The Apple in the Garden

With less than a month left to the start of the Fischerandom/Freestyle chess Grand Slam season, the International Chess Federation (FIDE), that is, the ruling body of classical chess, shows its teeth, warning the new community that nothing and no one but them can claim authority or other rights over chess. Reading between lines, however, there still seems to be a little room for avoiding a religious war and, at least so far, FIDE is still limiting itself to a “carrot and stick” approach; they “are open to dialogue”, but yet... they “will not hesitate to use all legal means against those who violate its rights [on the institution of a World Fischerandom/Freestyle Championship title] — be it initiators, organizers and/or investors of the project”. Besides its bullying executives, FIDE has a problem, though. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen is one of the grey eminences of the new Freestyle Grand Slam, and that’s enough to give anyone a jolt to join him in such a revolutionary adventure. On the other hand, new forms call for new definitions of gens una sumus, and the only sponsor of the Freestyle alternative, German entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner, will necessarily have to make a better and more open world order than the one implied by the closed elite Grand Chess Tour, which has no cultural significance apart from lining the pockets of the few rich professionals. Since this is the Year of the Snake, one may urge König Midas to take a bit of Abrahamic advice from the creation myth and contemplate, in his new reign, a Fischerandom/Freestyle Grand Slam women’s season as well.
And the titles of Open and Women’s World Non-Champions at stake.