I was very sad and shocked to read this comment on the Internet by one of the highest rated players in the US today regarding the recently concluded NY Mayor’s Cup Invitational:
“I think it says a lot about American chess when a tournament billed as “the highest rated American chess event” tournament just happens to be all Russians; quite an oddity, don’t you think?”
3 of the 6 participants (A. Onischuk, G. Kamsky and I. Ibragimov) just represented the United States in the last Olympiad in Turin, Italy. They won the Bronze medal.
B. Gulko and G. Kamsky were teammates for a US team that captured the Gold medal in the World Team Championship.
I won 4 (2 Gold and 2 Silver) of my 10 Olympiad medals representing this country. I am leaving for Dresden in less than a week to represent the United States in the World Chess Cup.
I believe that 4 of the 6 players that participated in the Mayor’s Cup were not born in Russia. I certainly did not. I was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary and A. Onischuk was a former Ukrainian champion.
In addition, some casual male chess players apparently have a problem with me participating in the Mayor’s Cup. They feel that I do not belong in this event because I am “too weak” and that I got to play because I am a woman. Something just does not seem to change. And people wonder why I advocate a few “all-girls events” every year and why so many girls quit chess.
Are we not Americans? Are there two Americas?
Which player made this bonehead statement? Geeesh!
Susan, you’re the best thing to chess in this country. Keep up the good work and don’t worry about those bozos.
susan,
I think that this is the voice of the minority. I don’t think the majority of americans feel that way.
My question to these people is “What has stopped natural born Americans from becoming world champions?”
– Are they denied access to chess literature or education or coaches?
Why is it that Bobby Fischer is the only man who pushed beyond the average Grandmaster?
I think your popularity as the elite in the chess scene proves most people that you are a good influence in chess. The majority see you as a positive influence.
There will always be a minority who think differently.
Even the best presidents in US history could not get elected unanimously. It is enough for the majority to be on your side.
Regards.
I agree with vvchess. You’re a good influence and they’re just jealous.
My hunch is that comments about foreign-born US citizens who play chess are really sideways attacks on the United States and American culture in general. It is as if the critics are sarcastically saying: “So, you great, powerful US, how come you cannot produce your own world class chess players? Something wrong with your culture?” The truth is that America offers incredible opportunity and freedom, so many people from other nations want to come here, become citizens, and proudly represent the nation. If course, some people are simply prejudiced, too.
Well I don’t know who said that, though I can guess that the point was to wonder about the paucity of native-born Americans on the ratings lists. Larry Christiansen is currently 8th on the USCF ratings list. Ben Finegold is 15th and Patrick Wolff is 17th. Why only 3 natives in the top twenty? Well I gotta think it’s an issue of education and promotion of chess. America just doesn’t do it.
Susan and other foreign born players have done a marvellous job strengthening the national team and doing what they can to raise interest, but it still isn’t widespread. I think young talented American kids are out there, but they get to age 10 or 11 and just seem to lose interest. Maybe America has too many distractions?
As to the further issue of people underestimating Susan due to her sex, they would be making a serious error. While not quite master level myself I feel I know enough and have studied enough chess games to say Susan is VASTLY undderated compared to her USCF/FIDE ratings, and she can play with anyone. I enjoy playing over her games even more than her sister Judit’s.
Anyway there’s always going to be people making self-important rude comments on the internet, I don’t think it says anything other than that the person is small-minded and possibly bigoted. If there is “Two Americas” vis-a-vis chess players then I simply welcome those players who have immigrated here, and just enjoy their presence in the US and thank them for it.
Not sure what the context of the statement was. It could be a comment on the state of developing home-grown talent, that all the great American players were born and trained elsewhere. This would not be an attack on you or other foreign-born players, IMHO.
As for comments on you being selected as a “token woman”, in the end, who really cares? From your play, it’s obvious that you belonged there, right? In any of these events, I suspect the promoter will have to decide between inviting the highest rated players and inviting fan favorites and in the end makes a compromise and picks a little of both. So what? The result is an event that gets lots of attention and that’s a good thing.
Of course, it helps when you are both highly rated AND and fan favorite!
It’s too bad that there’re immature chess players out there. Go Susan!
Of course it’s wrong to use the label “Russian” to refer to anyone from a nation in the former Soviet bloc. Apart from that mistake, I see the quote as inoffensive. In any area of achievement, if most of our top talent is foreign-trained, that’s an indication that we have been doing a poor job of training and rewarding young talent here. It’s a legitimate point, one that Susan might acknowledge since she herself is helping to correct the situation. The point does not take away from our appreciation of and admiration for our foreign-trained talent.
The fact is, any American team or event, will most likely be made up of players of varying nationalities. And, that’s true, not just of Chess but of any sport… baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to define what an ‘American’ is other than as a melting pot of diverse cultures. And, that’s what makes America great. We learn from different cultures.
Susan, thanks for being the brave person that you are and paying the price for doing what you do. Keep it up. Don’t let a few ignorant people get you down.
Who made this statement?
Holland has great chess traditions, and chess gets plenty of cultural prestige there. They have a large number of top players relative to their small population. Yet the top two players in their recent championship were Tiviakov and Sokolov. The flowering of chess in the former Soviet bloc nations was a unique phenomenon. Of course the top ex-Soviet-bloc players will tend to dominate wherever they emigrate to.
You are American.
Please don’t let the opinion of a few people make you feel otherwise. America is the melting pot of the world with a large number of birth nationalities and different backgrounds.
Susan Polgar is American as was another chess World Champion: William Steinitz. They may have been born outside the U.S., but they relocated to America and rightfully considered themselves to be Americans.
I find it ironic that this distasteful statement was made by a GM who was also not born in the US.
The statement is true but it is also true that immigrants make huge contribution to america in many areas…
Maybe, Susan( and perhaps , Paul), you should have ignored this comment. It is not such a big deal.
I find the comment about Americans very disturbing. I’m an American citizen via Ukraine and it’s quite insulting to me when people say I’m Russian.
Yes there are two Americas, North and South. And the South exists despite policies put into place by a certain country in the North to support brutal dictatorships that quash democracies so that it can control oil or bananas in the region.
I am a HUGE supporter of Susan and Chess. Oh…do I have to say that I just happen to be an African American woman?
And after being a spectator at the Mayor’s Cup, I must say that race wasn’t on the board AT ALL.
If you’re good you’re good! It doesn’t matter where you’re from.
Amy Bowllan
I hope all organizers worldwide would stop inviting whoever made that statement. Chess players like that give this sport a bad name.
You know, I read that same BS comment on the USCF boards. I can’t think of which idiot said it.
Fact is, “being American” is a commitment to a way of life and a set of ideals, not a function of birth, religion, or language.
Ignore the fool.
I read the quote. I suppose we could go around all day finding things to be indignant about.
CELEBRITY IS MORE IMPORTANT
Susan’s rating was noticably lower than the others in the tournament. Yet commenters would be wrong to conclude Susan did not deserve to compete in the tournament. Indeed Susan was the most deserving player, because Susan is much more to chess than just a great grandmaster player.
Susan is a chess celebrity. In fact, without Susan’s participation I suspect the tournament would have received much less media attention — then nobody would care who participated or did not.
Sports teams rightly pay players more when they add fame or personality that brings the public into the stadium: same thing here.
Chess needs great players who are also celebrities (I am not talking about movie stars who play a little chess). Susan is a rare case of a grandmaster who has found paths to transcendent chess celebrity. Really tho, the USCF should be driving chess in the media.
USCF IS MISSING IN ACTION
Or should I say ‘inaction’? Apparently the USCF has never seen the media as part of its mission. Does the USCF have a full-time media publicist? Does the USCF website even give daily reports on major chess events in America? Did the USCF even supply the AP wire with daily reports on the last few US Championship tournaments? No, no, no.
It amazed me when the USCF did not attempt any media traction when Nakamura and Goletiani won in 2004. Young Nakamura is an otherwise typical American kid (and native born except by technicality), and the photogenic Goletiani is a rising success story. They would benefit from some coaching about how to carry themselves on a video camera, but they have oodles of celebrity potential.
Gene Milener
http://CastleLong.com/
Fact is, “being American” is a commitment to a way of life and a set of ideals, not a function of birth, religion, or language.
Birth: if you weren’t born in the US you can’t be president
Religion: In God We Trust, One Nation Under God
Language: English has recently been made the official language
Also “way of life and set of ideals” do not have geographical boundaries: someone in Germany can adopt way of life and set of ideals, but that does not make that person an American.
Also it might be difficult to specify what the American way of life and set of ideals is, or how it is different from say Britain.
Quite simply all it takes to be an American is citizenship.
But Susan, you had big problems making the decision to play against Hungary in the olympiad.
It is not so simple. One can be American, and something else at the same time.
A common test would be, USA is playing Hungary e.g. in the World Cup – who are you cheering for?
There are no right or wrong answers!
Nakamura said:
“I think it says a lot about American chess when a tournament billed as “the highest rated American chess event” tournament just happens to be all Russians; quite an oddity, don’t you think?”
It’s always easier to whine and blame others than to accept one’s limitations. Whoever complains about the so-called “Russians” should shut up. If it is Nakamura, he should get some therapy; alternatively, he could get some chess coaching.
i’m only reading the quote attributed to nakamura above, i didn’t see the full quote:
it seems he’s saying more about an american system and american players not rising to the top. it’s not so much that the best players here were born elsewhere, it’s that our society, culture, whatever, doesn’t promote excellence in chess the way other’s do.
I think the comment is sensible. Someone was concerned that American kids are not being exposed to chess. I dont think the player meant to say anything bad about the current top US players.
About calling people from Ukraine as Russians: there is no offense intended, just poor general knowledge!
Calling Susan a Russian is quite ignorant. He’s just upset because he wasn’t invited. Why would other organizers invite him in the future if he behaves this way? He’s no longer 12 so grow up and show some respect to his fellow players. Hikaru should issue a public apology for his rude comments.
Hikaru also made this statement toward the other players:
“On another note, spectators love to see exciting and entertaining chess, and I find it hard to believe that any of the others players can provide that at rapid chess with the exception of Gata and maybe Alex O.”
How obnoxious! I agree with Javier. He should grow up!
Dont take it so hard Susan. I am the son of immigrants on the Portuguese side, and on the Spanish side, America came to us via warfare on Mexico. What is an Amercian? Sometimes its voluntary or brought by force (Hawaii, New Mexico, African slavery). i think the GM who made those unfortunate comments was lamenting the sad fact that Americans in general do not give a damn about chess. When Bobby beat Boris I got into the game and then laid off for thirty years. I’m 47 and back in. But I am amazed that after such a long hiatus chess is still dead. There are no chess clubs in Fremont and Hayward worth speaking about. Thank goodness for the internet and Ivan II, a chessboard computer. Even as a woman you are one of the greatest players in the world and you are a beginning and not an end. So bring back the gold and come on back home!
Chalk this one up to the folly of youth. And I would not worry too much about such statements. The person was obviously very poorly informed and did not bother checking facts. There is also a hint of envy in the statement since its only purpose seems to insult… as many do on these chess playing websites. I long since learn to ignore such comments.
As someone that I ran into at the recently passed National Open said: “Susan Polgar has done more for US Chess than anyone else in at least the last 10 years”.
The person who made the comments that are the subject of this blog should get out there and do the same. Get out into the community, teach chess to kids, make a difference…. Be a mover, not a shaker…
Bobby Fischer once made a comment regarding his having defeated a “bunch” of Russians, and he named Tal, Keres, Petrosian, Geller, and one other, whose name skips my mind.
When informed that he had actually defeated a Latvian, an Estonian, an Armenian, a Ukranian, and the other who was not Russian, he just said something to the effect “that you’re all Russians to me.”
Susan, we also have people in this country who do not realize New Mexico is part of the US and not a foreign land. Personally, I think if a person is a naturalized citizen, that person is an American.
prdd
It’s not the first time Nakamura made this kind of statements. I have read an interview with him, in which he said that he wouldn’t train with the former Soviet GMs because he was afraid they would pass information to other former Soviet GMs, thus setting him up for failure. The guy suffers from paranoia or plain racism. He gets away with it, these comments get published and this stupidity gets attributed to young age. In a few years he will have to clean his act or be generally recognized as a bigot.