Violent turn in chess
By QUAH SENG SUNLET ME introduce you to a paradigm shift in chess. For ages, violence in chess is usually limited to the confines of the chessboard. And believe me, a chess game can get pretty violent. Queens and Bishops, and not to mention the lowly Pawns too, are wont to give up their lives gloriously and violently so that the Knights and the Rooks can smote a fatal blow on the opponent’s King.
But there are, of course, a few isolated cases of violence in chess, attributed to the more eccentric among the old chess masters.
For example, one of the few known instances of violence in chess occurred maybe a century ago when that redoubtable master of the hyper-modern school, Aron Nimzowitsch, threw a tantrum after losing a game. He stood up to hurl the chessboard and pieces across the room, loudly protesting: “Why must I lose to this idiot?”
Now, fast forward to the present. In Calvia, Spain, where the Chess Olympiad was held, participants and chess officials were stunned by the violence that accompanied the unprecedented arrest of a chess VIP by the Spanish police.
Zurab Azmaiparashvili, one of the vice-presidents of the World Chess Federation (Fide), was trying to make his way up the stage at the closing ceremony of the Chess Olympiad when he was blocked by the Spanish security men for no other reason than that it was not officially planned in the programme.
There are differing accounts of what actually happened but the Spanish organisers insisted that the violence was started by Azmaiparashvili.
But according to eye-witnesses among the chess federations that sat not more than one or two metres away, Azmaiparashvili was not the instigator of the violence. The Fide vice-president was agitated when some medals and special awards were not given out and he tried to get as close as possible to the stage to catch the attention of the Fide president. But before anything took place, the security men pushed Azmaiparashvili back.
According to Paul Troung, captain of the United States chess team, at no time was Azmaiparashvili the aggressor. “He defended himself when he was constrained by a number of security people.
“All he did was try to get the attention of the Fide officials on stage, to correct the errors before the closing ceremony ended. I don't think he did anything wrong. He may have been loud but I can understand his frustration. After all, this is the Olympiad, a premier tournament and it is inconceivable to forget to award or mention the most prestigious accomplishments.”
Several security men, some in plain clothes, wrestled Azmaiparashvili to the floor, dragged him out of the hall, put him into a car and took him to the police station.
Fide’s other vice-presidents, Georgios Makropulos and Morten Sand, rushed to the police station and requested to see Azmaiparashvili but their request was denied. Suddenly, Azmaiparashvili was led away by handcuffs, put into a car and driven to another prison. Fide’s lawyers were also denied access to see him.
A furious Fide accused the Spanish Chess Federation and the organisers of the Chess Olympiad of refusing to intervene in the incident and prevent it from escalating.
In demanding a public apology from the Spanish organisers and the immediate unconditional release of Azmaiparashvili, Fide also questioned the motives of the Spanish Chess Federation for treating a Fide official with VIP accreditation in this aggressive manner.
Azmaiparashvili was released from custody some 40 hours later, sporting a huge black eye.
The Spanish Chess Federation and the Chess Olympiad organisers continued to be unrepentant and maintained their position that Azmaiparashvili had tried to gain admittance to the stage without authorisation.
In trying to push responsibility away from themselves, the Spanish organisers are now even demanding disciplinary action to be taken against, ostensibly, Azmaiparashvili.
How this drama is going to unfold in the next few months remains to be seen, but the belligerent nature of the Spanish organisers will not sit well with Fide.
UP NEXT
Johor Baru openTHE Johor Baru District Chess Association will hold its 10th Johor Baru open chess tournament at the Plaza Pelangi in Johor Baru on Nov 21. Entries close on Nov 19. For details, contact Narayanan Krishnan (07-333 8215, naraa@tm.net.my).
Union age-group
THERE will be a seven-round Union age-group chess tournament for under-16, under-14, under-12, under-10 and under-8 players at the Union Primary School in Jalan Burma, Penang, on Nov 21. To register, contact Loo Swee Leong (016-423 1168, leoloo168yahoo.com) or Lim Poay Sim (012-490 1822, pslim159@hotmail.com).
PCA grand prix, 4th leg
THE Penang Chess Association (PCA) will hold the fourth leg of its annual PCA Grand Prix at the clubhouse of the Residents’ Association of Bayan Baru on Dec 5. For more information, contact Marcus Yeoh (012-472 3873, marcusypl@yahoo.com) or Tan Eng Seong (012-429 9517, estan64@streamyx.com).
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