Behavioural norms of players in chess events
(Press Release – high importance, immediate attention!)
Having discussed several recent cases in different chess tournaments where the attitude
of players toward their opponent or officials, journalists etc. was not acceptable under
conventional social behaviour, the FIDE Presidential Board –at the suggestion of
President Ilyumzhinov- decided on setting up strict rules regarding such behaviour.
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.
Regarding a more comprehensive set of behavioural and ethical norms to be followed,
FIDE Ethics Commission and the Arbiter’s Council are to elaborate guidelines for the
players. The guidelines will be published on the FIDE website.
Source: FIDE
Very good rules! Now we should have rules against people like Sloan, Lafferty, Payne, Brenan, Quinn, etc.
… which completely robs the handshake of any meaning
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If they had any sense, they would have included hygenic considerations/practices with any touching requirements.
Making such rules is just horrible. What will happen when a Muslim women plays against an American man? Also, handshakes can easily be done in a subtly insulting way. I would prefer the martial arts method of bowing. This would be compatible with all cultures/religions in the World. 🙂
Ironically, FIDE will now open themselves to further examples of their hypocripsy. As Anonymous of 5:37 points out there can be cultural reasons why people don’t shake hands and there are many cases where FIDE has violated the “we are all one” motto – most recently when the WCC held in Libya didn’t allow Israeli players to participate.
The more the current FIDE leadership delve into these rules they more they entangle themselves. It is hard to believe but the “good old days” were the 1950-1980s. I can’t believe I’m typing that but compare to today that era’s WCC matches look like a precision machine.
“or greets the opponent in a
normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society”
read before you comment…
GM Rogers also made a comment about this in his column today in Sydney.
– TCG
read before you comment…
“or greets the opponent in a
normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society”
The question is: what if the two players belong to different societies. Read with a bit deeper understanding, please!
Maybe ‘normal social rules’ is a handshake.
But where one player is a female and the other is a leering sweaty guy, maybe she does not want to shake hands.
Then there is an imediate loss of the game? No room for negotiation on another gesture like a peace-sign?
Even prime ministers are supposed to greet with some conventional way.. So there do exist conventions for different cultures. And ofcourse this parenthesis gives flexibility for the arbiter to decide. But this was already existing. You could not offend your opponent, and this was for the arbiter to decide. It is fairly obvious that they just want to avoid situations like Shirov-Kasparov or Kramnik-Topalov. There it is obvious that there is not an issue of culture.
So I do have understanding. Initially I just thought that you did not read carefully. I couldn’t imagine that it was luck of intelligence.
That is just plain silly. Players – especially if they are adults should know how to behave. Most good chess club teaches proper behaviour. And if someone wants to behave as a toad the word quickly spreads.
Moreover, how can some proof that there was no handsake? Will there have to be certified eye witnesses? This could lead to the wrong person(s) being punished.
“or greets the opponent in a
normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society”
This covers a situation I’ve run across with an Orthodox Jew that I’ve played frequently. He will not shake my hand because I’m a female. The first few times I played him out of habit I’d stick my hand out and he’d wave me off. At first I was put off by this, but now I just accept that this is their custom. The “inner feminist” within me doesn’t like it, but I deal with it.
Now we simply nod at each each in acknowledgment and wish good luck. The end of the game is handled verbally with “good game.”