Ivanchuk case in Dresden
Thursday, 04 December 2008 11:13
Under the FIDE Anti Doping rules, the Ivanchuk case has been referred to the FIDE Medical Commission which has to meet within three months. No decision has yet been taken by any party, and GM Ivanchuk will be able to state his case to the Medical Commission.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Leave Ivanchuk alone.
Ban him.
Once a player plays in an organization that has certain rules, whether he likes them or not but plays within – he accepts them by participating.
Whether he is right or wrong, the moment he moved his chesspiece against Kamsky – he must accept responsibility for his actions. No one forced him to play.
It is not so simple like “rules are rules”; that is an ignorant argument which may support injustice.
Like many weird laws throughout history, rules can be stupid, wrong, unjust or inappropriate, and need to be changed or discarded. So, if antidoping tests in chess are nonsense (and many players, among them famous ones, are convinced that they are nonsense), why ban somebody due to questionable rules? And not because he was found to be doping, just because he didn’t attend a test, even? That isn’t justice.
The problem rather is that FIDE people in power will continue to claim that these tests need to be enforced, due to the “olympic sport” ambitions. Yawn. That’s hopeless anyway; chess will not be completely accepted as an olympic sport by IOC. They are refusing it since many years, the only remaining thing is to finally accept that.
So why are serious chess players bothered with such impertinences?
If the FIDE needs the IOC (what for??), chess as a whole certainly does not.
Normally I would agree with you The Historian.
However Ivanchuk is obviously a special case since he is very unpredictable and well known for his strange behavior. But despite his handicaps he has achieved great success and created countless masterpieces over the years.
What I’m saying is if he decides to go somewhere all of a sudden, or behaves irrationally; its not appropriate to punish him for that.
He has played at the highest level for many years and I very much doubt that a true chesslover like him would cheat.
Chess is perhaps his one passion in life and to take that away from him would be cruel.