Australian chess feud

[Jack Maguire]

Canada isn't the only country with a disgruntled eminent GM (:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...1226896321015#

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: Australian chess feud

You need to subscribe to read the article. More and more newspapers are doing this- some like the New York Times will let you read one article for free for a certain period of time.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Australian chess feud

You need to subscribe to read the article. More and more newspapers are doing this- some like the New York Times will let you read one article for free for a certain period of time.

I had no trouble accessing the entire article, Ken, so here's a copy and paste edition:


Kasparov looks on as grandmaster’s move exposes an Australian chess feud

PAUL BROEKHUYSE |
The Australian|
April 26, 201412:00AM

Russian former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, right. Source: News Limited

GARRY Kasparov is no stranger to the personal feuds and political intrigues of international chess. But even the former world champion, renowned for his aggressive moves on and off the board, was taken aback by the events that unfolded in a suburban Canberra club this week.

Kasparov, a rare visitor to Australia, had come to secure support for his campaign to replace millionaire businessman Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as president of the International Chess Federation. His trip was timed to coincide with the Doeberl Cup, Australia’s most prestigious tournament.

The setting was an incongruous one: The Tradies in the Canberra suburb of Woden, a venue famous for dishing up chicken schnitzels the size of chess boards.

Kasparov made his first appearance on Sunday night at a book signing and was mobbed by the normally reserved chess community. Flushed with his reception, he returned to the stage the following afternoon to present the tournament winner with his prize. Instead, he walked into a decades-old dispute that has divided Australian chess since before he became the youngest world champion in history.

Standing alongside Kasparov, Australian Chess Federation president Gary Wastell announced a life membership award for Ian Rogers, Australia’s first grandmaster. But instead of coming forward, Rogers yelled “Not while you’re president!’’ from the back of the room.

With Wastell and Rogers locked in an embarrassing stand-off, Kasparov took the microphone and spoke for the next 15 minutes, outlining his plans to make chess’s governing body more transparent and to encourage more children to take up the game. Wastell then had another go, pleading with Rogers to bury their past differences.

Rogers again refused, but reluctantly came to the stage and explained, with a perplexed Kasparov looking on, why he could never forgive Wastell for what he did to his career.

“I do not want any award bestowed by Gary Wastell,’’ he later explained to The Weekend Australian. “Unfortunately Gary Wastell forced me to refuse publicly, which meant that Kasparov was placed in a slightly embarrassing situation when he prepared to hand the plaque to me.

“I felt that I had to come to the stage and explain my position. I just said that I would not take an award from Gary Wastell as he had acted badly towards me and other top players in the past.”

One onlooker said: “It was a complete meltdown. Everyone was stunned … People thought, ‘Why can’t you sort this out offstage?’ Why embarrass the world’s greatest player when he’s finally made it to Australia?’ ”

The feud between Rogers and Wastell is deep, distant and fiercely contested. Rogers believes that Wastell, as a chess official, tried to sabotage his professional career by omitting him from overseas trips and curtailing the careers of other Australians.

Wastell disputes the allegations, saying most are the result of misunderstandings. Of a claim that he once advised a foreign player about opening move sequences, to the detriment of one of his teammates, Wastell said he had merely had a friendly after-dinner chat with a fellow chess enthusiast. While he admits that the discussion was unwise, he insists that his motives were pure. (Chess players are meticulous in planning their openings, and knowledge of your opponent’s plans can be very useful.)

Last Sunday’s altercation is not the first time Kasparov has had an awkward moment with Rogers. In 2003, at a tournament in Linares, Spain, Kasparov was competing and Rogers was part of a judging panel to decide the best game played. When Kasparov was overlooked for the award, he grabbed Rogers by the throat, demanding to know why.

“He almost throttled me,’’ Rogers said. He added that the two are now friendly.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Australian chess feud

This is being discussed on one of the Australian forum sites: http://www.chesschat.org/showthread....-2014-Doeberl)

Apparently - GM Ian Rogers declined the award of "Life ACF Member", since the framed certificate was being presented by the ACF President (or maybe Gary Kasparov? Both are named "Gary") with whom he had some disagreements in the past. A post from Rogers:

"I was very upset. I felt I was set up by Gary Wastell who would have known I would not accept this award under his presidency. A simple query to me beforehand as to whether I would accept the award or not would have avoided the whole incident. Instead I was put in the embarrassing position of having to refuse the award from Kasparov's hands in front of a big audience.

I had no intention of inflaming the situation by explaining publicly why I was refusing until Gary Wastell disingenuously tried again 15 minutes later, claiming not to know what the fuss was about. (Incidentally, this was the same person who had walked past me early on at the Doeberl Cup and felt the need to make an insulting comment to which I declined to respond.)

It is true that my disagreements with Gary Wastell go back many years - that is obvious since I have been retired for 7 years. However he has never offered an apology for trying to have me banned from international representation for Australia nor for many other attempts to obstruct my career. A statement that he did not know why I declined the award but that he wanted us to bury the hatchet doesn't cut it as an apology.

Cathy and I between us did apologise to Rosemary Doeberl, Charles Bishop, Steve Rohan-Jones and Garry Kasparov for any embarrassment we may have caused them and all of them were very understanding or even apologetic themselves!

Because I was upset and had difficulty talking I probably did not express myself as well as I would have liked at the Doeberl closing ceremony. Kevin Bonham was right to chastise me for the very last comment I made. Other than that I do not regret my actions. However, I would also like to apologise for any embarrassment caused to the other ACF officials. But I do believe that this incident was not of my making and once started was then exacerbated by Gary Wastell."

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: Australian chess feud

Pathetic. People should show more sportsmanship and maturity. If you have an issue with someone
, have it out (in a peaceful manner, of course :) ) instead of letting it fester for years. Sometimes it turns out these things are nothing more than a misunderstanding.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Australian chess feud

Pathetic. People should show more sportsmanship and maturity. If you have an issue with someone
, have it out (in a peaceful manner, of course :) ) instead of letting it fester for years. Sometimes it turns out these things are nothing more than a misunderstanding.

A chess career has a limited shelf life. When someone tries to hold back a player for any reason other than his/her performance it cuts into the number of years remaining.

When you feel someone is trying to screw you it's not a misunderstanding. It's very personal and the player has every reason to feel bitter.

I don't know the situation there but am not going to gloss it over or place blame.

[Ken Kurkowski]

Re: Australian chess feud

My comments were not referring solely to GM Rogers. I am equally critical of leaders of sports governing bodies who use their power to screw over people because of some quarrel. People in such positions need to put personal feelings aside and 'take the high road'.