Chess Asia

www.chessasia.com

Dear Friends,

There is very little information to be found about chess in Asia and is especially glaring when one goes to global chess websites where besides a focus on the elite players and super tournaments, beyond World Chess Championships, the coverage is largely European.

Yet there is so much going on in Asia!

While it is true there is good information in some country websites even if they naturally focus on the achievements of their players and from time to time we see excellent stories and reports in many places, none of them offer a comprehensive picture of what is happening in Asia and certainly many wonderful events are under reported or completely missed.

In recent months I have personally seen an “Asia Rising” for chess so now is perhaps the time for change!

Of course our effort to develop a website to showcase chess in Asia might seem to be rather ambitious given the vastness of the continent together with the enormous variety of cultures and of course languages and of course to the extent that we can succeed with this dream ultimately depends on Asians themselves stepping forward to contribute but we are encouraged.

Chess Asia is for all of us who see ourselves as chess players who live in or come from Asia and are proud of it!

Peter Long

Managing Editor

1 July 2014

FIDE & The Right To Vote

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/fide-and-the-right-to-vote-peter-long

Same Mentality... so with the Same Values and the Same Methods

There is no question that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhimov are very alike - perhaps not in stature, but they both grew up and have benefitted, even flourished, in a period that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and its replacement with today's Russia. 

It is not difficult to read about how both these men rose to power, needless to say corruption on a scale and audacity beyond imagination was a big part of it, but what is often glossed over is the means which meant a trail of victims, from political and business rivals to critics who paid the price, but always at the expense of the rights and livelihood of citizens, all who are clearly considered to be no more than collateral damage. 

A pattern repeated again and again is an absolute denial of facts together with demonisation of opponent(s), which is then eventually followed by a too good or dare you refuse offer to be part of the system, failing which there follows a vicious, often extra-legal prosecution made through all means available. 

This again is only all too well documented... 

I am a Malaysian first and it is simply horrific to me what has happened with MH17 and the subsequent Russian response, at the same time I am also a chessplayer of some standing in the game internationally and have been completely shocked at the lengths the incumbent and his team have basically descended to in trying to win the coming FIDE election. 

While by far the bigger crime is MH17 where 298 people from 11 countries (between 10-12 countries depending how you count dual citizenships) are all innocent victims - and I must say I despair if indeed the all powerful man clearly ultimately responsible will ever be held to account - however, in the lesser wrong where the delegates who will decide the FIDE election have been subjected to outside state power, threatened, and/or bribed or have had their vote removed from them and even suffered the legitimacy of their National Chess Federation decided administratively or by henchmen in committee, it is still in our hands. 

A look around the world today shows it is in serious turmoil, the very foundations of civilisation as we know it showing signs of collapse, and this is not because of religion, a choice between one or another, or the absence thereof, neither is it a question of ideology. It is because we are allowing a fundamental universal right - that of democracy - to be taken from us.

For those of us who have forgotten, let us ask Google to give us a definition of democracy, and the very first result of the search is: 

de·moc·ra·cy

diˈmäkrəsē/

noun

1. a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

   "capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world"

   synonyms:

   representative government, elective government;

   • a state governed by a democracy.

     plural noun: democracies

     "a multiparty democracy"
   • control of an organization or group by the majority of its members.

     "the intended extension of industrial democracy"

In 19 years FIDE has become unrecognisable, it today only exists to benefit a few through taking from its members. Its sponsorship is ad-hoc and almost completely dependent on Russia which is often willing to rescue major events for its own prestige, and I would argue that all that is good in chess today is the result of the activities of the many all over the world who love and sacrifice for the game irregardless of the current FIDE. 

What has happened to Ukraine caused the tragedy that is MH17. It is Putin, not Russia, who brought this about and there is not a lot we can do about it except to demand our governments and the international community act, but then again if we do still have the right to vote then we could at the next election throw our leaders, those who are supposed to represent us and our interests, out!

Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up. Aung San Suu Kyi

The right to vote, to choose, is the very basis of democracy in action, and with the coming FIDE Elections we have that opportunity.

If you are a delegate, and if not you do still have a say assuming that you love chess and do believe in democracy and that it must be preserved for now and future generations, and knowing what Ilyumzhinov is and represents, see what and his kind is is doing, can you still vote for him in all conscience?

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. John F. Kennedy

Remember the vote represents what you stand for... one simply cannot wish to be together with the likes of the Putins and the Ilyumzhinovs.

Conspiracy Theory Revisited?

Some time back, 18 May 2014 to be exact, I made the following post on what I felt was Ilyumzhinov desperately looking to move the Olympiad (see http://www.thefidetrainer.com/2014/05/conspiracy-theory.html) and of course with it the FIDE Congress in an election year.

This FIDE has two standards of behaviour, with what we are seeing with the likes of Norway and South Africa where they do not engage organisers professionally but through arrogant heavy handed public confrontations, but when it is with those in their inner circle then it is all secrecy, buddy buddy and often with a complete disregard of rules.

It is clear that Ilymuzhinov is increasingly desperate as despite both illegal and thuggish behaviour that has surpassed all previous election campaigns (for a sampling, see http://www.chess.com/news/crimea-conflict-on-the-chessboard-4611 and http://www.chess.com/news/ilyumzhinov-vs-kasparov-whats-going-on-with-afghanistan--gabon-7142), it is only in Russia (or in a Putin vassal state that he can assured of winning.

These kind of people are not difficult to read given their mentality and the environment they operate in and after FIDE failed when raising doubt of the Olympiad funding, the first new first sign of they had not given up was the publishing of a so called open letter http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/8134-presidents-letter-to-the-prime-minister-of-norway-.html.

Of course Ilyumzhinov had done his homework (see http://www.chess.com/news/anand-carlsen-world-championship-to-be-held-in-sochi-1555) to have Putin and Russia already save FIDE over their inability to attract sponsorship for the World Chess Championship.

So the question now is will Norway's refusal to accept the late entry of the Russian women's team be sufficient excuse for a FIDE desperate not to lose the election to actually cancel arguably its biggest event just weeks away and perhaps move it instead to Sochi, or any of the usual Russian suspects such as Khanty-Mansiysk?

That would be beyond belief given the legal and financial ramifications... then again what is impossible with a dictator-despot like Ilyumzhinov? He claims to be a Buddhist but exhibits no conscience or morality whatsoever (see http://kasparov2014.com/2014/07/15/open-letter-from-grigoriy-yavlinskiy/), and in his fantasy world visits with chess loving Aliens (see http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/kirsan-ilyumzhinov-chess-came-to-earth-from-outer-space-2085838.html and http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/06/kirsan-ilyumzhinov.html.).

Myths Debunked, Now The Sheikh Also Plays Dirty...

Birds of same feather? See http://fidexfiles.blogspot.com/2014/07/birds-of-same-feather-desperate-men-do.html

One extract reads: "But now he is doing exactly like Ilyumuzhinov, the UAE embassies are now calling National Chess Federations. He is meeting with his fellow "royalty' to change delegates. A case in point is his ACF Secretary Hisham Al-Taher from the UAE is taking the delegate position from Bahrain, not only hitting a member of the opposing Asian ticket but insulting a National Chess Federation making a mockery of a statehood and a nation’s right to self-determination."

Why this reaction? In what is now clearly the dirtiest FIDE Election in history, it was always clear that the Americas, long the proxy haven for Ilyumzhinov through the efforts of Jorge Vega was almost balanced off by the repulsion in Europe. But he was seemingly unbeatable as Asia was solidly with him and Africa was until now never a factor.

Panic set in early for Ilyumzhinov with Makro & Friends as is evidenced by their frantic efforts - criss crossing the world and shadowing Kasparov where he went - and with increasingly dirty behaviour, all which I have well documented. (see http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/the-battle-for-fide-ilyumzhinov-vs-kasparov-peter-long and http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/russias-fide-peter-long)

It was because Asia simply got tired of 8 long years of neglect and more importantly it was literally becoming "Its Time for Africa!" (do see and hear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0&feature=kp, a nice tribute and quite excellent timing with the FIFA World Cup now going on!).

One tactic (lie) constantly used by Ilyumzhinov with Makro & Friends has been to say to Asians that Africa was completely behind them and then with a mixture of threats and rewards to remind that they could not afford to be on the "losing team" and of course this story was reversed when talking to Africans because then they would claim to have a vast majority of votes already locked up in Asia.

But this was never true and now definitively debunked as can be clearly with the documentation to support the facts at  http://kasparov2014.com/2014/07/01/end-of-the-myth-africa-for-team-kasparov/.

So the battle ground is clearly now Asia where despite the use of use of Russian might to remove delegates while the FIDE Office knowing and illegally participates in erasure and even change of legitimate long standing National Chess Federations http://kasparov2014.com/2014/06/21/protest-by-afghanistan-federation-against-unlawful-removal/ the count is 50-50 and with the myth debunked together with a general disgust at the behaviour of Ilymuzhinov with Makro & Friends and their personal FIDE, the tide is turning.

So what is the reaction of desperate dirty men? It is of course to ignore what the world wants and instead to force their will through by whatever means.

For me it is one thing for Ilyumzhinov to risk bringing shame to Russia but for Sheikh Sultan to do it in a way that puts the reputation of UAE, a much admired and influential modern nation in both the Middle East and with the West into question?, that is perhaps another matter altogether.

Shame of you Sheikh Sultan, must you still listen to the likes of your Abundo, to Borg and such?