Recently, several renowned chess players have expressed their discontent with the International Chess Federation's (FIDE) alleged differential treatment and absurd rules for the players. As the World Rapid and Blitz Championship took place in full swing in Uzbekistan's Samarkand, a fresh slew of complaints and controversies have emerged against the FIDE from several players including grandmasters. Several players have taken to social media to share their grievances and troubling experiences at the Championship, alleging discriminatory behaviour against the players.
Some of these complaints include restrictions on dress code, rampant "random" drug tests, differential treatment, and discriminatory rules. A few days ago, several players spoke up against the new rules formulated by the FIDE for alleged "transphobic rules". Here are five things to know about recent controversies.
1. Anna-Maja Kazarian Fined For Not Abiding By Dress Code
Dutch champion and popular streamer Anna-Maja Kazarian shared on X (Twitter) that she was recently fined a whopping 100 euros for wearing "sports shoes", which are said to be against the FIDE's dress code. Reportedly, participants, arbiters, and organizers at international events are expected to adhere to an exhaustive list of rules for headwear, clothes, and the types of shoes women and men can wear to tournaments.
Kazarian took to her social media to share that it was "absolutely ridiculous" that she was issued a notice and fined for her choice of shoes. She had earlier shared another post saying that she was asked to change her shoes at the event venue.
Allegedly, Kazarian was made to change out of her "sports shoes" because the dress code calls for business casual. This ordeal has caused a debate online and in the Federation.
2. Several Grandmasters Defend Kazarian, Allege Discrimination By FIDE
Hungarian-American grandmaster Susan Polgar came to Kazarian's support with a staggering response. Polgar tweeted," This is stunning! FIDE, how about doing something regarding men who sexually harassed/assaulted women in chess instead of picking on a female player’s perfectly fine shoes?”
Meanwhile, grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura also responded to the tweet with a jab at FIDE for some more recent allegations. He alleged that the FIDE had been discriminating against certain players for quite a while.
3. Nihal Sarin Made To Take Drug Tests Thrice A Day
19-year-old Nihal Sarin also complained on X (Twitter) against the FIDE, claiming that he was made to wait three hours after the game to give urine samples for a drug test. The Indian chess prodigy alleged that he was made to wait past midnight for the dope tests to return clear.
He questioned the Federation on why the drug test was being conducted in a game like chess. "Is there a drug out there that can make me play better than the top seed consistently by providing me an unfair advantage?" he asked on X. He further expanded the X thread, demanding answers from the FIDE.
“I thought a doping test is compulsory on every medal winner of the tournament to protect the sport. Has it been done on every medal winner of every FIDE tournament in the last 20 years? What if they were doping and the medal had to be stripped? (I am trying to make a point)," he added.
4. Magnus Carlsen Provided Personal Lounge?
Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen emerged as this year's winner of the World Rapid Chess Championship. However, he had his fair share of controversies targeted against him. Allegedly, the FIDE provided Carlsen with a separate lounge where he could rest and prepare with a laptop ahead of the tournament.
The allegations were first made by Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi, which were later defended by other top players including Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Pentala Harikrishna. These allegations were made a day before Carlsen's victory.
Allegedly, Hikaru Nakamura's response to Kazarian's ordeal was also targetted at this allegation. The FIDE responded with a tweet.
5. Transgender Players Banned From Contesting In All-Female Events
Like many other games, chess too has imposed a ban on transwomen players contesting in all-female tournaments. The latest rules released in August allegedly restrict transwomen from participating in all-female categories because they believe that gender reassignment has a "significant impact on a player's status and future eligibility for tournaments."
The discriminatory rules also include statements such as, "In the event that the gender was changed from a male to a female, the player has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women until a further decision is made." Another jarring statement in the new rulebook says that titles won by transmen in female categories before gender reassignment are no longer viable, thereby leaving the players ranking back to the base.
This has sparked a debate among the world's chess enthusiasts and on social media. Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade told BBC "The rules have had a really upsetting effect on the chess community... The practical ramifications, I'm not sure of yet, but they will have an effect on the LGBT community - people saying even if they are unlikely to qualify for events, it makes them want to play chess less."
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