Originally posted by bobbyboomer
I am trying to figure this out...I know there is 3(?) World Champions...the Classical World Championship starts later this summer...who is the FIDE champ and is this tournament to find him a challenger?,,,and where is Kasparov in all this?-- bobby( slightly confused )boomer
It's indeed a bit 🙄 confusing. The present FIDE Champion is Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukrania, Born 1983)
He beat Vassily Ivanchuk in the 2001 FIDE match.
You can find a list of all the World Champions ever and who is the World Champion at present of whose organisation here at:
http://www.chez.com/cazaux/champions-chess.htm
click on <World Champions>
After receiving notice that several Israeli websites are reporting Libya to have cancelled the invitation to certain participants of the upcoming World Chess Championship, FIDE requested a clarification by the Libyan Organizing Committee of the event.
Libyan Organizing Committee of the 2004 World Chess Championship confirmed that the LOC invitation to all WCC 2004 participants, dated 26-4-2004, is still valid.
"The President of the Libyan Olympic Committee, Eng. Mohammad Moammar Al Gathafi, invites all the qualified participants of the World Chess Championship 2004 in Tripoli, Libya for a most exciting event. The Great Socialist Peoples Libyan Arab Jamahiriya will pleasantly provide entry visas to all the qualified participants of this great Championship. No parallel event will be organized in Malta and all the games of the Championship will be played in Libya."
Of the qualifiers, Boris Gulko has withdrawn because FIDE have not satisfied him that visas will be provided for his family and trainer, let alone himself (he is apparently meant to turn up visa-less in Libya, and immigration there will sort him out - strangely he doesn't want to take that risk!).
As a result of Gulko dropping out, Shabalov and Onischuk are refusing to play. Kaidanov and Benjaim had already declined, so there will be no US participation. As Ponomariov, Anand, Shirov, Svidler, Bareev, Gelfand and Polgar are all also refusing to play its turning into a complete farce.
Originally posted by Osse
Of the qualifiers, Boris Gulko has withdrawn because FIDE have not satisfied him that visas will be provided for his family and trainer, let alone himself (he is apparently meant to turn up visa-less in Libya, and immigration there will sort him out - strangely he doesn't want to take that risk!).
As a result of Gulko dropping out, Shabalov and Onischuk are ...[text shortened]... er, Bareev, Gelfand and Polgar are all also refusing to play its turning into a complete farce.
I'm curious as to how FIDE will handle the situation. Again the whole thing turned into a sad and at the same time interesting reality soap. How on earth is it possible that FIDE has chosen to let the Championships take place in a country involved in the Mid East conflict. They should have known that this might cause serious problems.
Originally posted by ivanhoeFor me the question is: how on earth is it possible that FIDE selected as the president the person who has reputation of criminal in his own country? I don't think there is a blindness here, everybody understands that currently FIDE lives on dirty money.
I'm curious as to how FIDE will handle the situation. Again the whole thing turned into a sad and at the same time interesting reality soap. How on earth is it possible that FIDE has chosen to let the Championships take place in a country involved in the Mid East conflict. They should have known that this might cause serious problems.
Originally posted by TovMauzer
For me the question is: how on earth is it possible that FIDE selected as the president the person who has reputation of criminal in his own country? I don't think there is a blindness here, everybody understands that currently FIDE lives on dirty money.
You are correct. Something should be done about it. Maybe it is a good idea if the European and American chess organisations would create a new World Chess Organisation free from corruption, but then again .... more division in the chess world will not solve the problem I guess.
Originally posted by mason139
I think this whole thing with FIDE has become a bad joke 😛. The chess worrld has become like the boxing world. Anbody can start an organization and claim their champion is the world champion.
We'll nominate Skeeter as RHP World Champion, since she is at this very moment our highest ranking player. Bbarr comes second, David Tebb comes third. Congrats to y'all ....
....and congrats to Dutch Clan member Akizy for occupying fourth place. Good going !