FIDE General Assembly

[LawrenceCooper]

"The FIDE General Assembly has voted 108:27 in favor of allowing the FIDE President to stay in power indefinitely."

https://twitter.com/chess24com/status/1 ... 7893284253

I should clarify that it means removing the two term limit that was introduced in 2018.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Have they forgotten the reason for the two-term limit?

[Mick Norris]

FIDE news

Abu Dhabi has been selected as the host city for the 47th Chess Olympiad in 2028, triumphing over Genoa with a vote of 96 to 60 during the FIDE Council meeting on December 17th

I think Dubai 1986 had a partial boycott?

[Roger de Coverly]

I think Dubai 1986 had a partial boycott?

Israel didn't participate and the Dutch joined them.

For England I think Jon Mestel declined to be selected.

Otherwise the line up looks pretty much complete.
https://www.olimpbase.org/1986/1986fa.html

[Matt Mackenzie]

In the absence of any thread on the topic, it appears that FIDE have just awarded Andreas Dueckstein and Iivo Nei (both in their 90s) the Honorary GM title - these are the first instances (save the recent Sultan Khan sui generis thing) of this happening for two decades or so.

It is good to see this title coming out of abeyance IMO.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I have received an email from someone calling himself Xerxes. There are about 100 recipients openly copied, some very distinguished, others less so...

"Dear members of the International Chess Federation,

Chess is a game with a long history. It originated in Hindu India before spreading to Zoroastrian Iran and then on to Europe and the rest of the world.

Given the long and global history of chess, and given the global movements currently underway to decolonize and secularize all facets of life, the following changes are requested in the standard design of chess board and pieces:

The Christian symbolism and imagery of chess pieces - especially the standard design authorized by FIDE - be updated to a more secular design. This means doing away with the Christian cross on the top of the king; renaming the "bishop" which is the designation of a Church official. The symbolism of chess pieces should be studied and made secularized."

---
Just in, a heartfelt reply, "Absolute twaddle! Have you no sense of the History of the Game?! You may remove me from your mailing list!"

[IM Jack Rudd]

There are some merits to those ideas, but I think I'd argue that chess has long since become an abstract and the links to the original concepts don't really mean much to most players.

[Roger de Coverly]

the links to the original concepts don't really mean much to most players.

Were not the pieces in the former Soviet Union and other Communist states also secularised? Also the piece called a Bishop only shares a name with a churchman in English and in Eastern Europe just had a contrasting knob on the top.


In Orwell's 1984, the King remained called a King, but the party were trying to remove all other meanings of the word to destroy the idea of monarchy.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I agree with Jack and Roger. Also, the cross on the top of the king is just to distinguish easily from the queen, and the pieces are called different things in different languages. In German, the bishop is a runner, the knight is a jumper, the rook is a tower (tall building not someone who tows a car).

We don't want chess becoming like cricket, where the batsman is now officially called a batter, and the ball is frequently white.

I do wonder if the message is a spoof, just to see what happens.

[Matt Mackenzie]

the links to the original concepts don't really mean much to most players.

Were not the pieces in the former Soviet Union and other Communist states also secularised?

Were they - if so, how exactly?

[Reg Clucas]

In German, the bishop is a runner

And in Russian it's an elephant!

[Roger de Coverly]

Were they - if so, how exactly?

For an example see
https://royalchessmall.com/en-gb/produc ... x-wood-4-1

[NickFaulks]

I have received an email from someone calling himself Xerxes.

Strangely, I haven't. I thought I was on every mailing list for such garbage.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Were they - if so, how exactly?

For an example see
https://royalchessmall.com/en-gb/produc ... x-wood-4-1

All still very recognisable from a "Western" point of view.