Doping scandal shocks the world… of chess
by Michael LoRe
Thursday December 11, 2008, 6:02 PM
No, this latest doping scandal doesn’t involve Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or Floyd Landis.
But rather pawns, queens, rooks, knights and Chess Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk.
The Ukrainian professional chess whiz failed to submit a urine sample after the Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany.
So since he didn’t play by the rules, he is being accused of doping.
Ivanchuk aka “Big Chunky” could face a two-year ban.
“I was standing outside the playing hall, alongside New Zealand delegate Bob Gibbons, and witnessed Ivanchuk kick a large concrete pillar, then bang his fists on the food service counter a couple of times, before storming past where we were standing,” Australian blogger Shaun Press recalled.
Roid rage, anyone??
I bet Bobby Fischer (RIP) would never stoop this low. Sure, he might have expressed very anti-American and anti-Semitic opinions, but drugs… never.
Source: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com
what scandal? Chess players never wanted to hear about doping. It’s obvious to me that some guys would be interested by taking some pills to stay at their top during for instance a 10 days high ranked tournament. It’s time for us to open up our eyes and accept that our idols are simply human beeings.
so you are suggesting that it is okay to do drugs when competing?
So we’re calling him “Big Chunky” now, huh? LOL.
I can’t think of a drug that would improve one’s ability to play chess. My chances against a coked out or speeded out player would be much better than if the player exercised, ate a good diet, and got 8 hours sleep before a game. This entire episode is absurd.
There isn’t a drug, yet, that can turn a 2100 player into a 2500 player. BUT .. there are drugs that can help a 2500 player maintain their stamina, and therefore their playing strength, into the 5th or 6th hour of a critical game. Or help them hold steady during the latter rounds of a grueling tournament. It is naive that to think such drugs would not be used by some players if the money or other coveted prizes were lucrative enough.
The fact that someone is naive enough to think that there are no drugs that could help a chess player is shocking.
What do you think ADD drugs do? Help people focus. Drugs for stamina, drugs to keep someone more alert(awake), drugs that can help mentally in a number of different ways.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply ignorant to the fact that someone at the top level of any competitive activity would seek an edge on their competition.
It happens in all competitive activities. Track and Field, Football, Cricket, Marksmanship, Archery, Skiing, and yes, probably chess too. When money and prestige are involved you can bet that someone will seek an edge whether legal or not.
Oh come on.
There are no drugs that can affect chess. Its stupid. I used to drink a ton of coffee before a game. Guess thats an infraction too?
It’s a stupid subject.
I bet Bobby Fischer (RIP) would never stoop this low.
How low? Using drugs? The article mentions this, as if it would be proven that Ivanchuk used drugs. The total disintegration of the basic principle “innocent until PROVEN guilty”. And submitting to somewhat dehumanizing procedures is NOT being proven guilty.
Let me make something very clear.
Random test for anything, is violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States: search without a reasonable cause/suspicion. End of story, this can’t even be debated.
The typical excuse “why wouldn’t he, if he is innocent” is automatically means that the person is suspected without any PRIOR cause or reason. The suspicion is the result of the refusal of a basically unconstitutional search. I am even against roadblocks for any reason, where the alleged “cause” is nothing more than somebody going THAT WAY, instead of ANOTHER WAY. But the world is bending more and more to allow fundamentally dictatorial style habits. Only in the formerly communist countries (like Hungary, right Susan?) was the police allowed to stop people for no particular reason to “identify themselves”. The random drug tests are no different. People should understand that fundamental principles are at stake.
Even with athletes, where drug usage is rampant, but among chess players? That is the most outrageous and ridiculous thing I ever heard. How many chess players in history was ever suspected and caught for drug usage? C’mmon people, wake up and smell the rose (smell what rose? I let you all figure it out).
Somebody wrote here about the beta blockers, hyperventilation and all that. It is plain silly.
The one an only chemical a chess player MAY obtain advantage would be amphetamines. However, as a physician I can assure you it is a myth. Amphetamines will make you feel like that you are mentally fresh, but in reality you are not. And if the chess world went on for at least a century without chess players being even accused that they won because of some performance enhancing drugs, I think it is reasonable to assume that it is not an issue in chess.
WADA became a world agency, which produces its own justification of existence and more and more people make a good living out of it. That’s the reason for the rapid spreading of WADA.
FIDE should kick out WADA. Chess will not be allowed to become an olympic sport, no matter how much FIDE is trying to kiss up to IOC.
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Meanwhile chess is struggling with popularity, struggling to remain significant. If future chess players also will be exposed to humiliating “urinate in this jar please and if we find the trace of some of the hundreds of banned chemicals, many of them ordinary items in otherwise legal food products, we will humiliate you, ban you, persecute you, may even prosecute you” is NOT going to increase the dwindling popularity of chess. Today, simply outstanding performance brings the suspicion of drugs. Remember Usain Bolt’s spectacular performance on the Olympics. The next day, along with the news it was there:”did he use drugs?”. Imagine the outcry when Bobby Fischer trashed Larsen, Taimanov and Petrosjan, if it happened today. Would Fischer have submitted to drug tests? No way. And they would have banned Bobby Fischer from playing chess? What a sick joke.
I for one am totally outraged about the Ivanchuk scandal. FIDE should take a stand, kick out and ignore WADA and let the chess players play chess the way they did for thousands of years.
Chucky is afraid that they are going to find the green leafy drug in his system, You know, a big fat joint before a game calms the nerves. Nothing like smoking a “fatty” just before a chess tournament! Haven’t you noticed that Chucky and Topa are always late to breakfast at tournaments? Both of them are sharing a fat blunt to take the edge off the morning!
Its real easy!
Lay of Chucky and let him enjoy his sweet leaf.
First, The United States’ 4th amendment to the constitution wouldn’t apply here as it didn’t occur on US soil. I am an American, but I DO have to point this out.
The reason for the anti-drug stance FIDE has taken is to get recognition to have chess as an Olympic event. Yes, the big time Olympics. I doubt this would ever happen, as most people don’t consider chess as a sport. The bigwigs consider chess as much of an olympic sport as monopoly, sad but true.
However, since all other players submitted to a drug test, why should Ivanchuk be exempt? It’s been known that FIDE had implemented this rule, it’s not like he didn’t go into the event not knowing he could be tested.
So this leaves the “guilty by action” stigma to him, like when OJ took the police on a chase in his SUV, before being arrested on the murder charges. But OJ was found “Not Guilty” (NOT “Innocent”) of the chargess at any rate. What does this have to do with Ivanchuk’s situation? By NOT submitting to the test, he makes it look like he has something to hide.
But the main points are: This was not an American event, so no “amendment” would help his case, and he went into the tournament knowing that drug tests would happen, why should all the other players submit to them but not him? This may cost him a 2 year suspension from FIDE events, so this makes everyone think, that with such dire consequences, why would he not submit to the test?
I can understand a political statement, but has he come out with an open letter saying that was his point? I don’t think I’ve seen one, but there may be one out there. I follow the chess news fairly well, and haven’t seen “Ivanchuk replies to charges” yet. It just makes him and his actions very suspicious, whether or NOT he took some enhancer or not, if he didn’t, why risk all this and put himself against the wall? That is what makes it a scandal. I just hope it all turns out for the best, the player and the Olympiad, so there is no stain on either one.
“Gabor” said: Random test for anything, is violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States: search without a reasonable cause/suspicion. End of story, this can’t even be debated.
Oh, well, all right then; clearly that applies to the entire universe as usual?
The reason for the anti-drug stance FIDE has taken is to get recognition to have chess as an Olympic event.
And do you honestly believe, that just because of that, the IOC will make chess an olympic event? Surely, you can’t be serious.
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I know that the American Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply from a legal standpoint. However, people of the currently still somewhat free world should support it. Otherwise the rapidly growing technology will turn this world into a 1984 scenario so fast, that everybody head will spin. Based on the random drug test concept, why not an RFID to everybody when they are born? Hey, if you are innocent, you have nothing to be afraid of that the authorities know exactly where you are at any moment in your life. Right? Why not cameras in all homes, picture broadcasted to the local police station. Hey, if you are innocent, you have nothing to be afraid of, if they see what you are doing. Right?
Do you think this is exaggeration? Don’t. They are just logical next steps, since the technology even exists. I am not even mentioning anything in the potential near future technology.
I find it amazing, how easily people consent to give up freedom. Of course, it always starts with someone else’s freedom.
Caption:
Chucky: See, I hide dope under pawns, never rooks or bishops.
The police never suspect pawns.