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

[Mick Norris]

So under this; if a very rich person in the UK wants to sponsor the British Championships with a vast amount of money for the next 10 years and want it to be based in Manchester, but his only condition is no Yorkshireman are allow to enter then this is totally acceptable to you (by the way the reverse is also applicable)

Surely if you're looking for an appropriate parallel, not allowing any Lancastrians to enter is the right one.

I don't know anyone in Greater Manchester who has a problem with Lancashire players; there might be chess officials (including you) who wouldn't be welcomed by some, but that's a different issue

ANway, back to the event which is happening but shouldn't be in its current location

Chess reports Chess Mind and chess.com

[David Sedgwick]

Anway, back to the event which is happening but shouldn't be in its current location

I'm not picking on you in particular, Mick, but ...

In 2014 the Norwegian authorities refused to issue visas to the Sierra Leonean team for the Olympiad in Tromso.

The ostensible reason was the ebola outbreak, but the British authorities issued visas to the Sierra Leonean team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow at about the same time.

Even the Norwegians issued a visa to the Sierra Leonean delegate, perhaps fearing to interfere with the FIDE Presidential election.

I don't remember a torrent of expressions of outrage, or demands for Norway to be banned from hosting future events.

Did I miss something?

[Roger de Coverly]

Anna Muzychuk's announcement that she wouldn't defend her titles has today made the headlines, but didn't she first announce this a month ago?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... ens-rights

[Roger de Coverly]

There's a report of the opening ceremony on the FIDE site.

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

In it the FIDE Deputy President says

We would like to see the next event, here, as King Salman Peace & Friendship World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships. Where everybody will be welcomed. (The audience applauded).

Everybody apart from citizens of countries that Saudi Arabia doesn't recognise.

[Alex Holowczak]

Anna Muzychuk's announcement that she wouldn't defend her titles has today made the headlines, but didn't she first announce this a month ago?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/ ... ens-rights

It seems normal these days for something to happen in the chess world, be reported in the chess press, and then the mainstream press picks up on it 3-4 weeks later.

[Alan Walton]

Anway, back to the event which is happening but shouldn't be in its current location

I'm not picking on you in particular, Mick, but ...

In 2014 the Norwegian authorities refused to issue visas to the Sierra Leonean team for the Olympiad in Tromso.

The ostensible reason was the ebola outbreak, but the British authorities issued visas to the Sierra Leonean team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow at about the same time.

Even the Norwegians issued a visa to the Sierra Leonean delegate, perhaps fearing to interfere with the FIDE Presidential election.

I don't remember a torrent of expressions of outrage, or demands for Norway to be banned from hosting future events.

Did I miss something?

If an event is being run under the auspices of FIDE then all eligible participants should receive a VISA, unless as stipulated by FIDE where the General Assembly can vote (three quarter majority) if there is a state of war or severe violence between countries

Perhaps on the Norwegian point they didn't get the medical assurances from the Sierra Leonean federation that all players we medically cleared; but it is totally different from refusing on the point that you don't believe the country exists

FIDE have cornered themselves slightly in this whole debacle, and it will be quite interesting in the coming weeks on how they extracate themselves from this one

[Alan Walton]

Beyond money, there is no desire for them to go to Saudi

Perhaps it is to compete in the FIDE sanctioned World Rapid and Blitz Champs, these players (six I believe) and met the qualification criteria and applied in good time for a visa expecting to be able to participate, they didn't receive one; you cannot really blame the individuals can you for expecting to be treated equally (as FIDE expected)

Just imagine what would happen at the 2022 FIFA World Cup if Saudi qualify (not unexpected) and the Qatari refused them entry; I suspect there would be a similar uproar of condemnation

[Adam Raoof]

The commentary is very good, but as with the Nutcracker, the women's games are largely ignored. In Riyadh there is even a female commentator but she is also largely ignored (this appears to be improving as she gains confidence). Given that there are virtually limitless resources available why not have an all-female commentary team talking about the games sometimes?

The technical support for the commentators on day one was poor but they did a great job. Today is is better, but why have such excellent commentary when you can't give them the tools to do the job?

[LawrenceCooper]

3/3 in round 6 for ENG. Round 7 includes McShane-Anand & Short-Howell!

[David Robertson]

The ECF President has intervened.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12 ... pionships/

That's fair comment, however the ECF's International Director supported the award of the tournaments to Saudi Arabia as did one of the more influential English players in being the first to sign up to participate

What we're faced with then is that, in the unlikely event that the ECF Board grew a pair and denounced FIDE for this venal nonsense - as it should, the ECF would find its position thoroughly compromised and rendered absurd by the involvement of its FIDE delegate in this malign fiasco.

[NickFaulks]

The technical support for the commentators on day one was poor but they did a great job. Today is is better, but why have such excellent commentary when you can't give them the tools to do the job?

I suspect all of these issues are explained by the fact that the whole thing was put together at very short notice.

[NickFaulks]

Perhaps on the Norwegian point they didn't get the medical assurances from the Sierra Leonean federation that all players we medically cleared

Sorry, but it was quite clear that the Norwegians didn't let the Sierra Leone players in because they didn't give a toss about them and judged correctly that nobody else would either. Furthermore, they never had enough accommodation for the teams that did go, so any dropouts, for any reason, were a source of relief.

[Alan Walton]

Sorry, but it was quite clear that the Norwegians didn't let the Sierra Leone players in because they didn't give a toss about them and judged correctly that nobody else would either. Furthermore, they never had enough accommodation for the teams that did go, so any dropouts, for any reason, were a source of relief.

Fair enough, but why didn't FIDE give a toss then? Anyway that is old news, and shouldn't detract from the current mess which has occurred

[Alex Holowczak]

The commentary is very good, but as with the Nutcracker, the women's games are largely ignored. In Riyadh there is even a female commentator but she is also largely ignored (this appears to be improving as she gains confidence). Given that there are virtually limitless resources available why not have an all-female commentary team talking about the games sometimes?

Another idea might be to have one set of commentators for the main games, and one set of commentators for the women's games, so people can take their pick as to what they want to watch.

[Alex Holowczak]

Fair enough, but why didn't FIDE give a toss then?

Do you remember T-shirt gate: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j ... 2837025748

There was quite a lot of public discussion about the people who weren't allowed to compete because they missed the entry deadline, and FIDE put quite a bit of effort into forcing the organisers to let them play. I suppose it's possible Sierra Leone got lost in all of that kerfuffle.