FIDE (“fee-day”), the Federation Internationale
des Echecs, is the governing body for world chess competitions, including the
World Chess Championship matches that occur every two years.
There
is one champion, and since 2013, it has been Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Every two years, he must play a 12-game match
against a challenger chosen through a series of tournaments and elimination
matches sanctioned by FIDE. The final
stage in this selection process is the Candidates Tournament, a competition
among the eight survivors of prior eliminations. These are arguably the eight best chess
players in the world aside from the champion himself. In the current cycle, the Candidates
Tournament will begin June 16 of this year in Madrid. The winner will play Carlsen for the World
Championship in 2023.
One of
the Candidates this year is Sergey Karjakin, and while chess players will argue
about who may be the best player at the moment, there is no question that
Karjakin belongs in the Candidates.
Karjakin
is 32 years old, and is arguably at the height of his powers. He achieved the status of Grandmaster in 2002
at the age of 12 years, seven months. At
the time, he was the youngest person ever to attain the title. In 2016, he won the Candidates Tournament and
became the world-championship challenger to Carlsen. That match ended in a 6 – 6 tie. The
tie-breaking procedures dictated a series of rapid (short time-limit) games,
and Carlsen eventually prevailed.
Karjakin came that close.
On
February 24, one month ago, the Russian army invaded the Ukraine.
Sergey
Karjakin is a Russian, and he has expressed his support for Putin and what the
Russians call the “special operation” in Ukraine. In an open letter to Putin on social media
platforms, Karjakin wrote:
"I appeal to you at
this difficult time, when our country, led by you, is fighting for the safety
of the peaceful Russian population of Donbass and the Lugansk People’s
Republic.
"It is fighting for the
demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, with its ruling regime, which
has put the security of all of Europe and our country at risk, for the sake of
its political goals and ambitions.
"I am closely following the
ongoing special operation, in the lands where I spent my childhood, where I
learned to play chess and where my relatives still live.
"For eight long years we have
been waiting with hope for salvation from countless shelling and loss of human
lives, the ongoing genocide by the still acting Kiev regime.
"I express to you, our
commander-in-chief, full support in protecting the interests of Russia, our
multinational Russian people, eliminating threats and establishment of peace! I
wish you the speedy fulfilment of all the tasks assigned to our valiant
army."
Shortly
thereafter, on March 21, FIDE barred Karjakin from competing in the Candidates
Tournament. In a ten-page decision, FIDE
ruled that he had violated Section 2.2.10 of the Code of Ethics, which reads:
“Disciplinary
action in accordance with the Code of Ethics will be taken in case of
occurrences which cause the game of chess, FIDE or its federations to appear in
an unjustifiable light and in any way damage its reputation.”
FIDE’s
finding, banning him from all FIDE competition for six months, is found in
Para. 7.37 of the Decision:
“The
statements by Sergey Kajakin on the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine have
led to a considerable number of reactions on social media and elsewhere, to a
large extent negative towards the opinions expressed by Sergey Karjakin.”
In
other words, if you post opinions on Facebook that decent folks disapprove of,
you will be barred from any opportunity to achieve the pinnacle of your
profession, the world championship, that you have worked for
since childhood.
And I thought Disney was woke, and American Express, and
Starbucks. And, of course, they are. But there appears to be no
limit to the punishment one can expect in Europe if one departs from the views
of the enlightened.
Copyright2022MichaelKubacki
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