Unprofessional response by the USCF

Hanon:

As one who maintains a popular Internet website, I am surprised that you would suggest that the only viable method for maintaining a close connection with USCF members would be through a print magazine. The proposal suggested by Bill Goichberg would provide all the Chess Life content to all members - it would only vary the way they received it. As one who has printed lots of content from online Chess websites (including your own), I fail to see how this would lead to the negative consequences you claim.

As for your odd decision to mix a business issue with a USCF governance issue - needless to say, the USCF did not enter into an exclusive marketing agreement with you when you took over the books and equipment business. We accept advertising from lots of books and equipment vendors in Chess Life and elsewhere. That has been the case before and during the entirety of your contract.

Your wish to only view our relationship as a partnership is specious, given your past willingness to withhold funds that were rightly owed to the USCF to renegotiate a contact you freely entered. As for your legal threats, all I can say is so be it. It would make a great story in court. Maybe you can get the contract history excluded, but juries eat that stuff up. I would also love to tell the story in court about your ..... (I removed this because I feel that the text is quite unprofessional and completely inappropriate).

Sometimes it is not better to start airing your laundry in public.

Randy Bauer