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Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 12:01 pm
by NickFaulks
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Sat Nov 11, 2017 11:10 am
From Facebook:

Anna Muzychuk is feeling disappointed.
2 hrs ·
FIDE has announced World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships to be organized in the end of this year in Saudi Arabia. First Iran, then Saudi Arabia.. wondering where the next Women's World Championships will be organized. Despite of the record prize fund, I am not going to play in Riyadh what means losing two world champion titles. To risk your life, to wear abaya all the time?? Everything has its limits and headscarves in Iran was more than enough.
What on earth is she talking about? She wouldn't even be required to wear a headscarf! As to risking her life, I think she would be safer in Riyadh than at home.

In other myths, women will not need to be accompanied by a man ( sorry, Jovanka ). Passports bearing Israeli stamps will not be a problem - a huge concession, and hopefully a sign of things to come. The only remaining issue is allowing Israeli citizens to enter, which is a very delicate issue that they do not have long to sort out.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 12:45 pm
by David Gilbert
Mick Norris wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:47 am
Roger de Coverly wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:34 am
For that matter football teams never seem to have a problem
There was a PSG player refused entry to play in a Champions League match in London
True. Last season Paris Saint-Germain’s Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier was denied a visa to play against Arsenal in a Champions League tie. If he had been French he would have been on the plane.

For players wanted by British teams, the Home Office and the Football Association have a prescribed points system for issuing visas and work permits for players from outside the EU. The scoring is based upon the player’s country’s FIFA ranking over two seasons. Yep! The scientifically exact FIFA rankings. The test is that if a player comes from a country in the top-10 and has played in 30 per cent of competitive internationals over two years he can catch a flight. For countries further down the list the international appearances requirement increases. So you might get a non-EU country slipping down the ratings as a consequence of a disastrous World Cup and finding their players become ineligible to apply for a British visa and work permit.

There are many unknowns about what will happen in our post-Brexit world, but in one scenario the end of free-movement would lead to EU players being subject to the same points system. And it could mean the end of French, German, Dutch and Italian managers, coaches, physiotherapists and tea ladies. We have Harry and others who are presently unemployed! Indeed, the latest version of the Football Manager game has just this variation in its design. The possible impact of Brexit on chess professionals is presently unchartered.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 12:55 pm
by NickFaulks
Paul Cooksey wrote:
Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:36 pm
I did not realise it was one of the events for which it is hard to find sponsorship.
How could you not realise that? A month ago it was assumed that there would be no 2017 event, because it had not been possible find a host on any terms. Then, I believe with outside assistance from one of the chess world's leading fundraisers, this unprecedentedly high value offer appeared.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:17 pm
by LawrenceCooper
NickFaulks wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 12:01 pm
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Sat Nov 11, 2017 11:10 am
From Facebook:

Anna Muzychuk is feeling disappointed.
2 hrs ·
FIDE has announced World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships to be organized in the end of this year in Saudi Arabia. First Iran, then Saudi Arabia.. wondering where the next Women's World Championships will be organized. Despite of the record prize fund, I am not going to play in Riyadh what means losing two world champion titles. To risk your life, to wear abaya all the time?? Everything has its limits and headscarves in Iran was more than enough.
What on earth is she talking about? She wouldn't even be required to wear a headscarf! As to risking her life, I think she would be safer in Riyadh than at home.

In other myths, women will not need to be accompanied by a man ( sorry, Jovanka ). Passports bearing Israeli stamps will not be a problem - a huge concession, and hopefully a sign of things to come. The only remaining issue is allowing Israeli citizens to enter, which is a very delicate issue that they do not have long to sort out.
It appears sites such as this one https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... nd-customs may be partly to blame for not being privy to the info that you have declared above.

"Women traveling alone are not allowed to enter the country unless they will be met at the airport by a husband, a sponsor or male relative." is also quoted on more than one internet link so are they all wrong?

I ask not having any knowledge of the subject other than internet searches but assuming you have evidence of the points you state then it's a shame that this either hasn't been communicated to players, or if it has, that the message hasn't got through.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:43 pm
by NickFaulks
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:17 pm
"Women traveling alone are not allowed to enter the country unless they will be met at the airport by a husband, a sponsor or male relative." is also quoted on more than one internet link so are they all wrong?
If I had the good fortune to be invited to a prestigious chess event and wanted to know the requirements for me to get there, I would ask the organisers. Perhaps that's just me.

In any case, nobody of either sex gets a visa without a sponsor who can confirm what they will be doing in the country - in this case the tournament organiser. And they will all be met at the airport by people holding a bit of cardboard saying "Chess". Job done.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:55 pm
by LawrenceCooper
NickFaulks wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:43 pm
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:17 pm
"Women traveling alone are not allowed to enter the country unless they will be met at the airport by a husband, a sponsor or male relative." is also quoted on more than one internet link so are they all wrong?
If I had the good fortune to be invited to a prestigious chess event and wanted to know the requirements for me to get there, I would ask the organisers. Perhaps that's just me.

In any case, nobody of either sex gets a visa without a sponsor who can confirm what they will be doing in the country - in this case the tournament organiser. And they will all be met at the airport by people holding a bit of cardboard saying "Chess". Job done.
So you have confirmation from the organiser that all these conditions are in place or is your information second/third hand? You are the only source that has filled me with any confidence that the advice available from the normal channels when investigating travelling to such countries may not be accurate.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:07 pm
by NickFaulks
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:55 pm
So you have confirmation from the organiser that all these conditions are in place or is your information second/third hand? You are the only source that has filled me with any confidence that the advice available from the normal channels when investigating travelling to such countries may not be accurate.
My information is of necessity second hand, because I have no reason to be in ontact with the organisers. However, I believe it and would say to any invitee, don't simply believe anything you read, which may be inapplicable or out of date, but ask the people who invited you. It just seems like common sense.

What annoys me is the general assumption here that the Saudis are putting millions of dollars into this event because they are hoping to get lots of terrible PR in the West by treating the players badly. I think they're doing it because, at a pivotal moment in Middle East geopolitics, they need to get good PR by treating the players well.

I hope everyone involved has read the regulations. I was about to write more, but have just seen a new FIDE announcement. Worth a look.

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ement.html

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:10 pm
by LawrenceCooper
NickFaulks wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:07 pm
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:55 pm
So you have confirmation from the organiser that all these conditions are in place or is your information second/third hand? You are the only source that has filled me with any confidence that the advice available from the normal channels when investigating travelling to such countries may not be accurate.
My information is of necessity second hand, because I have no reason to be in ontact with the organisers. However, I believe it and would say to any invitee, don't simply believe anything you read, which may be inapplicable or out of date, but ask the people who invited you. It just seems like common sense.

I hope everyone involved has read the regulations. I was about to write more, but have just seen a new FIDE announcement. Worth a look.

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ement.html
Okay, thanks. I read "There will be no need to wear a hijab or abaya during the games" to mean that they must be worn at other times but that may be an incorrect assumption on my part.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:11 pm
by Alex Holowczak
NickFaulks wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:43 pm
And they will all be met at the airport by people holding a bit of cardboard saying "Chess".
$2m prize fund, and a key component of the tournament logistics is "a bit of cardboard". :lol:

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:17 pm
by NickFaulks
Alex Holowczak wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:11 pm
$2m prize fund, and a key component of the tournament logistics is "a bit of cardboard". :lol:
Come on, you know exactly what I meant. Yes, it's more likely to be a gold framed placard studded with rubies.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:26 pm
by NickFaulks
LawrenceCooper wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:10 pm
Okay, thanks. I read "There will be no need to wear a hijab or abaya during the games" to mean that they must be worn at other times but that may be an incorrect assumption on my part.
If you arrive, go the the hotel, play chess for five days and leave, there will be no religious element to the dress code, but you will have to look smart ( which, thankfully, is defined ). If you find the time to go out and see the sights, you will have to observe local customs. By the way, while these are discussed mostly with regard to women, they apply to both sexes. If you intend to wander around Riyadh's mosques looking like a Kovalyov, a word in your shell-like - just don't.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:27 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
If true, this bit is impressive: "this will be a first for any sporting event in Saudi Arabia" (not having to wear a hijab or abaya). It might get some coverage in the press. Still, the dress code is different for men and women. The women's dress code is suit trousers (I can see why trying to regulate what dresses would be suitable would be a problem, but some women might prefer formal dresses to trousers?). And men can wear open-necked shirts, but women have to wear high-necked blouses. I wonder if the tracksuit-wearing and shorts-wearing chess playing contingent (see Kovalyov et. al.) are rushing to buy suits?

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:35 pm
by NickFaulks
Christopher Kreuzer wrote:
Tue Nov 14, 2017 3:27 pm
And men can wear open-necked shirts, but women have to wear high-necked blouses.
I don't think we're talking about the starched things Victorian governesses wore. They just don't favour displays of cleavage.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 12:28 am
by Chris Rice
The ACP have been quick to come up with a statement on this:

ACP condemns the decision of FIDE

ACP Board condemns the decision of FIDE to stage the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Saudi Arabia. This kind of event can not and should not take place in a country that does not guarantee an entry to the representatives of all the federations, and has gender and religion discriminatory laws. That clearly contradicts the FIDE's own Status (1.2)

In addition to that, FIDE hides the fact that the agreement to stage the Championships in Saudi Arabia is for the span of three years - and this makes the things even worse. Such an important decision has been yet again made in the most non-transparent way, without a proper discussion.

Chess world deserves better, and we feel that selling all the principles and violating written and moral rules, as FIDE constantly does recently, seriously harms the image of our game and will have a negative long-term consequences.

ACP Board

It's interesting that the statement, if the ACP feel so strongly about it, stops short of urging their members to boycott the event or indeed says anything about the possibility of war breaking out between Saudi Arabia and Iran which might be detrimental to their members but perhaps I'm just being picky.

Re: 2017 King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26-30 December 2017

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 12:44 am
by Roger de Coverly
Chris Rice wrote:
Thu Nov 16, 2017 12:28 am

In addition to that, FIDE hides the fact that the agreement to stage the Championships in Saudi Arabia is for the span of three years - and this makes the things even worse. Such an important decision has been yet again made in the most non-transparent way, without a proper discussion.
That's something newly reported, that funding has been secured for three years.

Whose event is the Rapidplay and Blitz? Is it Agon or FIDE directly?