News – Ivan Cheparinov forfeited over handshake (English)
January 20 2008 – Corus Chess Press
At the start of round 8 of the Corus Chess Tournament, Ivan Cheparinov, top seed in Grandmaster Group B, lost his game against Nigel Short for refusing to shake the Brit’s hand. According to the FIDE Handbook:
“Any player who does not shake hands with the opponent (or greets the opponent in a normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society) before the game starts in a FIDE tournament or during a FIDE match (and does not do it after being asked to do so by the arbiter) or deliberately insults his/her opponent or the officials of the event, will immediately and finally lose the relevant game.”
Chief Arbiter Thomas van Beekum was a witness when Cheparinov refused Short’s offer to shake hands twice and the Bulgarian’s game was declared a loss as a result.
This rule is not in force yet. Obviously Short trapped the poor Dutch arbiter who didn’t know which rule is official and which is not. Chessdom has a very detailed report: http://www.chessdom.com/corus-chess-2008/short-cheparinov-live
This would not be needed if it was a general rule (and of course Corus 2008 is not part of the Grand Prix cycle – not even the A group). I suppose it could even be this kind of official FIDE events that the Presidential Board decision is about… not just any FIDE rated event. I’m starting to feel very strongly that the arbiters may have made a giant blunder.
Yes, Clearly the Arbiter made a mistake. The game should be continued.
Rudeness is becoming a Bulgarian specialty. Why don’t they just play chess instead.
Technically the forfeit may be wrong but Chepa, who is student of Danilov( spelling?) behaved unlike a sportsman. You can not have your off the field (board) interactions to interfere on the field. You dont lose any moral advantage by shaking hands if at all you only gain it. Technically whatever is the result he should not be ( probably wont be) called again here.
If the arbiter doesn’t know the rule before the game begin, then the game should of course continued whatever Nigel Short is telling the arbiter.
The game has to be played again. If Nigel Short and Corus refuse, it’s they who is doing wrong.
A new big rule, that you are forced to handshake with your opponent, must be announced to all players from the arbiter BEFORE the tournament begins.
Could it be that he thought Short was offering a draw and refused? I only mention this because near this place that’s the standard way of offering a draw (regardless of whether a move has been made or not). I am unaware if he understands English.
pyada, shall I remind you that Kasparov refused to shake hands with Shirov? Or that last year Kramnik and Topalov didn’t shake hands? They were invited again…
A different question is whether this behaviour is now legal. As it seems, the rule to punish this behaviour has not yet been implemented in general tournaments.
The so-called “hand-shaking rule”, as announced on the FIDE web-site
http://www.fide.com/news.asp?id=1391
explicitly refers to a situation “before the game starts” – and as we already know, the game Short – Cheparinov has already started – with a move by Short (1.e4) and a move by Cheparinov (1… c5), and only after that Short made his claim…
Yes, I think the game has to be continued and the forfeit should be invalidated because, as pointed out previously, the game was already in progress and thus the rule doesn’t apply. Also the rule still needs to be approved by the FIDE Congress before it goes into effect.
After Cheparinov had a discussion with the arbiter, he was ready to shake hands but it was Short who demanded the forfeit.
For the poster asking about a draw offer, no, Cheparinov did not confuse the extended hand for a draw offer. As explained in his protest letter, Cheparinov felt that Short had insulted him and his team in a previous interview, which prompted him not to shake hands.
On top of this, the tournament has to be FIDE tournament or match and more importantly :before the player is forfeited he must be asked by the arbiter to handshake and refuse. This did not happen…
Quaote from the fide rule:
“before the game starts in a FIDE tournament or during a FIDE match (and does not do it after
being asked to do so by the arbiter)”
http://www.fide.com/news/download/TallinPB-PlayersBehavior.pdf
The forfeit is morally correct.
Karpov once failed to shake Korchnoi’s hand in a world championship match – Korchnoi was upset by this and went on to play very badly.
Danailov was discussing refusal to shake hands in a recent article on chessdom – so this suggests that it was planned in advance. I don’t believe that Cheparinov would seriously think it was a draw offer.
In the same way when you see footballers charging up as a group to a referee to dispute a decision. If a referee just once sent them all off, and this was subsequently supported, then this sort of thing would just STOP happening at once. So if this forfeit is supported, then this kind of calculated insult will never happen again in my view. In particular, Kramnik and Topalov will have to shake hands this week.
short is such a whiner.
the game had already started.
asking for the handshake at that point was probably meant to unsettle the guy.
ChessBase’s story by Steve Giddins asserts that Short presumes the snub comes from Short’s comments on the “Toiletgate” affair and rumblings about Topalov himself from San Luis and Corus 2006+07. The comments from Short were brought to a head in this 2/1/07 ChessBase story.
The assertion in that latter piece that Short “observed something sinister in San Luis” was later withdrawn by Frederic Friedel—it had been the result of “amplification by (the game of) ‘Telephone'” from what Short had actually told an Indian news source. Still, the association of a direct accusation to Short’s name may remain in the Bulgarians’ mind, and play into what happened today. Regrettable. And portentious, I’m afraid to say…
For God’s sake, Nigel Short has to stop whining or using gamesmanship and learn to simply play chess like others do.
Isn’t Short the one who says he lost a match to Kamsky in the 1990s because Kamsky’s father threatened him. Duhh!
A gawky, sissy and needlessly grandiloquent Englishman plays one World Championship and just can’t keep his foul mouth shut?? Jeeez! What would Nigel Short do if he were rated as highly as Adams? Someone should tell Short to stop being a sore person and start acting his age so we don’t remember him as sourly as we do Fischer when he finally leaves this world.
Besides getting his chess columns axed all the time, moving to Greece with his wife to evade taxes, losing to a girl (Hou Yifan) younger than his daughter, and talking horseshit, what else is Nigel Short good for?
First of all glad that ‘gentleman’ Anand whupped ‘crybaby’ Topailov. These Bulgarian players and officials are such crass people. Cheparinov probably ‘cheated’ at San Luis to help Topailov win.How disgusting! And now he wishes to obtain a free point by upsetting Short’s equanimity! On moral grounds,Cheparinov should be forfeited. Once he creates an issue,if play continues,psychologically it would benefit him. Short is a proper gentleman. Some people dislike him because of his sharp wit and straightforward manner. The forfeit should stand and let this be a lesson to all those ‘unsporting’ sportsmen (chessplayers) out there!.
Well he did threaten to kill him then assaulted poor old Nigel the father had a history of assaults hardly the atmosphere to play your best chess
This is getting out of hand allegations of cheating etc I am glad the arbiter made the desicion
“losing to a girl (Hou Yifan) younger than his daughter …”
Anon of 12.39 is serious out of line, and manages to be ageist and sexist in the same sentence.
Was Danailov testing out some new off-the-board tactics?
It’s unfortunate that Short will now be asked to play this game again.