Another article on Ivanov on ChessBase (link below) as the controversy rages on with some more analysis by Valeri Lilov. In the article it is made clear that the Bulgarian Chess Federation did in effect ban Ivanov for four months due to his comments on TV about other chess players. Here's an extract:
"Yet, it was his unseen penchant for bold words and love for short-lived fame that led to Ivanov’s official ban from tournament participation on the territory of Bulgaria for the next four months. The Bulgarian Chess Federation has taken clear stand on Ivanov’s appalling comments on chess players in general and penalized him for slander of Bulgarian chess thanks to his numerous explicit comments given during various interviews published in the local and international press.
One stark example of Ivanov’s chaotic rant against chess players ..... Chess is my passion. Every day I practice three to four hours at the board. I have no girlfriend. The problem is that no one expects me to win. I play brilliantly because I have good training, that is the answer. The grandmasters refuse to accept that I am good and therefore started bringing up suspicions. They had me checked as if I was the biggest terrorist. They stripped off my jacket and shirt. I don't know if they expected to find a bomb strapped to me. I just went to the tournament and won.
Most chess players are absolute buttheads. For too many people, chess is an antisocial game. Therefore, chess players are usually old bachelors, lonely and unhappy people. But there are many cool players, too. I am constantly trying to escape from this stereotype. To be honest, sometimes I feel ashamed to say that I am a chess player.
In addition to blocking Ivanov’s participation in a number of major international open tournaments to be held near Varna, Bulgaria this summer, the Bulgarian Chess Federation included a second clause directed at the suspected cheater, which reads in part: “Due to experts’ common standpoint derived from their analyses of Borislav Ivanov’s games from chess tournaments in the past 9 (nine) months and in connection with the suspicions and accusations of cheating on numerous international tournaments, […] we recommend to Borislav Ivanov to provide his permission for conducting extensive tests on him through various technical equipment, which will be both in his favor for the purposes of clearing his name and in favor of the Bulgarian Chess Federation, which will do everything possible in the future to resolve the problem on a national and international level in case it is proven with scientific means that Ivanov does not use any unfair means during his games."
http://en.chessbase.com/Home/TabId/211/ ... 30613.aspx