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Nigel, there is ni ruling of any kind. This is the visa regime of Norway, chess player or anyone else. The issue is not hospitality, but some teams are so poor that they cant make it over to the embassy to give fingertips. They would have same or worse problem entering Canada, US or any other western country.FIDE appears so disorganized that this wasnt recognized as a problem 3 years ago? And no funding? Now they'making an appeal to government to change visa rules? HA
Member countries share Embassy duties, which is an unclear way of saying that the Visa requirements can be met by going to the Embassy of a Schengen member country. However, there are still an "unknown" number of African countries that don't benefit from such an arrangement. This, from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
They've also added a €100 charge for Transportation that the organisers did not include in their initial bid, due to there being "more teams than expected".
You'd think the organizers would show show decency towards, say, the Syrian team, whose country is being ripped apart by civil war and US/Saudi/Quatari bankrolled jihadists looking to re-start a new Caliphate and where travel may mean death. But then Norway is part of NATO, isn't it?
Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Monday, 14th July, 2014, 12:06 PM.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
They've also added a €100 charge for Transportation that the organisers did not include in their initial bid, due to there being "more teams than expected".
That's probably nothing compared to the FIDE Cup->Oympiad requirement LOL
Yeah, chess in the world isn't much better than chess in Canada. It reflects the usual politics and money issues, and the well-to-do lord it over the not-so-well-to-do.
But, sometimes, justice prevails.
Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Monday, 14th July, 2014, 01:37 PM.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
Information and Instructions for the Tromso Olympiad Match Arbiters
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to inform you about the conditions you will find in Tromso Olympiad. According to the Organizers’ decision you will be accommodated in the Malangen Brygger Hotel, which is 70 km far from Tromso. Buses will be used for your transportation to and from the Playing Hall and it will take 1 plus 1 hours to go and return.
The Arbiters’ Meeting has been scheduled on August 1st, in the playing hall and your transportation from the Hotel and back has been scheduled.
The Opening Ceremony will be on August 1st.
The first round of the Olympiad will start at 15:00, on August 2nd and you have to be in the playing hall 2 hours before the start of the round. Rounds 2 to 11 start at 14:00 and you have to be in the playing hall 1 hour before the start of the round.
The Organizers have arranged only breakfast in your hotel. Lunch and Dinner have been arranged for Match Arbiters in Hotels in the center of Tromso (Radisson Hotel). So probably you need to leave your hotel quite early (i.e. 10.30 am), to have lunch in the center of Tromso (i.e. at 12.00) and go to the playing hall (10 min. walk from Radisson Hotel) at 13:00). Then, after the end of the round, you will have dinner in the Radisson Hotel and take the bus to go back to your hotel (according to the Organizers’ schedule the buses will leave from Tromso to the hotel at 20.30 and at 23.00).
As you understand the schedule will be tight enough and you must be prepared for this. For those who would like to attend the FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar that was scheduled from 3 to 10 August, parallel to the Olympiad, programmed at 9.30 to 12.30 every day except August 7th, please register your participation so that transportation can be arranged from the Hotel to the Seminar Hall that will be opposite to the playing hall.
The FIDE Congress will start on August 5th.
Arbiters’ Commission Meeting will be on August 7th, 9.00-13.00.
The FIDE General Assembly will start on August 11th (Round 9th of Olympiad).
Free days of the Olympiad will be on August 7th and 13th.
Closing Ceremony will be on August 14th, after the end of the last round (11th).
Departure day will be August 15th.
Please have in mind that there is no night in Tromso during the whole period of the Olympiad. There is daylight during the whole day.
According to the Organizers decision, tables for the Match Arbiters are not provided in the playing hall. The Match Arbiters will have just a chair each to sit and will be provided with dossiers to put their papers (score sheets, etc.) inside. Coffee, water and tea will be available to the Match Arbiters in the playing hall for free.
As you know, the Match Arbiters play a very significant role in every Olympiad and their contribution to the success of the event is very high. Therefore, at the moment you have accepted your nomination as Match Arbiters of the Olympiad and you will arrive in Tromso, you are kindly requested to exercise your duties and act in the best way so that the event will be as successful as possible.
Your presence in the Arbiters’ Meeting, where the duties of the Match Arbiters as well as recommendations and instructions will be discussed, is necessary.
I will be very glad to meet you all in Tromso and cooperate with you in this very important event.
With best regards
Takis Nikolopoulos
Chief Arbiter
41st World Chess Olympiad
In order to do all these, the Arbiters shall have the necessary competence, sound judgment and absolute objectivity (Preface of the Laws of Chess).
Particularly in an Olympiad, where every Arbiter will have only one match (i.e. just four (4) games) to control, we can consider the following general instructions as important for the Match Arbiters:
1. To show proper behavior to the players, captains and spectators and to be respectful and dignified. They shall avoid any dispute during the games and take care of the good image of the tournament.
2. To observe all four games of their match during every round of the competition. They have to take care of the match that they are responsible, to observe and to check the games’ progress (especially when there is time trouble). It is not acceptable for the Arbiters to leave the playing area every 10 or 15 minutes for smoking or for any discussions with other Arbiters, spectators, officials, or other persons, or to leave their match unattended in order to go and watch other games in another part of the playing hall. It is not acceptable for the Arbiters to stay seated in their chairs reading newspapers or books (even chess books!), leaving their games without observation. It is also not acceptable for the Arbiters to speak on their mobiles in the playing hall during the games. The Law of Chess regarding the mobile phones is valid not only for the players, captains and spectators, but for the Arbiters as well. It is sure that the biggest problems during the games are caused because of the absence or the lack of attention of the Arbiters and thus the ignorance of what actually happened in case of an incident. How an absent Arbiter will take a fair decision in a dispute between two players caused because of a touched piece (i.e. the opponents do not agree that the player said “j’adoube” in advance)? Without knowing what actually happened, the Arbiter has 50% possibilities to take a correct decision and 50% to take a wrong one, losing by this way his credibility and the trust of the players.
Of course the Arbiters are human beings and they may make mistakes, but they have to try as much as they can to avoid such problems.
.......
General duties of the Tromso Olympiad Match Arbiters
The following general duties referred to the Tromso Olympiad Match Arbiters:
A. Before the start of the match
a. The Match Arbiters should arrive at the playing hall at least one (1) hour before the start of every round. For the first round of the tournament they have to arrive at least two (2) hours before the start of the round. As the accommodation of the Match Arbiters will be (according to the Organizers) in a Hotel 70 km far from Tromso and it will take one (1) hour to reach the playing hall by the buses provided by the Organizers, the Match Arbiters have to be very careful not to miss the buses.
b. The whole playing venue (playing hall, toilets, smoking area, analysis room, bar) and the technical conditions (light, ventilation, air-condition, enough space for the players, etc.) has to be checked carefully before arrival of players or spectators.
c. Receive from the Sector Arbiters the results sheet, the Match Protocols sheet and score sheets for the match. Put the Match protocol sheet on the announcement board of the match.
d. Check of the equipment (chessboards, pieces, score sheets, pens). e. Arrange the tables, chairs, ropes for the playing area, nameplates for the players and flags of federations, if needed.
Check the electronic clocks, the correct setting of the time control, check batteries and the correct placement of the clocks. The time control of the Olympiad is: 90 minutes for 40 moves and then 30 minutes for the end of the game, with additional time 30 seconds per move, starting from move 1, for each player. The move counter of the clock will not be used.
.......
g. According to the Organizers the players will not have any table but only a chair. They have to seat not very close to the tables of the players, in order to avoid disturbing them. The Captains’ chairs will be in the right and left of the Arbiter, in the same side and in a distance from their teams.
h. Everything must be ready before the arrival of the players.
i. Check if the players have been seated according to the match protocol.
j. Check if all players of both teams are present. Since the Zero Tolerance Rule will be in effect, immediately inform the Sector Arbiter if any player is not present. It should be done every effort to avoid any forfeit of any player.
B. During the match
a. Immediately after the start of the round check if the clocks are working properly. Be ready to change a clock that does not work properly.
b. Check the electronic clocks regularly by using the time control sheets (every thirty minutes) and of the score sheets and the number of moves written by the players.
c. Check the players discretely, if they are leaving the playing area for an unusual number of times, for their contact with other players, spectators and other persons. The players are not allowed to leave the playing venue without informing the Arbiter. Inform the Sector Arbiter accordingly.
d. Observe and control all four (4) games of the match, especially when there is time trouble, with the help of an assistant, if needed. Inform the Sector Arbiter accordingly.
e. Carefully check claims by the players (in the provided area), together with the Sector Arbiter, if needed, before taking any decision. While checking claims, inform the neighbor Arbiters so that they will attend your games until your return.
f. As in the regulations exist a draw restriction rule for 30 moves (No draw offer between the players is allowed before both players have completed 30 moves), when receiving score sheets with a result as a draw, check immediately the number of moves written in both score sheets and if they are less than 30 ask players about the way of the draw the game was decided.
......
k. When going to the toilette, to the smoking area or to the bar, don’t leave the games unattended. Ask the neighbor Arbiters to attend your games until your return. Do the same in case you will be asked.
l. Inform the Captains, always with a polite manner, that they have to stand in the back of their players, in order to avoid any eye contact between the players and their Captains. The same shall be for the players who continue or have just finished their games.
m. When a player wants to speak with his Captain the Match Arbiter must be always present and listen to the conversation.
C. After the end of the match
a. Carefully check the results of all the games, by counterchecking of the score sheets and the results sheet. b. Invite the Captains to sign the results sheet (match protocol) before they leave the playing hall. In case the captain is not present, ask the player who finished last his game to sign. c. Write all results in the Match protocol on the announcement board of the match, arrange all chessboards and the other equipment (pieces, score sheets, pens, clocks), to be ready for the next round. d. Forward the result sheet and all score sheets of the games to the Sector Arbiter. You may need to help in other matches. You will leave the playing venue only after his permission.
......
The successful arbitration during the games plays a very important role in the success of the event.
I hope to see you all in Tromso
Takis Nikolopoulos Chief Arbiter 41st World Chess Olympiad
The number and duties of the arbiters at the Olympiad are interesting (especially in light of the July 1, 2014 revision of The Laws of Chess). I have posted twice before in this thread on the duties.
As for the numbers, the last release on this that I have seen is:
And the Match Arbiters are given a single chair, no table, not really allowed to read or use their cell phones and have to have another arbiter watch their charges if they go to the toilet.
Instead of having cushy accommodations near the site, they are a kilometer away by bus and have to be at the site an hour before the start of proceedings. Seems like hard work to me!
Last edited by Wayne Komer; Wednesday, 16th July, 2014, 12:36 AM.
It's not just some of the African teams that are having difficulties. The Russian Women's team look like they "missed the deadline" and won't be playing. Astonishing.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
He says that the organizers of Tromso are very disappointing. They are creating a lot of problems for Fide and the whole world of chess. Unfortunately, the organizing committee is influenced by people who are working for Garry Kasparov. They are using it for their election purposes. They are denying visas from our people, they are denying invitations from federations and they are not respecting fide president decisions. Fide has to consider very strict and strong measures against them.
We are still considering what to do.
We are disappointed with the way they are handling the preparations.
They refused several federations which are late in registering in spite of the president accepting them, according to Olympiad Regulations, Article 6.1; they ignored his letters. Fide is now considering very strong legal methods.
I would even have considered cancelling the Olympiad if necessary, because their behavior is unacceptable.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
Re: 2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad in danger of being cancelled??
It's hard not to think that all this storm in a chess teacup here on ChessTalk, the CFC AGM matters, and even the FIDE Presidential election are all part of a larger campaign afoot. I started a thread a little way back in which I wondered aloud whether all chess players were antediluvian cold-warriors. It was a little tongue-in-cheek at the time. Certainly, such views "pollute" (Felix's term to describe my posts) ChessTalk and chess in general. These sorts of politicization of chess, for narrow political gain, or making war (literally!), hold back the sport. But there is plenty of political views in which what can't be controlled is destroyed; you see it in whole countries but also now in sporting bodies.
What a spiteful waste of energy. Really.
Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.
Re: 2014 Tromsø Chess Olympiad in danger of being cancelled??
and now we have Gary's response:
Garry Kasparov on the threat to Tromsø
Why must it be that chessplayers always suffer for the errors and arrogance of officials and bureaucrats? It is a shame for any team to miss out on the Olympiad for technical reasons out of the players’ control. I am a candidate to be a president of FIDE who represents all the federations, not only potential medal winners from powerful federations. But of course the Russian women’s team is not just any team. The Olympic champions! So of course all the attention is on their exclusion, because it is a tragedy not only for the players, but also for the organizers and the fans.
I cannot explain the bizarre statements of FIDE vice-president Israel Gelfer. What would I or the Norwegian organizers have to gain from excluding the celebrated Russian women’s team? And he wants to cancel the Olympiad in retaliation? Punish 175 teams for the mistakes of one? Such absurd arrogance! This matter does not involve me or my campaign for FIDE president. This is a transparent attempt to look for excuses and scapegoats for a self-inflicted disaster. The Russian Federation’s statement doesn’t address the obvious question of why they didn’t submit their women’s team on time, as they did with the men’s team. It’s obvious they were waiting for Lagno’s transfer to strengthen their team and intentionally allowed the registration deadline to pass to do so. Would permitting this devious maneuver be fair to all the other teams that followed the rules and registered on time?
I always thought that it's obvious to everyone that FIDE is corrupt to the bone and that everyone would jump on the chance to shake it up. Now I see that there are a lot of people supporting the way business is conducted with Fide.
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