What would a week in the chess world be without an open letter or two? Resisting the urge to yell "Catfight!" I post below one from two Georgian WGMs from June 4 protesting the way the recently completed women's world championship was organized, or not organized. Today FIDE sent out a reply in the form of a letter signed by the event's winner, Antoaneta Stefanova, and the other finalist.
A cynical student of FIDE would wonder whether they received their prize money before or after agreeing to sign this letter, but of course we aren't that cynical yet, are we? Ahem. What was clear from the beginning of this mess was that FIDE and its leadership [sic] bet on the wrong horse in Georgia with Abashidze and had to save face in a hurry when their thug-du-jour had to run for his life. (Mentioned in the DD here and here.) It's great that they managed to get the event together at all, and from all reports it was run smoothly in Elista. But that doesn't mean they can sweep the entire disaster under the carpet. Full text of both letters below.
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ACP Board [Fri Jun 04th, 04:27]
Our slogan is "FIDE without Azmaiparashvili"
ADDRESS TO FIDE, ECU, ACP, ALL WORLD NATIONAL CHESS FEDERATIONS, ALL COLLEAGUES AND CHESS FRIENDS
By the International Grandmasters Ana Matnadze and Lela Javakhishvili
We would like to share our deep concern regarding the situation in Georgia Chess Federation, the conduct of the 2004 Women's World Chess Championship and, in particular, immoral and unjust behavior of Mr.Zurab Azmaiparashvili, the Vice President of FIDE.
As you know, the Women's World Chess Championship was supposed to be held in Batumi, the capital of Georgia's Autonomous Republic of Ajaria. Due to the political tensions in the region, the Georgian government could not provide security guarantees for the participants of the competition. Georgia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Sports and Culture have both made official statements regarding this fact.
By the time when Mr.Azmaiparashvili invited the president of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to Ajaria to sign the contract with Mr.Abashidze (the head of Georgia's Autonomous Republic of Ajaria, who governed the region in an increasingly dictatorial manner) regarding the World's Women Championship in Batumi, Mr.Abashidze had bascially declared full disobedience to the central government. He blocked all of the main roads, banning Georgian government officials from entering the region. He also violently dispersed peaceful demonstrations in Ajaria. For this very reason, the Georgian government could not guarantee security for the participants of the Championship. President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili during his meeting with Mr.Ilyumzhinov in Tbilisi, suggested to move the World Championship instead to the country's capital Tbilisi. President Saakashvili guaranteed provision of all security guar tees, as well as the necessary sum of 700,000 USD.
However, this offer was refused. Instead the championship was moved to Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. Later FIDE board members informed the public from Batumi that the winners of the World Championship would receive a special prize named after Aslan Abashidze.
This decision, which we protested, came at the time when Mr.Abashidze's security forces blew up key bridges isolating Ajaria from the rest of Georgia and brutally dispersed a peaceful rally of students and teachers. Mr.Azmaiparashvili returned to Tbilisi after the mass demonstrations in Batumi forced Aslan Abashidze to resign and flee Georgia. At the time when the entire Georgia was celebrating the bloodless revolution and liberation of Ajaria from Aslan Abashidze's regime, Mr.Azmaiparashvili enthusiastically told the world that in addition to the Aslan Abashidze's prize, the official name of the championship itself would be "Aslan Abashidze's Gift to the World Chess."
We protested these decisions. Azmaiparashvili responded with usual for him aggressiveness towards an opinion different from his own. He treated us in a hostile and intimidating manner, using inappropriate and vulgar language and bringing to tears our mothers who were also present at the meeting. Mr.Azmaiparashvili also pressured us into refusing to participate in the championship, hence forcing us to give up our right to the competition which we gained absolutely independently from both Mr.Azmaiparashvili and Mr.Abashidze.
Participation in the World Championship was extremely important to us, but because we believed we could not be protected against Mr.Azmaiparashvili's aggressive behavior in Elista, we decided to refuse to take part in the championship. We changed our minds only after Nana Alexandria, a famous Grandmaster who has always served as a great example to us, asked us to reconsider our decision and Georgia's Ministry of Sports and Culture and Board members of the Georgia's Chess Federation decided that Nona Gaprindashvili would bare personal responsibility for our protection from Mr.Azmaiparashvili's aggression. Unfortunately the arrangement did not work. In Elista, Zurab Azmaiparashvili and his wife Marina Milorava continued to put psychological pressure on us. Upon our arrival, we had problems with accommodation and would have had to spend the night in the street if it were not for the kindness of our Georgian friends and colleagues. In Elista, Azmaiparashvili's wife Marina Milorava was in charge of the logistical support.
Remarkably, Mrs.Milorava serves as the Vice President of Tbilisi Chess Federation. Due to the recommendation of her husband Zurab Azmaiparashvili she is also the Secretary General of the Black Sea Chess Association and is FIDE's International Organizer.
We believe that all Chess Federations around the world must be informed about the above-mentioned facts. It is our strong belief that the Chess World both in Georgia and across Europe would be much better off without involvement of an aggressive and biased person like Mr.Azmaiparashvili. We believe that a man who abuses his position and attempts to influence negatively chess players and their careers should not be part of the management and decision making process at either National federation level, or especially at FIDE.
This is why we call for all Chess Federations and professional chess associations around the world to support our cause, to share our slogan "FIDE without Azmaiparashvili" and to comment on this letter.
International Grandmasters
Ana Matnadze
Lela Javakhishvili
P.S. Any suggestions or opinions warmly welcome.
Contact:
GEOYCA@hotmail.com
anaterine@hotmail.com
matnadze@yahoo.com
lelajavakhishvili@yahoo.com
Thanks.
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[SENT OUT BY FIDE, JUNE 9, 2004]
ADDRESS
TO FIDE, ECU, ACP, ALL COLLEAGUES AND CHESS LOVERS
We were very much bewildered, after having attentively read the open letter of the Georgian Grandmasters Matnadze and Javakhishvili, published on the ACP site under the motto "FIDE without Zurab Azmaiparashvili”. We would like to send our following comments as our reply to this letter in our quest far the fair play and without mixing political implications of such a declaration:
1. Z. Azmaiparashvili , a professional chess player, who continues to play in various top tournaments, at the same time uses his energy for the promotion of the chess movement and is an organizer of numerous tournaments not only in his own country, but all over the world. His contribution to the popularization of chess as a sport is invaluable.
2. The said Women's World Chess Championship, the hosting of which was initially planned in Tbilisi, then Batumi, where Mr. Azmaiparashvili and Mr. Aslan Abashidze had spent so many efforts, did not take place in either of these cities not because of the fault of the organizers, but due to the change of the political leadership of Georgia and following events. After the decision was taken to transfer the Championship venue to Elista in the same dates, Mr. Asian Abashidze behaved in a courageous manner and did not take back his word to sponsor this tournament, which brought on him the gratitude not only of the participants of the Women's World Championship, but of millions of fans of this ancient game. The cooperation between the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Aslan Abashidze during the period of more than 5 years, has brought its yield and now we arc in a position to declare to the world that the Women's World Chess Championship did take place and the organization of this large scale event, despite the time pressure, has been excellent.
3. We, undersigned, would like to thank Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Asian Abashidze and Zurab Azmaiparashvili for their activities for the sake of chess movement and express our hope that this fruitful cooperation shall receive in the future its continuation in the realization of further numerous projects and tournaments.
Women's World Chess Champion
Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria)
Women's World Chess Vice Champion
Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (Russia)
Any suggestions, you say? Well, when someone makes my mother cry, I like to stand in front of the culprit with two large house bricks in my hands, bringing them firmly and swiftly together somewhere below his waistband and...
Oh, I see what you mean. Okay well - I would like to see players finally agree that enough is bleedin' well enough and to stop playing in FIDE events, en-masse. Together we stand, divided we get shunted into war zones as the playthings of dictators and ne'er-do-wells. I have no issue with the holding in Elista as such, but the continued deferral to Mr Abashi-dodge-ze-bullet is beyond a joke. Well, it would be if I didn't find it amusing to make fun of his name, but I certainly wouldn't like to be in the young ladies' situation.
Action is going to be difficult. I understand that people have to make a living; there seems to be no way out. I can also see that the Championship might have been called off if FIDE and Azmaiparashvili hadn't taken the stance that they did, but the very fact that they entered into such an agreement is a trifle worrying, wouldn't you say? Even "I" would see sense and consider there might have been problems ahead. Tsk-tsk, *shakes accusing finger at FIDE*
In the meantime, I await Mr. Ilyumzhimov's announcement of the 'Joseph Stalin Memorial Contest' with baited breath. First entrant to make sixty moves in a minute gets a box of chocolates and the World Championship Title. Hurrah!
There is a reply of the Georgian players published by several webs there. I think the war against mafiosis is getting "to be continued..."
Reply of Ana Matnadze and Lela Javakhishvili
to World Champion’s address Antoaneta Stefanova
and Vice-Champion Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
First of all we would like to congratulate Antoaneta Stefanova and Ekaterina Kovalevskaya with their outstanding accomplishments which they achieved despite of fierce competition – they did their best and justly became World Champion and Vice World Champion – Congratulations!
Nevertheless, there was one thing that concerns us. Antoaneta is one of the most admirable persons for us, whenever we see her in different tournaments, she is always provoking only the most positive feelings. But we, being citizens of the Republic of Georgia, can not congratulate her with getting the award which is, for some reason, named after Aslan Abashidze. We believe that Antoaneta did not have the relevant information and did not know, that she was getting an award named after a person, who recently had to flee Georgia, a person, who is more often called a dictator. President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili addressed Georgian population congratulating Abashidze’s flee to Russia: “Georgians! Aslan has fled! Adjara is now liberated and free! I congratulate you all with the beginning of new Era!”
We remained rather surprised after we read their address, as far as it can not be considered as a proper reply to the questions and problems we posed; besides, we have certain doubts, that their reply does not completely express their views, as far as we noticed very familiar style in it:
The fact that Zurab Azmaiparashvili is a professional chess player and not a lumberjack is common knowledge in Georgia . Of course, nobody is trying to claim the opposite. As for the popularization of chess in Russia and Bulgaria, we can not comment on this, but we can say what he has done in this respect in Georgia – his speeches, rude addresses, fake statements, we believe, lowered the prestige that chess and Georgian chess players had in Georgia – if you look at the newspaper articles, interviews of chess players and chess-lovers, you can clearly see this.
As for the possibility of organizing the Word Championship in Georgia – in our letter we stressed the fact, that Georgian Government was ready to hold it in Tbilisi and even provided 700 000 USD for its organization. But for some reasons, it seems, this idea did not appeal to Azmaiparashvili – we hope that if you ask him he could provide you with the reasons why he would not accept this proposal top hold Championship in Tbilisi.
As for the idea of ‘thanking’ Abashidze, there is only one thing left that we could dream of , that Osama bin Laden becomes interested in the organization of chess tournaments. It’s a pity that neither Saddam Hussein nor Pablo Escobar can join him.
And finally, we would like to address FIDE: publish our letters too, otherwise FIDE website looks more like a ‘one man show'.
http://www.chessville.com/News/ReplyofAnaMatnadzeandLelaJavakhishvili.htm
http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/chess.html
http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=168
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1702
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1721#georgians
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