Chessville - News - Statement of United States Chess Federation, May 7th 2004

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Statement of United States Chess Federation

Addressed to the
FIDE Presidential Board

May 7th, 2004

Dear Members of the chess community:

As a President of the United States Chess Federation, one of the member nations of the Fédération Internationale des Echecs (FIDE), hereby express our grave concern over the FIDE Presidential Board's recent mismanagement of its responsibilities.

Indeed, the sole positive step has been FIDE's decision to move its Women's Championship event from Batumi, Georgia to Elista, Russia. This measure was essential in light of the widespread concerns that had been expressed for the safety of our players.

But the rest of the picture is bleak in the extreme. At present, FIDE's accounts are appallingly in arrears. The FIDE President owe millions of dollars to FIDE. Every assurance from him that payment will be made on specific dates has come and gone without action. Months ago, FIDE accepted the resignation of its Executive Director, yet even today it has still not taken the requisite action to select a new Executive Director.
FIDE's style of governance has been increasingly founded on diktat, with dissenting views brushed aside.

FIDE World Championship Title

Ever since FIDE announced that Tripoli (Libya) would be the venue of the 2004 World Championship it has been increasingly evident that players from many countries would experience insurmountable problems in traveling to and competing in the event. Many nations have national laws preventing their citizens from traveling to and doing business with Libya.
It was premature for the FIDE Presidential Board to award the FIDE World Championship event to Tripoli at a time when the United Nations had not lifted its sanctions.

Players unable to compete in Tripoli were due to be given an alternative way of participating in the cycle, i.e. by playing in a parallel competition in Malta. Unfortunately, the Maltese event has been cancelled, which means that some players of FIDE member nations currently find themselves barred from the competition. The host nation of the FIDE World Championship is required to permit safe travel for all competitors, and since Libya is unable to offer such guarantees we call upon FIDE, in the spirit of its own motto, Gens una sumus, immediately to reinstate a parallel event in Malta so that all players entitled to participate in the World Championship cycle may do so.

Sincerely,

Please sign your name if you support this statement:

"Beatriz Marinello," President of the United States Chess Federation