The Atlanta Major Championship, hosted by Wolf Chess, is being held this upcoming weekend. The man behind the tournaments is the Georgia Chess Champion, Senior Master Deepak Aaron.
Deepak Aaron (2293) vs Bob Holliman (1962) XVII Campeonato Continental Absoluto de Ajedrez de las Americas 2024 Jorge Vega (Medellin, Hotel Dorado de la 70), 25.05.2024 C00 French Defense: Chigorin Variation
I must admit that after racking my brain for several minutes of thought I could not understand why Bob Holliman resigned, so I went to https://lichess.org/ in order to find understanding, grasshopper. If you are as clueless as this writer I am willing to wager you, too, will surf on over and obtain a modicum of understanding while wondering, “What the hell happened here.” To illustrate how difficult it is to gain rating points and move up in the world ranking list Deepak finished in the fourth score group with 7 1/2 points from eleven games and lost rating points!
A few daze ago the idea was to write a post concerning the latest cheating scandal after reading an article at Chess.com. As often happens, life intervened, and new comments kept appearing at the Chess.com website (https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-player-caught-cheating-in-chicago-open), so writing was delayed.
After resting and making the second cuppa Joe of the day I returned to Chess.com to read the newest comments where this was found:
The USCF website shows David to be from Georgia. Although I know David I do not know him well enough to know where he was born, but do know he currently resides in the Great State of Georgia, as does this writer. I have not forgotten the time many years ago when I asked David Hater, the director of the Emory Castle Chess Tournament, if I could post flyers concerning this blog, which was just beginning, and was given permission to do so. The man who was President of the Georgia Chess Association Board at the time, Fun Fong, did not want the flyers allowed. Years ago Fun Fong renounced Chess, (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/gca-president-renounces-chess/) later changing his mind and obtaining a spot on the USCF Executive Board. After losing an election and leaving the board Fun Fong returned to the GCA Board and is currently again the POTGCA Board because no one else wanted the position.
From the above you can understand my trepidation about writing anything that could be perceived as negative about David Hater, a former Colonel in the US Army, who admirably served his country. Nevertheless this writer must write truthfully or lose credibility.
There were problems at the most recent Georgia Chess Championship which was directed by Colonel Hater. I do not know all the details but do know that after the tournament ended there were myriad problems with the distribution of prizes to the prize winners. From what I have gleaned initially everyone due a prize was in a good mood while awaiting the distribution of the prize checks. Things changed after about an hour of waiting. Voices were raised as was the blood pressure of those tired of waiting. Tempers flared and at least one person snapped. There was a shouting match between the snapper and the Director. By that time everyone left waiting was disgruntled and there were no happy campers to be found. There have been reports of some kind of authorities in uniform to quell the situation. There have been reports of some players obtaining more prize money than they should have received. It is a BIG and ongoing MESS, which is about par for the GCA.
From the comments left to the article the director(s) have unfortunately come out smelling like excrement.
Forgelord648 What was the arbiter doing that hole time?
rivuchess
Horrible that these tournament directors can’t even pay heed to cheating complaints. If they don’t perform this basic duty, are they there to film the tournament? A bunch of careless people…
Obviously this is not good for the game of Chess as it is yet another nail in the Chess coffin.
Rbeast
Shows how rampant the cheating is now…they do it so openly and brazenly, don’t even bother to go to the bathroom
It’s rampant on this site too, and seems to be increasing…I’m playing too many people these days who are playing far too perfectly and accurately, for their rating and performance history…and I believe only a small fraction of them are getting caught by chess.com sniffers
The Continental Chess Association has been rocked by several punches to the head.
chika-lily of course continental chess association declined to comment… 😂😂😂
wlycdgr
Novaraga wrote:
How does one you a phone in the hall without being caught, honestly, shouldn’t his opponent have noticed him looking down too often and checked
I agree with you it’s odd that he wasn’t caught earlier by one of his opponents, but ultimately, it is not the players’ responsibility to ensure their opponents aren’t cheating. It is the responsibility of the tournament organizers and arbiters.
ilovesteelydan
Stan Halstead is the name of the cheater, he’s a graduate student in the mathematics department at Michigan State University. I don’t know why his name isn’t being included in this article or any of the discussion on this topic. He cheated and stole thousands of dollars in prize money and it doesn’t seem like he’s facing any severe consequences other than a temporary ban from playing in USCF events. When you google his name I think the first thing that should come up is stories about how he got caught cheating at chess and stealing prize funds.
In a breaking story today at Chess.com it appears FIDE somehow managed to grow a pair and “has punished the Chess Federation of Russia with a two-year conditional ban and reprimanded FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, in both cases for violations related to Russia’s invasion of and continued aggression against Ukraine.”
Conditional Ban For Russian Federation; Dvorkovich Reprimanded By Ethics Commission
By Peter Doggers
Jun 8, 2024, 7:12 AM
Chess Politics
The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has punished the Chess Federation of Russia with a two-year conditional ban and reprimanded FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, in both cases for violations related to Russia’s invasion of and continued aggression against Ukraine. The EDC’s decision (in PDF here) was dated and made public on Friday.
Chess Federation of Russia
The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) found the Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) in violation of the following:
damage to FIDE’s reputation or bringing chess into disrepute; non-compliance with FIDE principles; violation of duty or obligation imposed by the FIDE Charter; disparagement of FIDE’s reputation and interest.
The violations were a consequence of the CFR’s Board of Trustees having several individuals who are subject to international sanctions and the CFR organizing chess events in illegally occupied parts of Ukraine. The CFR was conditionally sanctioned by a two-year exclusion of membership in FIDE, including any participation in FIDE meetings and events. This sanction is suspended for three years provided that the CFR:
abolishes its Board of Trustees or ensures that those individuals currently subject to international sanctions resign or are terminated from their positions therein within 60 days and immediately ceases all of its chess-related activities in the occupied parts of Ukraine; Crimea and parts of Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk regions, including allowing players and/or teams from such territories to participate in CFR chess events.
The EDC noted that “if the CFR fails to meet these conditions of suspension within the 60-day period, the sanction imposed (…) will take immediate effect and be of full force.”
The two-year ban only applies to chess officials and does not affect the rights of players, arbiters, trainers, and clubs belonging to the CFR to participate in chess activities.
Dvorkovich
Arkady Dvorkovich. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
Dvorkovich was found to be in violation of different parts of the Ethics Code:
act as role model; damage to FIDE’s reputation or bring chess into disrepute; avoidance of improper association; involvement with association or person whose activity is inconsistent with the objectives or interests of FIDE.
These violations are related to Dvorkovich being a member of the CFR’s Board of Trustees as well. He was sanctioned with a “reprimand” and has been urged to resign from the board within 60 days. Although this does not involve an actual penalty, the ruling is still significant for finding that the highest functionary within the International Chess Federation acted improperly as president. (https://www.chess.com/news/view/chess-federation-russia-2-year-ban-dvorkovich-reprimanded-fide-ethics-commission)
“The question is whether he is sort of permanently broken from the last world championship that he played. I’m not sure, but I think there is a possibility that he could be,” said Magnus Carlsen.
The fact is that after reading the following headline it would have been natural for most people in the Chess world to assume Nepo would be the one ‘going mental’: World Championship Game 12: Nepo falls apart, Ding evens the score by Carlos Alberto Colodro (4/26/2023 (https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-championship-2023-g12)
After reading comments made by the highest rated, and best living Chess player, Magnus Carlsen, this writer decided to spend time reviewing many of the myriad articles concerning Ding Liren and his mental condition.
Because of a confluence of two different events, the pandemic, and the Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit, the Royal Game enjoyed a Boom. Those of us who have been around since the time of the rise of Bobby Fischer
have experienced what usually follows the Boom, which is a Bust. People who depend on the incoming digits from parents of the myriad children coming into the Chess world live in fear of anything that might cause those parents to stop “anteing up.” It would be bad enough if only one top Grandmaster ‘went mental’ and had a dreaded “mental breakdown,” but when both of the players who contested the last World Chess Championship have had mental problems the stress of Chess can no longer be denied.
This was the headline in an article seen at Chessbase a week ago:
Ding Liren for Indian Express: “I need to show at least my second-best version”
by ChessBase
5/23/2024 – The Norway Chess super-tournament will start on Monday, with a stellar 6-player field including world champion Ding Liren and world number one Magnus Carlsen. In a recent interview conducted by The Indian Express, Ding talked about his expectations for the event in Stavanger, the pressures connected to having become the world champion and his preparation for the World Championship match against D Gukesh. (https://en.chessbase.com/post/ding-liren-indian-express-2024)
The headline left this writer incredulous. What followed was unbelievable:
“My aim is not to finish in last place”
It has been difficult wrapping my mind around the fact that the WORLD CHESS CHAMPION said those words. This followed:
Right after becoming the 17th undisputed world chess champion in April of last year, Ding Liren finished eighth at the Superbet Classic in Romania. Due to fatigue and health-related issues, he refrained from participating in rated tournaments until January this year. Three underwhelming performances followed, at the Tata Steel Masters, the Freestyle G.O.A.T. Challenge and the Grenke Chess Classic. The world champion is now set to face an extremely strong field, including Magnus Carlsen, at the Norway Chess super-tournament.
Now that we know that Gukesh will be the next challenger for the world crown, Indian mainstream media is interested in learning more about the current champion. In an interview conducted by Amit Kamath for The Indian Express, Ding talked about his expectations for the event in Stavanger, the pressures connected to having become the world champion and his preparation for the World Championship match against Gukesh.
On Magnus Carlsen’s comments about him possibly being “permanently broken”.
“He tried to state the truth. He said what he feels. After the world championship, it was very difficult (time) for me, at first I was exhausted (by the rigours of competing at the World Championship). Then, I was ill. But now I can say that I have recovered from the illness. But still, my strength is not back to my best version.” (https://en.chessbase.com/post/ding-liren-indian-express-2024)
Ding mentions his “illness” without describing exactly what was that illness. Ding says he has “…recovered from the illness,” which is good, but again, he does not mention the name of his “illness.” As this is being written Ding has shown his “best version” is a thing of the past as he is in last place at the Norway Chess event, a tournament using Armageddon, and therefore of absolutely no interest to this writer. For the record, Hikaru Nakamura leads with ten points, one more than the best Chess player in the world, Magnus Carlsen. The player above Ding in the six player field, and obviously not having a good event, Fabiano Caruana, has twice as many points as Ding Liren, who is obviously broken.
It is more than a little obvious the FIDE functionaries could have cared less about the mental health of the players involved, one of whom had an immediate mental melt down during the match. The other melted down after the match ended. Because Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi went into full tilt mode Ding Liren won the match and became the FIDE World Chess Champion, but not the actual World Chess Champion. Magnus Carlsen is the best and highest rated Chess player playing these daze, and the generally acknowledged Chess Champion of the World.
The transformation of Ding Liren: From ‘depressed’ and shaky to becoming China’s first male world chess champion After what seemed like a lung-bursting photo-finish to a marathon that was run over 20 days, Ding Liren emerged victorious on Sunday.
Ding Liren reacts after becoming the 17th world chess champion. (Photo: FIDE/Stev Bonhage)
Earlier the Legendary Georgia Ironman informed me of what happened in the game between Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren today, which was tragic. It is obvious Ding Liren is shattered.
If this were a boxing match the referee would have stopped the fight days ago. That was the thought after having read an article in The Indian Express which follows:
Hikaru Nakamura on Ding Liren: ‘Very concerned for him against Gukesh, world champ doesn’t look right, was literally shaking’ At the Norway Chess event so far, Ding has lost his last three games in the classical format itself: before losing to Nakamura, he was defeated by Alireza Firouzja (in round 4) and Fabiano Caruana (round 3).
Written by Amit Kamath Stavanger (norway) | Updated: June 2, 2024 22:06 IST
Ding Liren’s horror run of results after he became the world champion continued as he was forced to resign against World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura in 54 moves in a round 5 encounter at the Norway Chess tournament.
At the Norway Chess event so far, Ding has lost his last three games in the classical format itself: before losing to Nakamura, he was defeated by Alireza Firouzja (in round 4) and Fabiano Caruana (round 3). He held Magnus Carlsen to a draw but the world no 1 won in Armageddon later on. Ding’s game against Praggnanandhaa was a draw in the classical format with the Armageddon going the Chinese GM’s way, possibly the only bit of luck he has had so far in Stavanger. Things are unlikely to get any easier for the world champion as in the next round he faces Carlsen, who has now won his last two games at Norway Chess.
Hikaru Nakamura, Ding’s opponent on Saturday at Norway Chess, said he was concerned about Ding while he was playing the world champion. The American GM, who is a regular in the confessional booth at Norway Chess during games, made a few visits on Saturday as well. Nakamura said that while overall he was “happy with what was going on in the game”, he was a little concerned for Ding.
“I don’t know what’s going through Ding’s head. It’s a very, very strange situation to be in. You hear all the stories about Ding, this and that and the other thing! But I haven’t actually played him. Now seeing it in person, it is very clear that he’s not the same person he was back when I played him in 2022. Everything, including the body language, doesn’t feel right. I guess that’s one way of putting it. When you’ve played against these guys for so many years there are certain things you get used to. I would be very concerned for him for this upcoming World Championship match against Gukesh. He just doesn’t look right. Hopefully, he will be fine. Hopefully, he’ll be competitive. You still feel bad for the guy. He is the current world champion. It’s very, very awkward being in this situation, I think is what I would say,” Nakamura said. (https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/hikaru-nakamura-on-ding-liren-form-gukesh-9366527/)
In the game played today between the best human Chess player in the world and the World Chess Champion this was the position after Magnus Carlsen played the weak 29 Re4? in lieu of the best, according to Stockfish, move of 29 Bxd4:
Position after 29 Re4
After cogitating for what appears to be three minutes the World Chess Champion blundered horribly by moving his Rook to the b2 square.
In the best interest of Chess someone in authority should give strong consideration to ending this madness.
There I was minding my own business while reviewing games at lichess.org when the VII Festival Salamanca Cuna del Ajedrez Moderno was spotted. It was surprising to see the women were playing in the same event with the men. It was also surprising to see there were only forty minutes for the entire game. I almost clicked off to check out the “serious” Chess, but what goes for “serious” Chess these daze is not what it used to be…
I check out the games of players known and check out the openings looking for what can be called “offbeat” openings, which are being played much less often these daze than they were ‘back in the day’. The vast majority of openings currently played by the top players could be described as “same ol’, same ol’, openings. The variety is no longer there, and if I earned my living by playing Chess, I, too, would probably be forced to resort to the ol’ tried and true openings given the Stockfish seal of approval. The fact is that there has become a dull, boring, sameness to the opening of the games by the best players. For variety one must look to other, lesser, tournaments, such as Open and Senior events, which is where one can usually find the AW.
was the first board shown at lichess.org. It featured 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6. The second move of 2…a6 has been all the rage recently, but I wondered if that was only after 2 Nc3. Oh well, this old Nadjorf player was pleased to see Stockfish says 2…d6 is the best move. The real GM played the SF approved 3 Bb5. Stockfish says 3…g6 is best, but 3…e6, d6, and e5, all score the same +0.4. The Expert rated Woman Grandmaster essayed 3…g5!??!! I kid you not…
Position after 3…g5
This move reminded me of some of the moves seen in the skittles room at the old Atlanta Chess and What Other Game Center, aka, The House of Pain. I can hear Dauntless Don Mullis, after an opponent played a move like this, loudly announcing in his deep baritone voice, “Now there’s a Chess move!” That would be about a nanosecond before the Dauntless one would take that pawn offa the board. Don knew that if he did not take the pawn the response would be an immediate something about not having a hair on his derriere. Or maybe something about taking up a new game:
Kirill Alekseenko somehow managed to make it into the Candidates tournament before the pandemic. If memory serves, he was the lowest rated player who was given a wild card into the prestigious Candidates tournament in which a challenger for the World Chess Championship was chosen. From FIDE:
Alekseenko’s real breakthrough came in 2019 – his rating crossed the 2700 mark thanks to an excellent performance at the FIDE World Cup and to a third-place finish in the 2019 Grand Swiss, the strongest ever Swiss tournament. The latter result made him a possible participant of the Candidates Tournament. Upon completion of all the qualifying competitions, the President of the Chess Federation of Russia (the country-host of the Candidates Tournament) Andrey Filatov announced that Kirill Alekseenko has been granted a wild card. (https://www.fide.com/news/352)
Considering Alekseenko was the lowest rated player, by 64 points, a nice Chess number, he did well to finish out of last place, thanks to the man from China, Wang Hao, who finished one half point behind Alekseenko. Not much has been heard from Wang Hao in the past few years. What’s up with that?
GM Kirill Alekseenko, now know as, “No guts, no glory,” did not take the pawn.
I cannot make this stuff up, folks. I will not speculate why the gift was eschewed. It may give Alekseenko solace to know he is not the first player to refuse the gift.
This is being mentioned because of an article seen at chess.com earlier, When Bull Riding Meets Chess: Game Makes Its Move At 2024 PBR World Finals, by Leon Watson.
I cannot make this stuff up…
Brady Fielder (left) and Callum Miller play chess on the big screen at the PBR World Finals. Photo: PBR.
When Bull Riding Meets Chess: Game Makes Its Move At 2024 PBR World Finals
Leon Watson May 20, 2024 Chess.com News
Unleash the beast! Chess played its part at an unlikely event over the weekend—the 2024 Professional Bull Riding World Finals.
As PBR celebrated its most prestigious event of the year at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, two cowboys playing the game flashed up on the big screens.
Brady Fielder, world number eight, took on his fellow Australian bull rider Callum Miller for a promo clip announcing PBR’s forthcoming collaboration with Chess.com.
Both are known fans of the royal game, with Fielder especially being a regular presence on Chess.com. According to the promo, it was he who came out on top.
Fielder also performed well in the bull riding on the final championship Sunday of the season. He went 2-from-4 and collected a third-place aggregate finish, winning $178,600. Miller finished 42nd in the overall season standings and picked up $21,500.
Brazil’s Cassio Dias was crowned 2024 PBR World Champion for the first time and Rookie of the Year, becoming just the second rider in history to win the two coveted honors in the same season.
But wait…there’s MORE! When doing my due diligence by going to DuckDuckGo and typing the words “chess” and “bull riding” into the search engine this was regurgitated:
Kings or Pawns? Top Riders Go Unprotected in PBR’s Expansion Draft Chess Game
The ping pong balls will be flying at the league’s first Expansion Draft on April 10
Andrew Giangola Mar 21, 2024
It’s pro bull riding, but with an expansion draft coming up, PBR teams’ front offices are now sitting down to play some serious chess.
It is a long article so I will cut to the chess…
Here’s what turns checkers into chess: each rider who is now Expansion Draft eligible was assigned a draft valuation. If drafted by one of the two expansion teams, the team to which the rider was initially signed will receive that many lottery balls, which will be used to determine the No. 1 overall pick in an upcoming 2024 New Rider Draft.
Could it be General Managers Tina Battock of the Stampede and Casey Lane of the Ridge Riders are playing “call-my-bluff” with moves worthy of Fischer-Spassky level chess?
Stampede GM Tina Battock willing her team to a title. Bull Stock Media
That GM is for General Manager, not Grandmaster. The article concludes with:
I do not know about you but I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that out of all the Chess World Championships contested in the last half-century or so Andrew chose the Fischer vs Spassky match.
But wait…there’s MORE! Remember that due diligence mentioned earlier?
The title sounds like an oxymoron. The May 1 2024 issue the Marshall Spectator was in the inbox, which is always a treat. There is nothing like Chess and Poker for the children.
Across the Table, with Kai Chu- Why a Chess Dad Designed a Notation Book
Unlock 20% Off: Elevate Your Chess Journey with Chess Cannon Notation Book
As a novice chess player and dedicated chess dad, I originally learned chess just to teach my son the basics. My elder son, Leon, started playing in tournaments about three years ago and has been playing at The Marshall Chess Club for a year and a half. My younger daughter, Caroline, has been playing chess for less than a year and is also a member at The Marshall Chess Club.
Developing good notation habits and conducting post-game reviews are essential for any serious chess player. I previously bought hardcover notation books for my children, but found the options limited, the designs monotonous, the quality average, and the prices high. Therefore, I decided to design a better notation book. A superior notation book can encourage players to take the game more seriously, as has been the case for my children.
The Chess Cannon notation book stands out from other products on the market in several ways:
Inspiration: Every eight games, the book features an inspiring chess quote to motivate players. The first quote is “All I want to do, ever, is play chess” by Bobby Fischer. I’ve carefully selected quotes that resonate with young players and reflect the right approach to the game. For example, to discourage rash gameplay, one quote reads “When you play chess, the idea is to make good moves, not quick ones!” As players improve, they find quotes like “Good positions don’t win games, good moves do.” Some quotes are also meant to connect with chess parents, like myself. The last quote, “Chess is a great game. No matter how good one is, there is always somebody better,” reminds us that it’s normal for our children to lose to lower-rated players as they also need to challenge higher-rated players to grow.
Thoughtfulness: The book includes a clear board chart with notation explanations at the beginning, a dedicated time column for new players to track their pace, an hourglass icon next to move 40 as many tournaments use the 40/80 time control, 65 instead of 60 moves per game for longer games, and a journal page every eight games for recording chess thoughts.
Fun and Engagement: Players can express their feelings by circling out different face emojis about each game in a stats table and track their USCF rating progress in a chart at the end of the book.
Quality: The cover is made of synthetic leather and the inner pages uses 120gsm high quality paper. It features a pen holder, a concealed sheet compartment on the back cover, a ribbon bookmark, and a book band.
I am selling this notation book in limited quantities at ChessCannon.com. An exclusive 20% discount is available to all Marshall Chess Club members. You can purchase directly through this link. Simply add the product to your cart and use the coupon code ‘MARSHALL’ at checkout. Additionally, you can choose free local pickup at the Marshall Chess Club.
Kai Chu, Marshall Chess Club Member
Is that cool or what? There is more, much more, in the issue. I urge you to check it out!
A regular reader in another country posed the question, “Do you still chess?” Thank you sir for putting a smile on my face!
The answer is “Yes.” I just do not “Chess” as much these daze, but it is still part of my life. Your question reminded me of something recently read in an EXCELLENT book by GM Larry Kaufman, Chess Board Options. There will be more written about Larry’s book in the future.
On the last page, 219, in chapter 32: The future, Larry writes, “As for myself, although I’m generally in good health, I don’t know if I’ll resume serious over the board play once that is possible, as back trouble and poor vision make this problematic.”
Like Larry this writer also has a problematic back. Sitting for many hours can be injurious for anyone with a bad back. It is simply no longer possible for me to play two games a day, unless at a dramatically reduced time control. If, for example, the time control were G/2 and there was a break of at least one hour between rounds, and only two games were played that day, I might consider playing. Think about it for a moment… If there were two rated games played each day, and each game went the distance, that would mean two four hour games, which would be like working an eight hour job. ‘Back in the day’ I once played Chess beginning on Saturday morning at ten am. The third round game ended the NEXT DAY at two am, Sunday. My losing the fourth round game, which began at ten am, horribly and withdrawing will come as no surprise.
Most of my Chess these daze is watching games on Lichess.org, such as the recently completed Candidates tournament, which was again marred by having an unqualified player in the tournament, just like the last Candidates tournament. If Abasov, a player with whom I was completely unaware, had not participated Nepo would have finished with 71/2 points, a half point more than Gukesh, Nakamura, and Caruana. Nevertheless, I watched some of the action because two Americans, Fabby and Naka, were playing for what possibly would be there last chance to become World Champ, even if they would not be the best Chess player on the planet.
I do, though, enjoy reading about Chess. Occasionally I will check out the action around the world, with a focus on Senior events, and players with which I am familiar, and openings, many now discredited, such as the following game, played in the Grenke Chess Open 2024, which featured the Dutch opening, which has rapidly fallen out of favor, especially at the top, so it is invariably nice to see the opening played by a player the caliber of Gata Kamsky.
After replaying the game rather quickly I returned to Lichess.co and the real time game…learning the game had been agreed drawn at the very spot I had left to check out the opening at 365Chess.com. The so-called “game” and I use the word loosely, can be located here: (https://lichess.org/broadcast/grenke-chess-open-2024–boards-1-60/round-7/kEy29TXZ/j7agjk3e)
After seeing the truncated game I will admit to having wondered why my time had been wasted watching Chess.
FIDE’s Call For World Championship Bids Sparks Reactions
TarjeiJS
May 4, 2024
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has made a call for bids for the 2024 World Championship match with budget figures that have stirred a debate in the chess community.
A few weeks after the conclusion of the Candidates Tournament, FIDE has already turned its attention to the next world championship match. The reigning champion, GM Ding Liren, will face the challenger, GM Gukesh Dommaraju. The match is scheduled to take place between November 20 and December 15, and now the hunt for an organizer has begun.
Last week, the governing chess body issued the first call for bids for the match. Compared to FIDE’s call for bids for the 2023 match, this one had some new requirements:
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. (https://www.fide.com/fide/about-fide)
The above is what most call “Theory”. In “Practice” FIDE stands for, “Federation International Dollar Exchange. The unOfficial FIDE song is:
Although I try not to emend a post this is being done because the Discman (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/the-discman/) left a comment concerning possible songs that could have gone with the post, one of which is one of my all-time favorite songs. The other was completely new to me.
who was an “African American from Atlanta who broke the color line in the Southern Chess Association in 1951 and the GCA in the 1960s; Atlanta Chess Association vice president (1963) and president (1965-1967); organizer, journalist, and instructor.”
Mr. Scott, which is how I always addressed the man, was my friend. I would visit him at his office at the Atlanta Daily World newspaper and we would play Chess. That would have been in the early 1970s when I first became interested in Chess. There was much racism ‘back in the day’ and yours truly had a choice to make, because my family was like everyone else. I recall a time when those with darker skin were marching and had shut down the interstate highway. My family was gathered around the TV watching the event when cousin Carl asked, “What do you think about what we’re seeing, Michael?” The answer was immediate, “If my skin were dark I’d be out there with them.” There was complete silence. My choice had been made. The VietNam “conflict”, a completely unnecessary and wanton killing of innocent people, was raging and I was marching against the “conflict.” Everyone must make choices in life. Not all of my choices have been the right ones, but that choice is one of the ones for which I am most proud. Some years ago a Chess player, Frank Johnson,
a strong player on the losing end of a vote for POTGCA (Fun Fong [https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/gca-president-renounces-chess/] was, unfortunately, the winning candidate) came to the Ironman Chess Club, saying, “I’ve been playing with some of the old guys (Joe Scott, George Leite, and Stan Sherman, etc.) and they all speak highly of you, Mike.”
Bob Joiner was my friend. After being taught how to play Chess by my father he beat me several times, which sent me to a bookstore, where the book, “How To Play Chess,” written by Fred Reinfeld, was purchased.
I refused my father’s offer to play again until after having read the entire book. I was fifteen or sixteen at the time. The next time we played I shocked my father by winning. He demanded another game, which he lost. Ronald became irate and swept the board clean of all the pieces. We never played again.
After hearing about it, cousin Carl Hendrix, who worked for Eastern Airlines, mentioned a fellow employee who played Chess. That man was Bob Joiner, who won the 1969 Georgia State Chess Championship 5-0. For many years I wondered what would have happened if I had met Bob four years earlier than when first playing in a USCF tournament. After learning I have Aphantasia (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2023/05/26/aphantasia/) the realization struck that it would not have mattered when I first began playing the Royal Game. I would go by Bob’s office near 5 Points in downtown Atlanta and we would walk to a sandwich shop and return to his office with the sammy’s, and play Chess. Because Bob was a Public Defender, one who once helped me out of a legal jam, I did pro bono investigations for him. Some years ago the USCF sold bricks that would be inscribed, and placed along with other bricks. Bob purchased one of the bricks and I made a point of looking at it during a visit to Crossville, Tennessee. Bill Hall was in charge then and as we stood there looking at the bricks I told him about the time Bob offered to purchase one of those bricks for me, to be placed beside his brick, because I had won the 1976 Atlanta Chess Championship 5-0, but I declined his offer. Obviously puzzled, Bob wanted to know why I refused. “Because the USCF HQ will not be here long enough for it to matter, Bob,” I stated.
That was written to give you an idea of what kind of man my friend Robert Joiner was.
Prior to the beginning of that 1969 Georgia State Chess Championship some (most?) of the players got together and decided to ask Mr. William A. Scott to “play in a separate room.
Bob Joiner, (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/atlanta/name/john-joiner-obituary?id=6859499) to his everlasting credit, took a stand, refusing to go along with the others. Bob led the small group who felt Mr. Scott should be allowed to play in the same room as everyone else, and they were ready, willing, and able, to not play in the event unless Mr. Scott was allowed to play alongside them. The racists backed down, and Mr. Scott was allowed to play in the main room.
Bob Joiner was not one of the chosen ones to be installed in the new Georgia Chess HOF, which is one of the most egregious mistakes ever made by the people in charge of Chess in the Great State of Georgia. Bob not being chosen speaks volumes about those in charge of the GCA. Only one person on the GCA board reached out to this writer and former player to ask for my thoughts on who should be in the new GCA HOF, Wayne Schmuggerow. After checking, I see Smuggy, like so many others, abandoned the GCA ship. There is a reason. The website shows not one, but two vacancies on the GCA board of directors. It is no secret the GCA is in a sorry condition. All one needs to do if you disagree is surf on over to the pitifully moribund website (https://www.georgiachess.org/) to understand why I am disparaging the Chess organization of MY HOME STATE.
It was not easy going against the mores and prevailing ‘wisdom’ of the time. My friend Bob Joiner took a very important stand ‘back in the day’. For him to have been overlooked, or excluded, for whatever reason, is reprehensible. When it comes to Chess I am embarrassed and ashamed to say I am from Georgia.
Armchair Warrior 