Svidler to Play in Candidates
By GM Mikhail Golubev
Today, fide.com has informed that “GM Peter Svidler is the Organiser’s nominee for 2014 Candidates Tournament 2014” and remained that [the] “Candidates Tournament will take place from 12th March to 30th March 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia”.
Peter Svidler is currently ranked 13th in the world as of now with an ELO of 2752. Another Russian player who was considered by organisers, Alexander Grischuk, is 5th in the world, having an ELO of 2785.
In an interview in Russian for chessnews.ru the head of the Russian Chess Federation Ilya Levitov, explained that the painful choice was made, mainly based on Svidler’s good performance in the last Candidates tournament.
In 2012, Svidler was not included on the Russian national team to play in the Olympiad, and was, rightfully, unhappy with that. Now it is Grischuk who has reasons to be unhappy with his federation’s strange decision.
Source: ChessToday.net
The Organisation is The Organisation. It has to make choices and makes them supported by arguments. And everywhere where decisions are made in favour of anyone, there always will be disappointment for another.
Every argument has his intrinsic strenghts and weaknesses. Some will be ‘drawn towards strengths others to weaknesses’, according to their own values.
That’s inevitible. Even if no attention is payed to the arguments, still a player is found favourable by most people (fans, friends, families, etc.).
But The Organisation should discard all other arguments and influences, except their own and stand firm behind their conclusion and therefor selection. Because dear readers, somewhere a line HAS to be drawn!
And if all is too difficult, too fragile, too insecure, too unfair, too riotic…let both candidates play a mini match. The Organisation selects 2 candidates, who will determine in a direct confrontation the nominee. In fact, isn’t that the historic principle for all sorts of qualification tournaments?
Lengthy rationales aside, there hasn’t been much logic to many of the decisions made by the people that run professional chess.
Is anyone really surprised?
Anand was screwed when Topolov was given home advantage, so now it’s Carlsen’s turn to be yanked around to make it up to Anand.
Again, is anyone really surprised?
I think this is a crazy decision, that the public will find hard follow. Grischuk has a higher elo and has done for some time. I think he deserves it more than Svidler based on this. Decisions which are easy and clear to make in most sports are made unnecessarily confusing in chess.