ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

The very latest International round up of English news.
Nick Grey
Posts: 1838
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:16 am

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Apr 02, 2019 11:16 pm

Is Boycotts the correct phrase?

Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Chris Rice » Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:09 pm

Here we go again:

"Alireza Firouzja's chances of qualifying for the 2020 GRENKE Chess Classic suffered a big blow today when he was paired against an Israeli player and forfeited the game rather than face serious trouble back home in Iran".

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Roger de Coverly » Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:54 pm

Chris Rice wrote:
Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:09 pm
Here we go again
Presumably the Grenke organisers or arbiters aren't prepared to use the "no pair" flag.

Whatever the ECU General Assembly might think about (a), there are only three resolutions.

(a) continue to use the no pairing flag
(b) exclude players from Israel if you allow players from Iran etc, to compete/
(c) exclude players from Iran etc. if they are unwilling or not allowed to face players from Israel.

David Sedgwick
Posts: 5249
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:56 pm
Location: Croydon
Contact:

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by David Sedgwick » Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:03 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:54 pm
Presumably the Grenke organisers or arbiters aren't prepared to use the "no pair" flag.

Whatever the ECU General Assembly might think about (a), there are only three resolutions.

(a) continue to use the no pairing flag
(b) exclude players from Israel if you allow players from Iran etc, to compete/
(c) exclude players from Iran etc. if they are unwilling or not allowed to face players from Israel.

Is there not a fourth?

(d) do none of the above, but accept that from time to time Iranians etc will default games against Israelis.

User avatar
IM Jack Rudd
Posts: 4818
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 am
Location: Bideford
Contact:

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:15 pm

My preference would be (a), then (d). If I were forced to make a decision between (b) and (c), I would sit there and let the decision time out.

Angus French
Posts: 2151
Joined: Thu May 15, 2008 1:37 am
Contact:

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Angus French » Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:21 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:15 pm
My preference would be (a), then (d). If I were forced to make a decision between (b) and (c), I would sit there and let the decision time out.
Same as Jack.

Richard Bates
Posts: 3338
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:27 pm

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Richard Bates » Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:29 pm

I would have thought that c) in preference to b) in a forced choice would be pretty easy.

Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Chris Rice » Sat Apr 20, 2019 12:44 pm

Firouzja clearly affected by the events of the previous round.

Nigel wades in with:

"If GM Hikaru, for example, were to object to playing Norwegians on religious/racial/political grounds, he would be told to go forth and multiply. This ought to be (but, alas, has not been) FIDE's answer to any request for "special pairings". The same rules must apply to everyone."

He's got a point, given that Iran have two potential male world champions this might be exactly the right time for FIDE to put its boot down and tell them their players aren't going to receive any special treatment anymore.

User avatar
Matt Mackenzie
Posts: 5205
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:51 pm
Location: Millom, Cumbria

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sat Apr 20, 2019 2:25 pm

Well in that case FIDE would surely be better off pressuring the Iranian *government*.

Rather than players who, as already said, may feel scared to defy orders from above whatever their personal feelings.

A world chess champion would be a real propaganda coup for the regime in Tehran, so it might not be impossible to get some movement on this.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Chris Rice » Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:02 am

ChessBase article on the Firouzja boycott and loss to a 14 year old girl in the next round. The Editorial Postscript at the end of the article caught my attention:

"These incidents reflect poorly on the Islamic Republic of Iran, and its individual players are as often victims as perpetrators.

In a small bit of irony, both rounds 2 and 3 (when the forfeit occurred) of the Grenke Open couldn’t be broadcast live due to regional regulations related to Good Friday religious observance. This has been the case in prior years as well and it always provokes some international surprise and confusion among chess fans. Easter holidays remain a big deal in Germany, even as roughly a quarter of the country is "religiously unaffiliated" and another half of the population of 82 million self-identifies as "non-practicing Christians" (Pew Research Center, 2018)."

Stefan Stern
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2018 3:38 pm

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by Stefan Stern » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:06 am

Good Friday is one of the "silent holidays" in Germany. Normally sport events aren't allowed.
There might be a special permit for the chess open, but obviously it didn't include the broadcasting.
--------------------------------
FIDE Arbiter
German Chess Federation

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by NickFaulks » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:28 am

Chris Rice wrote:
Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:02 am
In a small bit of irony, both rounds 2 and 3 (when the forfeit occurred) of the Grenke Open couldn’t be broadcast live due to regional regulations related to Good Friday religious observance.
I'm not sure why this is ironic.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

John McKenna

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by John McKenna » Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:11 pm

One definition of irony is - (an event or situation showing) incongruity between actual circumstances and the normal, appropriate or expected ones

The first incongruity was the loss by forfeit and the second was the local religious regulations preventing the broadcast of that non-game and any other games for a time.

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by NickFaulks » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:36 am

So these are two unconnected instances of irony? That wasn't how I read the comment.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

John McKenna

Re: ECU General Assembly Resolution on Boycotts

Post by John McKenna » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:40 am

Those two instances of incongruity are connected by the fact that they both took place at the same event at more or less the same time and that's enough to form "a small bit of irony" in my book.

If more can be read into it I'll have to leave it to others to say.

Post Reply