How dedicateds ruined the USCF

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Reinfeld
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How dedicateds ruined the USCF

Post by Reinfeld »

Amusing - from the transcript of a 2010 interview with IM John Donaldson, full version posted here:

https://saintlouischessclub.org/content ... aldson-wtc
I was on the USCF executive board from 1990 to '93. And at that time the federation was actually in a very good financial situation. But two things changed there. One was that their book and equipment sales, which were bringing in a couple million dollars a year, became compromised. It was partly because of the Internet. It was also ... because they were selling a lot of dedicated chess computers at a time when there wasn’t software that could play strong. And so they could sell those machines for like $500 to $1,000, and there was a big markup. So it was free money more or less. So the federation did pretty well. It might not have been as lean and mean as it could have been, but there was enough fat around it that it was quite okay. And then I think the situation got that they didn’t really see what was happening with the Internet.


- R.
"You have, let us say, a promising politician, a rising artist that you wish to destroy. Dagger or bomb are archaic and unreliable - but teach him, inoculate him with chess."
– H.G. Wells
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Steve B
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Re: How dedicateds ruined the USCF

Post by Steve B »

Reinfeld wrote:Amusing - from the transcript of a 2010 interview with IM John Donaldson, full version posted here:

https://saintlouischessclub.org/content ... aldson-wtc
I was on the USCF executive board from 1990 to '93. And at that time the federation was actually in a very good financial situation. But two things changed there. One was that their book and equipment sales, which were bringing in a couple million dollars a year, became compromised. It was partly because of the Internet. It was also ... because they were selling a lot of dedicated chess computers at a time when there wasn’t software that could play strong. And so they could sell those machines for like $500 to $1,000, and there was a big markup. So it was free money more or less. So the federation did pretty well. It might not have been as lean and mean as it could have been, but there was enough fat around it that it was quite okay. And then I think the situation got that they didn’t really see what was happening with the Internet.


- R.
R-
actually the title of your thread should read
"How PC Engines Ruined The USCF"
:P
once PC software overtook the dedicated units in strength the USCF no longer had the high markup of the dedicateds to fill their koffers
this months USCF magazine also discusses this in their "75th anniversary of the USCF "issue
its an interesting read
sadly if you look at the catalog in this months issue you will see
not even ONE dedicated chess computer for sale

Dead And Buried Regards
Steve
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Ted Summers
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Re: How dedicateds ruined the USCF

Post by Ted Summers »

Steve B wrote:
Reinfeld wrote:Amusing - from the transcript of a 2010 interview with IM John Donaldson, full version posted here:

https://saintlouischessclub.org/content ... aldson-wtc
I was on the USCF executive board from 1990 to '93. And at that time the federation was actually in a very good financial situation. But two things changed there. One was that their book and equipment sales, which were bringing in a couple million dollars a year, became compromised. It was partly because of the Internet. It was also ... because they were selling a lot of dedicated chess computers at a time when there wasn’t software that could play strong. And so they could sell those machines for like $500 to $1,000, and there was a big markup. So it was free money more or less. So the federation did pretty well. It might not have been as lean and mean as it could have been, but there was enough fat around it that it was quite okay. And then I think the situation got that they didn’t really see what was happening with the Internet.


- R.
R-
actually the title of your thread should read
"How PC Engines Ruined The USCF"
:P
once PC software overtook the dedicated units in strength the USCF no longer had the high markup of the dedicateds to fill their koffers
this months USCF magazine also discusses this in their "75th anniversary of the USCF "issue
its an interesting read
sadly if you look at the catalog in this months issue you will see
not even ONE dedicated chess computer for sale

Dead And Buried Regards
Steve
So true Steve!
"Good decisions come from experience, and experience come from bad decisions."
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Steve B
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Re: How dedicateds ruined the USCF

Post by Steve B »

Ted Summers wrote:
Steve B wrote:
Reinfeld wrote:Amusing - from the transcript of a 2010 interview with IM John Donaldson, full version posted here:

https://saintlouischessclub.org/content ... aldson-wtc
I was on the USCF executive board from 1990 to '93. And at that time the federation was actually in a very good financial situation. But two things changed there. One was that their book and equipment sales, which were bringing in a couple million dollars a year, became compromised. It was partly because of the Internet. It was also ... because they were selling a lot of dedicated chess computers at a time when there wasn’t software that could play strong. And so they could sell those machines for like $500 to $1,000, and there was a big markup. So it was free money more or less. So the federation did pretty well. It might not have been as lean and mean as it could have been, but there was enough fat around it that it was quite okay. And then I think the situation got that they didn’t really see what was happening with the Internet.


- R.
R-
actually the title of your thread should read
"How PC Engines Ruined The USCF"
:P
once PC software overtook the dedicated units in strength the USCF no longer had the high markup of the dedicateds to fill their koffers
this months USCF magazine also discusses this in their "75th anniversary of the USCF "issue
its an interesting read
sadly if you look at the catalog in this months issue you will see
not even ONE dedicated chess computer for sale

Dead And Buried Regards
Steve
So true Steve!
Hi Ted
nice to see you
long time no post!

Best Regards
Steve
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Cyberchess
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Post by Cyberchess »

Does anyone remember when the U.S.C.F. published the Chess Life magazine with something like only 5 pages of content and an apology stating that they were experiencing financial difficulties?

The great recession regards,
John
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