concern: crooked players (for example, sandbaggers with a conscience - as ironic as that sounds.)

B) The massive death toll in Haiti goes far beyond the mechanics of plate tectonics. While I do feel - DEEPLY - for the people of Haiti, one problem is an allegedly crooked government that does not ensure buildings that are constructed can stand up to earthquakes consonant with the tectonic engineering risks involved. This is not rocket science or brain surgery - it is almost elementary level politics and engineering skills.

C) How many “drops in the bucket” can the USCF can raise in this endeavor. Every drop can help, if used responsibly.

So, if I’m going to offer criticism to an excellent idea, I’d better suggest an alternative. Here’s what I would do:

A) Have a donations jar for the American Red Cross, or other similar agencies with proven track records at delivering international disaster relief. (One that I am familiar with, for example, is Lutheran Disaster Relief – but that it a quasi-religious entity. Another would be Doctors Without Borders.)

B) Have literature available for players to pick up indicating what they can do to help those people.

C) If I were to run a charitable tournament, I would suggest a very low EF consonant with covering rating fees and all funds beyond that to be donated to one of those organizations. In fact, I’d be willing (if I can schedule it) to run and/or assist in such a tournament. Additional donations gladly accepted for the people of Haiti.

BTW, the needs that countries face in disasters like this continue long after the national and world media shifts their focus to other things. Relief organizations often face cash crunches long after the average person has forgotten all about such disasters. Not to mention that focus on one area’s disaster can drain funds for the next disaster that these groups have to face.

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I have a friend ( Luke Harrington) a missionary to the Haitian community in Miami. He is a native of Haiti, as is his wife. If anyone would like his address they can PM me. He will to directing funds to Haiti, and families of his church members still living in Haiti. Many have not been able to reach their loved ones as of yet. I and the Church are sending funds, and I may ( Health permitting) be going down to Haiti with Luke later this month, or early next month. Just a thought.

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I see charity golf tournaments quite often. This is because rich people who have significant money to donate to charities play golf, and they like to mix socializing with similar folks, and rubbing elbows with professional golfers, with their charitable giving.

I also see a few other kinds of charity sports and quasi-sports events, especially “Pro-Am” style events. Runs and walks are popular because the participants can get their friends to sponsor them at so much per mile to the charity.

Charity chess tournaments don’t seem to be much of a tradition at all. Why is that? Probably it is because chessplayers don’t seem like they are worth the effort. We have a reputation for being cheap. Adult chessplayers want to play for prize money. Will a chessplayer pay the same entry fee for a charity event where the entry fee goes to the charity instead of to prizes? An organizer is entitled to doubt it. It might be possible if you could get a significant number of masters and grandmasters to participate and play against, or be teamed with, the lower-rated players, with the entry fees going to the charity instead of to prizes. Will masters and grandmasters play for charity the way professionals in other sports do in Pro-Am events? Would anybody be surprised if the answer was No?

If someone wants to help a charity by organizing an event, it seems there are more fruitful ways to expend the effort than targeting chess players. It would be nice to think that this time with Haiti, it might be different. But it is hard to think of a reason why it would be.

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If the perceived problem is with how the public may view adult chess players, then what about a kids charity event? Every year you see Girl Scout cookies for sale, and sale of chocolate [at work, in school, & even door to door] to raise money. Although there are sometimes adults involved with this work/fund raising it is almost always perceived as a youth effort to raise money.

So how about the idea of a bunch of kids getting together [probably with adult help] and running a fund raising chess event to help out with Haiti? Think about the idea of say some kids setting up in a mall and playing all challengers for say $5 a pop, with ALL of the money going to an established relief organization? A win-win-win-win situation if you ask me. The Mall looks good for allowing the event, the kids look good and do good in raising the money, Chess looks good, and of course all the players [adults and/or children] can feel that they have done at least a little something towards helping those in trouble in Haiti. I would suggest that the chess community here pass the idea on to those with good connections in scholastic chess. Who knows maybe something could be done this weekend. It would be even better if a number of such events were held on the same day; a sort of scholastic chess for Haiti day.

Larry S. Cohen

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Maybe there’s a way to help here. I wish you inspiration and wisdom in finding it.

Harry I sincerely wish you good luck if you plan to visit Haiti to help there. From what I am reading in the press (not just US press), the whole area around Port-au-Prince is a security zone, with even the UN being mostly a military presence. The USA controls the airport in Port-au-Prince and has turned away an aid plane from France. Whenever the representatives from any country go out into the city they are heavily armed.

Maybe you can land in Dominican Republic and drive across. I think some supplies may be getting in that way.

The foreign people now being sent in to help (military and police) are young and healthy, able to withstand hardship and probably limited food and water, extreme heat and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. If I were in charge of the rescue effort, I would refuse entry to old people who might just add to the burden on very limited health-care resources. If someone wasn’t healthy enough to be, say, a firefighter, I wouldn’t want them working there in Haiti.

I don’t see the use of money at this time either, since major governments are doing this work with government funding. The lack of food, water and medical supplies is due to logistics or policy, not money. The whole world’s attention is focused on Haiti now. Money is not lacking at this time.

EmpireCityRay says “well the money may be needed later.” Perhaps that’s true; I don’t know how things will play out there and what opportunities there will be to help. But it does mean that the money must be held for a time. Will one hold onto it until the money is needed? Would the contributors trust that strategy, or would they suspect one of putting the money in one’s pocket? Pointed questions could be asked, and the last thing we need now is a financial scandal!! So if events are held as fundraisers, I recommend that the funds be turned over immediately to a recognized charity.

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I agree with much of what you say. Luke (my friend) has many friends and family in Haiti. My daughter’s husband and her are missionaries in the Dominican Republic. They are working on the details now. I would not recommend just anyone travel there at this time. It is not safe, and we may not be able to go either. Just hoping!!

The idea of finance, you need to understand that for the most part, the entire country was destroyed. It will take an unbelievable amount of money to just stabilize the country. It will take much much more to rebuild.

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