Notes from Underground

Chess-News.ru‏ (@Chess__News)

The “Case of Mihaela Sandu”: crime and punishment? Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova — the head signatory of the j’accuse letter against Mihaela Sandu (pictured above) — was banned by FIDE Ethics Commission for three months with a proviso (in fact, the penalty is suspended for one year, provided that Zhukova will not repeat again irresponsible and unjustified accusations), while all others signatories have been severely warned for their reckless and unjustified attitude to accuse Sandu of cheating. For further details, see chess-news.ru/node/23084.

Charmed

• ACC Statement Regarding The Accusations Against Mihaela Sandu: “Witch hunting might be not less serious offence than cheating itself”, Chess-News.ru, June 26, 2015

Artwork: MagicalOtaku

Common law

Steve Giddins (@GiddinsSteve)

The Shame of the Cities

• The Letter Was Not an Open One, The Organizers Requested It, Chess-News.ru, June 5, 2015

Before writing the notorious letter, Zhukova claims she many times approached the chief arbiter Tomasz Delega and the organizers, with a request to delay the broadcast of the games. But in response, the latter required that a letter be written, requesting such action, else they would do nothing. “Maybe they were hoping that I would not want to spend time on preparation of the text. In fact, I would have loved to concentrate only on preparing for the game, but, alas, I had no choice”. [Read more].

Chess-News.ru (@Chess_News)

Not in their names

• Two Participants Withdrew their Names from Anti-Sandu Letter, Chess-News.ru, June 1, 2015

Ekaterina Valentinovna Kovalevskaya and Anastasia Sergeyevna Savina removed their signatures from the second letter against Mihaela Sandu.

Not guilty and not proven

Mihaela Sandu – Antoaneta Stefanova
16th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Chakvi, May 25, 2015
Pirc Defence B08

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c6 4. Nc3 d6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. 0-0 0-0 7. a4 Qc7 8. h3 a5!? Improvisation? The theoretical line 8. ... e5 would lead to a Pirc tabiya. 9. Bf4 Nh5 10. Be3 e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Nd2 Nf4 13. Nc4 Be6 14. Nb6 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Ra6 16. Nc4 b5 17. axb5 cxb5 18. Nd2 b4 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 f5 21. Nb3 f4 22. Bc5 f3 23. Qe3 fxg2 24. Rfd1 Rc8 25. d6 Qc6 26. Ba7 Nd7 27. Nxa5 Qb5?? A gross blunder. After 27. ... Qa8 28. Nb3 Rxa1 29. Rxa1 Qd5 Black is fine. 28. Qb3+ Kh8

29. c4! Her Majesty is trapped! 29. ... Qxa5 30. Rxa5 Rxa5 31. Be3. The rest is easy for White. 31. ... Rb8 32. c5 Rxc5 33. Bxc5 Nxc5 34. Qf7 Rg8 35. Qc4 Nb7 36. Qxb4 Nd8 37. Qc4 1 : 0.

Mihaela Sandu
Photo: GSP

感恩节

“At this moment I am in a terrible state, but I want to thank everyone who supported me. This supports means a lot to me and helped me cope with the worst situation I was ever in my life! I am down right now but I hope to come back one day even stronger”.

• Mihaela Sandu Thanks People for Their Support “In the Worst Time of My Life”, Chess-News.ru, May 31, 2015

The Blair Witch Project

• Alexey Dreev: “In Sandu’s games, There is Not a Single Sign of ‘Intelligent Cheating’”, Chess-News.ru, May 30, 2015

John Saunders (@Johnchess)

From Romania with Love

Letter of support by the Romanian Chess Federation

Woman Grandmaster Mihaela Sandu

女為悅己者狂 (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios)

The two letters in which 15 players raised suspicions of cheating against Mihaela Sandu
Photo: Chess-News.ru

Witch-hunt

• Dennis Monokroussos, A New Cheating Scandal, The Chess Mind, May 29, 2015
• Cheating at the European Women’s Championship?, chess24.com, May 29, 2015
• Romania Demands Observance of Ethics, Chess-News.ru, May 30, 2015
• Mihaela Sandu Responds to the Organising Committee in a Written Complaint, Chess-News.ru, May 30, 2015

Jan Gustafsson (@GMJanGustafsson)

Nigel David Short (@nigelshortchess)

Lawrence Adam Trent (@LawrenceTrentIM)

Mihaela Sandu
Photo: Chess-News.ru