Letter from the CFC to FIDE and the response

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  • Letter from the CFC to FIDE and the response

    Taken from the FIDE website:


    Letter from Chess Federation of Canada Print
    Friday, 15 September 2017 10:25
    official logo


    Letter from Chess Federation of Canada

    The Chess Federation of Canada protests in the strongest terms the abusive treatment of the Canadian player Anton Kovalyev at the 2017 World Cup at Tbilisi.

    The incident has been widely covered in the international press and does not need repetition here. The issue is not the dress code for players, which is regrettably unclear and inconsistently applied at this, and other FIDE events. This should be corrected in the appropriate forum.

    The issue is the behaviour of chief organizer Zurab Azmaiparashvili in taking it upon himself to insult and threaten our young Canadian player just minutes before his scheduled third round game, resulting in the latter's withdrawal. Mr Azmaiparashvili's behaviour in this case clearly violated the rules and norms of FIDE. The perpetrator must be subject to appropriate discipline to ensure this sort of thing never happens again.

    The CFC will be making a formal complaint to the Ethics Committee of FIDE and will be seeking to have Mr. Azmaiparashvili barred from the playing hall for future events.

    Sincerely
    Hal Bond
    FIDE Zone 2.2 President and Delegate, Canada



    Dear Hal,

    Thank you for your letter of 13 September.

    The incident with GM Anton Kovalyov in Tbilisi makes no one happy. However, we have to be accurate in evaluating the whole situation.

    The rules concerning the appearance of players in top events are very clear in requiring all players to be dressed properly and in a dignified way, emphasizing the need to preserve the image of our sport to sponsors. Even the Code of Ethics, in article 2.2.8, has such a requirement for players.

    A similar example is that the FIDE rules require the players to behave properly during a game. Can anyone imagine an arbiter allowing a player to behave badly during a game because the rules do not state explicitly what behavior is considered acceptable or not? The answer is obvious.

    Concerning GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili, please note that Mr. Azmaiparashvili is head of a team that has brought over 14 million dollars to chess during the last 5 years. You can understand how better positioned our sport would have been, worldwide, if chess had more fundraisers like Mr. Azmaiparashvili on a global scale. You can also understand that under such psychological pressure to secure these funds, especially for the Chess Olympiad next year, it is not strange that an organiser expects the players to have a proper appearance and show respect to sponsors and the public. This does not mean that organisers cannot be held accountable for their actions:

    FIDE has regulations and procedures in all top events allowing players to appeal against any action or decision of any FIDE official.

    I hope the above will help you in evaluating again the whole incident and I am looking forward to our next meeting in Antalya.

    Best regards,

    Georgios Makropoulos
    FIDE Deputy President

  • #2
    Re: Letter from the CFC to FIDE and the response

    I question the seriousness of any reply that has to mention how much money one of the parties has, or has brought to chess. The incident should be "evaluated" apart from any of that.
    Christopher Mallon
    FIDE Arbiter

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Letter from the CFC to FIDE and the response

      Originally posted by Larry Bevand View Post
      Taken from the FIDE website:


      Letter from Chess Federation of Canada Print
      Friday, 15 September 2017 10:25
      official logo


      Letter from Chess Federation of Canada

      The Chess Federation of Canada protests in the strongest terms the abusive treatment of the Canadian player Anton Kovalyev at the 2017 World Cup at Tbilisi.

      The incident has been widely covered in the international press and does not need repetition here. The issue is not the dress code for players, which is regrettably unclear and inconsistently applied at this, and other FIDE events. This should be corrected in the appropriate forum.

      The issue is the behaviour of chief organizer Zurab Azmaiparashvili in taking it upon himself to insult and threaten our young Canadian player just minutes before his scheduled third round game, resulting in the latter's withdrawal. Mr Azmaiparashvili's behaviour in this case clearly violated the rules and norms of FIDE. The perpetrator must be subject to appropriate discipline to ensure this sort of thing never happens again.

      The CFC will be making a formal complaint to the Ethics Committee of FIDE and will be seeking to have Mr. Azmaiparashvili barred from the playing hall for future events.

      Sincerely
      Hal Bond
      FIDE Zone 2.2 President and Delegate, Canada



      Dear Hal,

      Thank you for your letter of 13 September.

      The incident with GM Anton Kovalyov in Tbilisi makes no one happy. However, we have to be accurate in evaluating the whole situation.

      The rules concerning the appearance of players in top events are very clear in requiring all players to be dressed properly and in a dignified way, emphasizing the need to preserve the image of our sport to sponsors. Even the Code of Ethics, in article 2.2.8, has such a requirement for players.

      A similar example is that the FIDE rules require the players to behave properly during a game. Can anyone imagine an arbiter allowing a player to behave badly during a game because the rules do not state explicitly what behavior is considered acceptable or not? The answer is obvious.

      Concerning GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili, please note that Mr. Azmaiparashvili is head of a team that has brought over 14 million dollars to chess during the last 5 years. You can understand how better positioned our sport would have been, worldwide, if chess had more fundraisers like Mr. Azmaiparashvili on a global scale. You can also understand that under such psychological pressure to secure these funds, especially for the Chess Olympiad next year, it is not strange that an organiser expects the players to have a proper appearance and show respect to sponsors and the public. This does not mean that organisers cannot be held accountable for their actions:

      FIDE has regulations and procedures in all top events allowing players to appeal against any action or decision of any FIDE official.

      I hope the above will help you in evaluating again the whole incident and I am looking forward to our next meeting in Antalya.

      Best regards,

      Georgios Makropoulos
      FIDE Deputy President
      Dear Georgios,

      Where is our missing $60,000.00? When will Kirsan Ilyumzhinov honor his debt?

      Best regards,

      Chess in Canada

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Letter from the CFC to FIDE and the response

        Originally posted by Christopher Mallon View Post
        I question the seriousness of any reply that has to mention how much money one of the parties has, or has brought to chess. The incident should be "evaluated" apart from any of that.
        When you really think about it.... the way FIDE is handling the CFC protest re: Kovalyev is exactly the same as the way the CFC handled the appeal of Noritsyn against the arbiter's decision in the Sambuev game.

        In the latter case, Drkulec mentioned the burning of capital with FIDE over the matter. The CFC didn't want to offend FIDE because FIDE brings a semblance of respect to the CFC (in addition to actual monies it may bring in).

        In the former case, FIDE is almost saying the same thing. FIDE doesn't want to offend this organizer Zurab because of the monies he brings or has brought to international chess.

        Tit for tat. Karma makes its wonderful appearance once again, as always, helped by the fact that money rules the world.
        Only the rushing is heard...
        Onward flies the bird.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Letter from the CFC to FIDE and the response

          Originally posted by Christopher Mallon View Post
          I question the seriousness of any reply that has to mention how much money one of the parties has, or has brought to chess. The incident should be "evaluated" apart from any of that.
          I agree with your second sentence, but I reach a very different conclusion from the fact you mention in your first sentence.

          IMO, the fact that their defense refers only to how much money ZA has brought to FIDE shows that they are taking this incident very seriously.

          G.M. is not, as we might have hoped, treating this as an issue where justice and fair play trumps money. But it is clear that they think there is only one thing they can appeal to to exonerate ZA: not his judiciousness, not his sportmanship, not his commitment to FIDE's chess ideals, not his ability to run an unbiased and fair tournament...

          ... they have identified and are already grasping at his only straw.

          Unfortunately -- for Anton, the CFC and the chess world -- it is a gold-plated straw.

          Luckily, for everyone, even a gold-plated straw can break.


          Bets, anyone?

          Comment

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