NO ANTI-SEMITISM?


THIS CRAZY WORLD OF CHESS by GM Larry Evans (page 115)

Libyan Fiasco

FIDE, a 163-nation world chess body, has awarded its next 128-player
world championship to Libya in 2004. Jews are excluded.

This decision violates the spirit and charter of FIDE which says no
event will be held anywhere that bars entry to eligible players. The
announcement came with pictures of FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
playing chess with Moammar Al Qaddafi, who is offering about $2
million in prizes.

Qaddafi's son, who heads the organizing committee, stated: "We did not
invite nor will we invite the Zionist enemy to the competition."

Boris Gulko, former champion of both the USSR and USA, is boycotting
the event along with most top players: "Our magnificent and noble game
does not deserve such a disgrace," he said.

It's not the first time FIDE has bowed to Arab money. In 1986 the
Chess Olympiad was held in the United Arab Emirates where an Israeli
team was banned.


help bot wrote:
On Nov 2, 8:45 am, " wrote:

If "every woman in the world" except Susan Polgar was awarded 100
rating points,
that would mean that two-out-of-three of the Polgar sisters got 100
free rating points; that hardly argues for an anti-Jewish bias in
FIDE, but it does show how ratings can be manipulated, just as they
were in the USCF (it is possible that the intended victim in that case
was in fact Jewish -- I don't know). -- Unhelpful Bot

It didn't matter whether her sisters got 100 free points or were even
on the list when this fiasco occurred. Susan Polgar, born in 1969, was
17 in 1986.
Sofia Polgar, born in 1974, was only 12. Judith Polgar, born in 1976,
was only 10.

The purpose of cheating Susan Polgar out of 100 points was to bump her
from the top of the women's rating list to number two behind a Soviet
player during a heated FIDE presidential campaign at Dubai in 1986. It
was part of a ploy by Campo to secure votes from the Soviet bloc.


There you are. The argument that this was done so as to
victimize Jewish chess players doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
GM Evans tossed this out as an example of anti-Jewish
activity by FIDE, but even his minions want to allow that
it was just an effort to garner votes.

Now leaving aside the idea that even at ten years of age
Judit Polgar might have beaten Mr. Parr in a set match,
let me point out that among all these female players who
were handed free rating points, many were very likely
Jews, so the "reasoning" just doesn't work in the real
world. All GM Evans needs to do is find a real example
to demonstrate his point, and substitute it for this faulty
one.


-- helpful bot