Do we have an elephant in the room?

[Amy Xu]

I am Kaiqi Yang’s girlfriend, Ruoying Xu, most people call me Amy. I am also a chess player, was one of the top 10 Canadian Women Chess players and was invited to the Canadian Chess Women Championship in Quebec last year.

Kaiqi got his first GM norm back in 2008, got his first international tournament champion back in 2008. Over the past 10 years, he had impressive performance and big wins in a list of large international tournaments and beat many strong GMs. He went through ups and down in his chess career, just like most chess players. IT IS UNFAIR to Kaiqi if you only judge his GM title based on the underperformance in some local tournaments. Not to mention he is such a successful and respectable chess coach over the past years, it is not easy to spend so much time on coaching his students while still maintain the same competitive level himself in the meanwhile.

Kaiqi and I met at the Chinese National Youth team in 2004, have been together for over 14 years. As his closest person, I couldn’t count how much time and efforts he has been spent on chess for so many years. He is the most hard-working person I know, always so passionate, obsessed, and 100% devoted to chess. That is why I have to fight back here. Kaiqi is just one of many chess players who have ups and downs in their career, they have uncountable pressure, pains and tears. They suffer from stupid blunders and loses. I can totally feel for them. He did nothing wrong. He is more than eligible for this GM title. He deserves respect.

Dear Mr.Preotu, GM is just a title, it is not exclusive. it is not like that your son’s title is superior to someone else’s. You said that you are only presenting facts, apparently and unfortunately, you are not. Your weird title and suspicious interpretation, your horrible statistics, all make us feel offended and wondering, what is your intention? Kaiqi doesn’t deserve to be tagged by someone like you in a public place like here, being finger pointed by someone like you. Believe me, if someone did something to your son as you did, you can feel what I felt.

A few LINKS:

2017 HART HOUSE OPEN 1^ST PLACE
https://ratings.fide.com/individual_...2017-03-01&t=0

2015 US Millionaire Chess Open U2400 Champion, prize USD 38,000.00
https://ratings.fide.com/individual_...2015-11-01&t=0

2016 US 46^th National Chess Congress, first place, led ahead GMs like Gata Kamsky
https://ratings.fide.com/individual_...2016-01-01&t=0

2016 US 44^th World Open, drew 7 GMs without defeat.
https://ratings.fide.com/individual_...2016-08-01&t=0

[Rene Preotu]

Now I feel like a child who cried out:"But he isn't wearing anything at all!"

[Kaiqi Yang]

Thanks for all the people who supports me. I am proud of what I achieved. About Mr. Rene Preotu, I am speechless, I wish you all the best in the future. Period.

[Halldor P. Palsson]

Congratulations on your title GM Kaiqi Yang.

The naked display of malice and envy toward you by Rene Preotu in this thread utterly disgraceful. I have no idea where we find such creatures.

[Peter McKillop]

Now I feel like a child who cried out:"But he isn't wearing anything at all!"

Unrepentant until the bitter end, eh Rene?

[Peter McKillop]

Congratulations on your title GM Kaiqi Yang.

The naked display of malice and envy toward you by Rene Preotu in this thread utterly disgraceful. I have no idea where we find such creatures.

Bravo, Halldor!

[Rene Preotu]

I have no idea where we find such creatures.

In Canada where we’re free to think our own thoughts, speak our minds, listen to views of others and express our opinions.

[Peter McKillop]

In Canada where we’re free to think our own thoughts, speak our minds, listen to views of others and express our opinions.

AND, since we're Canadians, hopefully we can do those things with a little consideration for other peoples' feelings. Some of us might have to work at that. After all, we wouldn't want to take the easy path!!

[Erik Malmsten]

I am Kaiqi Yang’s girlfriend, Ruoying Xu, most people call me Amy. I am also a chess player, was one of the top 10 Canadian Women Chess players and was invited to the Canadian Chess Women Championship in Quebec last year.

Kaiqi got his first GM norm back in 2008, got his first international tournament champion back in 2008. . . .

Thanks Amy, we all should be aware of his great Hart House win, but chess news isn't what it used to be when we had a printed CFC magazine and weekly newspaper chess columns. I think it's hard on one's chess to be always teaching. One needs regular contact with stronger players, which is rare to find in Canada.

Kaiqi has defeated Grandmasters in international play. This from 2008:
https://ratings.fide.com/individual_...2008-10-01&t=0

[Ian Findlay]

So going back to Rene's original post... if you know of some serious misconduct from specific organizers and players, please report it to our delegates or the larger FIDE body. It would be a service you'd be doing.
... but ...
If this post is meant to belittle one of our players' achievements, shame on you. There are more adequate ways of presenting flawed systems. We have had players succeed and fail at these "norm factory" tournaments. All that data should be collected and analyzed for what it is. Without picking and choosing individuals who happened to have succeeded.


Alex Ferreira

Agreed. A Canadian about to get a GM title used to be a big deal. Congrats GM Yang!

[David Ottosen]

AND, since we're Canadians, hopefully we can do those things with a little consideration for other peoples' feelings. Some of us might have to work at that. After all, we wouldn't want to take the easy path!!

Actually, one of the things I like most about chess is there's no requirement to be politically correct in this manner. It's very possible to acknowledge that he fully complied with the rules and has earned a title under those rules without any issues, but at the same time think those rules no longer reflect the spirit in which they were originally created.

[David Ottosen]

Agreed. A Canadian about to get a GM title used to be a big deal. Congrats GM Yang!

Thats the thing. If we have a bevy of 2400ish players (and despite his current jump to 2505, that's what he appears to have established himself as for the last couple of years) are suddenly all becoming GMs off a few odd looking performances, the magic of a Canadian becoming a GM loses it's luster.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Now I feel like a child who cried out:"But he isn't wearing anything at all!"

I still don't get from your expressed opinions what an elephant is in the room in your eyes? Is it players playing in the title tournaments tweaked to obtain titles or tournaments itself? What about this one specifically created for GM and IM norms in Kitchener ( http://www.chessfest.ca/kitmasters.html )? There was a recent one in Montreal ( http://chess-results.com/tnr397491.a...&art=4&flag=30 ) with IM norms too.

[Alex Ferreira]

I still don't get from your expressed opinions what an elephant is in the room in your eyes? Is it players playing in the title tournaments tweaked to obtain titles or tournaments itself? What about this one specifically created for GM and IM norms in Kitchener ( http://www.chessfest.ca/kitmasters.html )? There was a recent one in Montreal ( http://chess-results.com/tnr397491.a...&art=4&flag=30 ) with IM norms too.

... Actually, one of the things I like most about chess is there's no requirement to be politically correct in this manner. It's very possible to acknowledge that he fully complied with the rules and has earned a title under those rules without any issues, but at the same time think those rules no longer reflect the spirit in which they were originally created.

Hi,

Discussing these tournaments is, in my opinion, worth doing. But without involving our latest GM. If there is a problem with "norm factory" systems and tournaments, attempts (failed or successful) in Canada, or how to go about these in the future, there is nothing wrong with discussing these. But again, discussing them for what they are.
It would be worthwhile looking at data from these so-called "norm factories" in their completion. It'd also be worth looking at the last 10-20 norms (IM or GM) achieved in Canada. And I am not sure how feasible this would be but, it'd be interesting to see the (20 or 50) latest approved IM / GM titles across the world, and what paths were taken by the recipients. To my mind, this would be a much healthier discussion.

Alex Ferreira

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

And I am not sure how feasible this would be but, it'd be interesting to see the (20 or 50) latest approved IM / GM titles across the world, and what paths were taken by the recipients. To my mind, this would be a much healthier discussion.

Title applications are freely available at https://ratings.fide.com/title_applications.phtml
To process (how?) requires a lot of time.