Elections, elections… Candidates… (surreal fairy tale)

Elections of the new composition of the Draughts Federation of Latvia will be held soon. We have been thinking for a long time that we need to choose a worthy and strong one. But now we realized how much we were wrong. After all, at such a speed, a new person would not be able to destroy the entire sports facility and justify our hopes. Therefore, we are completely for… the old line-up! After all, these are truly unique mentors and intellectuals in the world of draughts.

A little information for the uninitiated in world draughts. Over the past two year, with the great tenacity of the leaders of some proud federations drastic changes have taken place. And all this fits into the common links of the same chain:

1. There has been a split in Poland within the federation. This was facilitated by a quiet scandal, which ended with an apology from one chairman.
2. In Lithuania one of the millionaires of the federation withdrew from sponsorship, besides, the premises of the draughts club in Vilnius were lost. The IDF tournaments are being ignored.
3. The Domatprieks professional draughts club has finished its activity in Latvia. In addition with Robert’s departure draughts in Latvia lost their financial investments in the development of sports. The IDF tournaments are being ignored.
4. At the international level draughts lost the main sponsor and beneficiary of the draughts organization. There is a question of finding money for the world championship match. The split is exacerbated by internal problems and conflicts.
5. In many federations “ferment and vacillation” began.

Therefore, we are entirely in favor of the old leadership. Let this path to nowhere continue and then we will see a fairy tale.

The plot of a surreal fairy tale: 

Two acrobatic brothers are rushing around Latgale with empty buckets. They are trying to find the remaining ‘living’ draughts players there and shouting slogans in understandable language: ‘International draughts in life! The party is with us!’ They are trying to persuade everyone to accept the morality of peasantry international draughts. Periodically two acrobatic brothers shout out a word of three large letters. And many have already figured out which one, and begin to bring paints, canvases to capture the picture of the advent of international draughts in Latgale. In Malta they begin to throw out boards for Russian draughts and urgently print thousands of copies of I. Kuperman’s books in Chinese. The translation is provided and sponsored by two unique draughts communities from Malta and Rezekne.

Three members of the leadership begin to flee to the other side of the country. One of them sings something (something similar to choral singing). The second using psychological methods of motivation without psychological education (they say it is not necessary to lecture draughts players), but with great weight in society, convince everyone living from Jelgava towards the sea to switch to Portuguese draughts and checkers. Mixing psychology with trading, they are trying to develop international draughts in places where not even everyone has heard of them. But using the method of a stick and a small carrot, draughtsmen who played Russian draughts are invited to Bauska for seminars on international draughts. Bauska becomes the center of international draughts and an airport is being built there to hold the first grandmaster universal arrival tournament.

This process is coordinated by an international judge and a charismatic leader of the draughts movement, the only one who develops draughts for a salary. He is often seen in Latgale, then in Vidzeme, then in Zemgale, or even in Kurzeme. Some draughts boards at the sight of this organizer begin to flow with myrrh. He is appointed ambassador. The ambassador of good deeds in the draughts industry.

At the end of the plot all these people stand on the shore of Lielupe and look at the silhouette of the leader, who begins to flow with myrrh and walk on the water of the sacred river, so similar to a draughts field. The words “expert”, “specialist”, “thank you for being here”, “thank you and bestow prayers on you” merge into a single hymn to draughts. Sailing away on a boat to a bright future, the silhouette of a leader with a magnificent Orthodox name turns into a tangible image of prosperity and universal draughts joy.

All periodicals talk about the accomplished Second Coming of the Single deity of draughts in Latvia.

And we urge you to vote for Mr. Leader. Because… Because… As Ostap Bender would say: ‘Abroad will help us!’, ‘All for Circulation!’……

But seriously.

P.S. No matter how the elections end, we will accept them with a smile. For the processes that will change the draughts community take place far from this center of draughts events.

P.S. We remember everyone who made illegal decisions against our children. Who voted for these decisions. And time will pass… We will talk again about what is happening. And play our game.