Zurab Interview:
There is not "my view". There is lie and true. The true is that Mr Kovalev came to Tbilisi (12000 km away from Canada) and took only short pants. By accident I was present when chief arbiter give a warning to him and he don't care about. After this as an organizer I interfered and ask him (in the beginning in polite way) to respect regulations and organizers and change his shorts. He told me that already played previous World Cup like this and what's wrong?! My reply was that "I don't care how he played previous World Cup, but I care how he will dress here" and "if he will not follow request of chief arbiter and organizer then he will be punished by FIDE on maximum level which allow contract and regulations". Kovalev asked me what is wrong in his dress and I told him he is dressed like gipsy. I mean of course homeless people and not tsigan nation. After this he left tournament hall and never come back. This is full story.
That confirms that the emotionally charged word “gypsy” was used and that at some point the conversation was no longer “polite”. Something may have been lost in translation - it's more likely the language used was deeply inappropriate and disrespectful rather than a racist insult directed at Kovalyov - but it was of course extremely unfortunate to be having such a confrontation immediately before an important game. In itself the request of an organiser or FIDE for players to adhere to a specific dress code is reasonable, but it needs to be handled diplomatically and with mutual respect. Azmaiparashvili, with a reputation for belligerence and a controversies section on his Wikipedia page, is perhaps not the ideal person to be dealing directly with the players in such cases. In the name of improving the image of chess great damage has instead been done to that image and to the tournament. From Chess24 Report.
"It’s very nice to play against such strong opponents but I’m really stressed, so I’m not really enjoying myself here, but I try to survive as long as I can."
Kosalyov in an interview prior to the incident.
Does not appear he was prepared to go the distance.
Surly by bringing only 1 pair of shorts and no slacks to the event he knew he would be confronted for his dress. He was the only player attired as such.
UPDATE 10 September 2017: The Association of Chess Professionals has published a petition which protests against how Zurab Azmaiparashvili dealt with the Kovalyov dress code situation.
The ACP Board strongly condemns and protests the actions of Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili in his capacity as World Cup Organiser.
Bullying and threatening the player taking part in your event is unacceptable, doing it right before the game is even a bigger sin.
The dress-code policy in the tournament is vague, and it is not even clear if Grandmaster Anton Kovalyov has violated it - but that's not the point, as up to that moment, he was not even warned about any possible violation, wearing the very same attire in the previous rounds. And then, all of a sudden, he is threatened and insulted. No player can be treated this way and this is unacceptable. Grandmaster Kovalyov felt he got no choice but to leave the tournament, and we understand his decision.
Incidentally, Mr. Azmaiparashvili is not only the Organiser, but also the Chairman of the Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee, that is the only body that can correct the actions of arbiters and organizers! This should not have happened, and we strongly blame FIDE for creating this conflict of interest.
We do not expect FIDE to act, and we do not believe they will do anything to remedy the situation. We address the global chess community and national federations.
Doesn't chess deserve better? Shall we swallow another bitter pill all again? Shall the players feel themselves like secondary creatures, accept these insults and obey? Isn't it the time to unite and take a STRONG stand? If you feel it's the time to change the situation drastically, please join our protest and sign this letter.
ACP Board
I'll sign.
As I stated before, winning round 3 was worth $6000 USD. I'm sure Zurab got a piece of that from Anton's Israeli opponent.
FIDE ever so vague rules and their baboons ensuring it when it suits ...
It should be clear to everyone now, why Kasparov, along with Nigel Short attempted to usurp FIDE with the PCA.
"It’s very nice to play against such strong opponents but I’m really stressed, so I’m not really enjoying myself here"
Kosalyov in an interview after a prior game.
He shows up at the playing hall expecting to play White on the day in question. One can safely assume he spent the previous evening and that morning prepared for his opponent with the White pieces. To his surprise he is to play Black. Goes as far as demanding the arbiter correct a mistake.
Think possibly this had any bearing on his rash and abrupt decision to quit? Come on, someone makes what is considered a slur in some cultures and you decide to take your things and go home? He acted like a spoiled kid in a sandbox who didn't have his way. He was already stressed out and not enjoying himself. Tough lesson to learn at 25 years of age... how an adult deals with adversity. Making multiple accusations with terms as racism and discrimination is not one of them.
I do not in anyway way condone the manner in which Zurab handled the situation. He was/is the wrong person in many regards to be handling disputes. For one, besides intervening as an arbiter/organizer, he is on the Appeals Committee. A conflict of interest. There is much to criticize in his approach and explanation. That being said, any other chess player in the event would have reacted by telling Zurab to go to hell and demanded to see a higher ranking official.
"someone makes what is considered a slur in some cultures ... He acted like a spoiled kid in a sandbox ... Making multiple accusations with terms as racism and discrimination is not one of them."
..thus insinuating the person who had to deal with the racism was really in the wrong.
I wish mdinnerspace was the one having to handle this abuse, which I trust he would have done in such a manly fashion as to serve as an example for lesser mortals, and as a bonus he would not be here to troll!
"Racism" ???
Nonsense. It was an Ethnic slur. "Gypsies" are not a race. Criticizing someones sloppy dress is not "discrimination". His appearance did not meet the image the Sponsors wanted the top chess players to make.
Racism is a "Card" played to attract all this attention. Learn it's definition. Oh, poor Kosalyov, a jerk made an Ethnic slur. (Which in many Western Societies, people just shake their head "What?") Zurab is a jerk, made a derogatory remark. but it was not "Racism". Deal with an out of line organizer ? Simple enough. Take it the next level.
Take your stuff and quit is immature. He was looking for an excuse to leave as he was not there to play serious chess. Who said Kosalyov was wrong? Zurab was "wrong" by the way he handled the situation. Kosalyov did what he wanted, perfectly in his right to up and quit. He had his right to wear whatever he wanted, just not it the chess table. The arbiters claim he would have been allowed to play that day, they were trying to work something out for the future. If he continued to refuse Zurab claimed he'd be fined, something well outside his jurisdiction. The entire mess quickly was turned into Kosalyov believed he should be given the White pieces which is most likely the real issue here.