Bareev, FIDE & Potpourri

The Typical Chess Story!?

The middle of the week already and several important FIDE events have got underway. Yesterday the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia saw round 1 start, while today the Women’s Grand Prix in Skolkovo, Russia saw the first round of play.

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Bareev draws second game, loses match

Canadian representative , Evgeny Bareev, needed to win today with the White pieces against his opponent Rustam Kasimdzanov, but unfortunately he did not get any real opportunities to do so. Kasimdzanov played a very solid game, equalized and started to change pieces. Bareev could only sign the scoresheet after 32 moves.

Kasimdzanov’s next opponent will be Mamedyarov.

Dvorkovich’s FIDE Events Confined to Russia?

You may have noticed that FIDE is organizing almost all of its most prestigious events in Russia. The World Cup is in Khanty-Mansiysk; the Grand Prix in Skolkovo. And now the news (above) that the 2020 Candidates Tournament will be held in Yekaterinburg. Only a die-hard Russian chess fan would cheer.

While I feel for the new FIDE president Arkhady Dvorkovich having to inherit a FIDE with such a dysfunctional history, we must remember that Dvorkovich made a number of promises in his election campaign in 2018 to change things. Organizing events in Russia does nothing to appeal to western sponsors or give chess visibility.

One of these promises was to make FIDE more global with respect to its major events:

We expected that Dvorkovich, elected in October of last year, would not be able to make much of a dent on FIDE events already slated for 2019, but organizing the prestigious 2020 Candidates Tournament in Russia is a clear sign that something is very amiss in Dvorkovich’s FIDE.

I have a lot of respect for Dvorkovich, make no mistake, and I fully and unquestioningly supported his candidature in the FIDE election. But I would have expected such a talented, powerful and well connected individual to have already changed the fundamental way FIDE has been operating.

Until FIDE’s most important events are organized ‘globally’, and especially in the west, sponsors will not come forward. Chess needs increased visibility and prestige. Russian sponsors, unfortunately, provide neither in the realpolitik of our times. Chess should not be buried in Russia.

Besides, the chess world is beginning to resign itself to the belief that the only reason so many events are being held in Russia is because…no one else wants to bid for them.

Chess & Style