Ticket to Ride

In an article for Saudi Gazzette of January 2, 2018, Mr. Tariq A. Al-Maeena revendicated the right of Saudi Arabia not to grant visas to Israeli chess players: “It was indeed a great effort and went along without a hitch except for the storm raised by the non-inclusion of Israeli chess players who were denied visas to enter the country and rightly so. The Kingdom has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has no such intentions of forging relations until the Israelis agree to a fair and just peace process with the Palestinians”, he wrote. This nazi-style reprisal is hardly justifiable on the basis (or on behalf) of the cause of the Palestinian people. One could even object that not too much time ago Saudi Arabia was ready – with the blessing of U.S. President – to abandon Palestinians to their doom just to make deal with Israel against Iran, but it seems even unnecessary to be that pedantic. Indeed, no one in good faith would have done something so stupid, even because such an unforgivable political error will only end up strengthening the reactionary forces that could care less about peace and love in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia actually legitimized Trump’s and Netanyahu’s racial borders and xenophobic delirium, rejecting (instead of welcoming) seven Israeli people who, for the first time in the history of Israel-Saudi Arabia non-relations, were willing to take the step of recognizing the Kingdom. I think and I hope no one may take comfort in the fact that FIDE – in sending Jews to the ghetto in exchange for money – made an even “uglier” mistake than the Kingdom. In fact, FIDE is neither a country, nor a kingdom, and nor even a nation. It is only the parody of a fictional humanity. So it seems very sad to me the final curse delivered by Mr. Tariq A. Al-Maeena: “Shame on you Israel for crying out loud for not being invited. You do not deserve an audience in this land”. I guess I will never understand why someone wants to look like FIDE. But I feel that this must be the reason why no one would ever pay the ticket to seat and watch such irresistible showdowns.

Sometimes minorities make history

In the end only two players openly boycotted the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships in Saudi Arabia: a woman and a man. Namely, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk from Ukraine, and Hikaru Nakamura from United States. Others, of course, did not participate as well, but most of them preferred not to expose themselves to FIDE’s retort and apologised for having other commitments. Nakamura rightly objected that FIDE shouldn’t have organised a World Chess Championship — however in fast format — in a country where not all peoples are welcomed due to racial and religious discrimination. Leonard Barden, in his The Guardian column, has explained quite well the reason for which FIDE sacrificed Israel to the Saudi Arabia money. For a very similar reason FIDE roughly sacrificed Armenia at the time of the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2016. Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, the holder of the two titles, motivated her decision to give up both the medals and the (likely) prize money for first in more emotional words, making it a point of honour “not to play someone else’s game, not to wear a veil, not to be escorted around, and finally, not to feel myself as a child of a lesser God”. Beyond the veils, however, it is quite manifest that the women’s chess circuit is suffering a systemic crisis due to the wrong choices made by FIDE in the past. The format of the Women’s World Chess Championship — centred on the “knockout audition” — is radically bad as it implies the criteria of the “best offer” by a potential challenger. Such a format is profitable for FIDE only, and — not by chance — the proposal to “accept the challenge of any player who can contribute to the prize fund and the costs of holding of the match”, was rejected by the General Assembly of FIDE. So it seems quite a contradiction to continue defend the indefensible. Just another too asymmetrical Women’s World Chess Championship match is no longer in anyone’s interest. And it certainly would not be in Anna Olehivna Muzychuk’s interest as she has all the rights and titles to become a challenger through a fair selection process — such as a Candidates Tournament — without having to pass through the “knockout audition” with the result, should she have the luck to win the lottery, of having to personally fund the purse. Whatever it will be, Hikaru Nakamura, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, and Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk will participate, from January 21 to February 1, in the 16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival at Catalan Bay (La Caleta). So good luck to all three of them!

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo: Sergiy Karazy/Reuters/TT

Excuse me, Edna, did you by chance see 柯洁 (Kē Jié)?

Stelios Halkias – Georg Meier
6th World Rapid Chess Championship; ar-Riyāḍ (Riyadh), December 26, 2017
Queen’s Gambit Declined D30

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. e3 Be7 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 c5 7. 0-0 cxd4 8. exd4 0-0 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Re1 b6 11. a3 Bb7. The same position can be reached by transposition from both the Tarrasch Defence and the Panov Attack of Caro-Kann Defence. 12. Ba2 Qd7 13. Be3 Rad8 14. Qe2 Qc8!? This hypermodern manoeuvre constitutes an obvious improvement over 14. ... Ng4 15. Rad1 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 Bf6 17. d5 that should have put Black in trouble, Bricard – Lepelletier, 71st French Chess Championship, Auxerre 1996. 15. Rad1 Qa8 16. d5 exd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Bf6 19. h4 h6 20. Be4 Rfe8 21. Rxd8 Nxd8 22. Bxb7 Nxb7 23. Rd1 Nc5 24. Qb5 Qc8 25. Bxc5 bxc5 26. Rc1 a6 27. Qxc5 Qxc5 28. Rxc5 Bxb2. Apparently, the game doesn’t call for any detailed comments, for it looks very drawish. 29. Rc6 Re6 30. Rxe6 fxe6 31. a4 Kf7 32. Kf1 Ke7 33. Nd2 Kd7 34. Ke2 Kc6 35. Nb3 Kd5 36. Kd3 h5! 37. f3 Be5

38. Nd2? This is really a flashy error. Correct seems 38. g4 g6 39. Nc1 so as to neutralise 39. ... Bg3 by 40. Ne2. 38. ... Bg3 39. Ne4 ½ : ½. Strangely Meier agrees to a draw, whereas by 39. ... Bxh4 he could have played for the win a Pawn up at zero risks. Maybe he wanted to avoid the limelight of the first boards.

No se vive celebrando victorias, sino superando derrotas

• Lemay Padrón Oliveros, Lisandra rompe el estambre | Lisandra breaks the yarn, Cubasi.cu, December 9, 2017

Although it did not spread everywhere, the news is really wonderful for Cuban chess, especially women’s. For the first time a Cuban female player has been invited to the World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships. She is Woman Grandmaster Lisandra Teresa Ordaz Valdés, who after reaching 2414 Elo and the No. 52 in the world ranking list, was included among the participants in the World Women’s Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships to be held in ar-Riyāḍ (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia from 26 to 30 December 2017. [Read more].

Lisandra Teresa Ordaz Valdés. Photo: Cubasi.cu.