During the past week, national chess champion Wendell Meusa made two public statements which are damaging to the integrity of the Guyana Chess Federation. Mr Meusa has accused the Federation of the following:
1. having a biased and unfair policy towards the distribution of colours for a tournament game;
2. having members, and encouraging them to, consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes in the playing hall during tournament games;
3. violating the established rules of chess; and last, but certainly not least,
4. the “misuse or over-use of power and authority” and “dramatic physical confrontation.”
The Federation has issued an official statement on the matter, refuting Mr Meusa’s defamation. Perhaps Mr Meusa can elaborate, and give us examples of what he means by the violation of the rules of chess, the misuse and over-use of power and authority, and dramatic physical confrontation (fighting?). We are waiting.
Such remarks bear the signs of being made, not casually, but perhaps with a specific purpose in mind. We do not know what the reasons are. Some members of the Federation have made contact with me in relation to this matter. The majority have requested that Mr Meusa provide proof of his allegations. Mr Meusa has lost the psychological momentum of winning. Now he complains vehemently about everything. He should provide proof of his accusations.
Press Statement
“The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) refutes the allegations which have been made against the national body by Mr. Wendell Meusa, and which were carried in the Tuesday, March 16, 2010 edition of the Kaieteur News headlined NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPION AT ODDS WITH EXECUTIVE OF LOCAL FEDERATION.
“Mr Meusa has accused the GCF of demonstrating preference to certain favoured players in the distribution of colours for a tournament game.
Meaning, that the Tournament Director gives the White pieces to some players, when in fact they should be playing with the Black pieces. The player with the White pieces makes the first move, and it is felt he begins with an infinitesimal advantage in the game. Mr Meusa is contending that he is not within the select group who enjoy such privileges from the Tournament Director and has been quoted as saying: ‘This type of behaviour is tantamount to corruption and I would have nothing to do with it.’ Here are the facts in relation to the distribution of colours for Mr Meusa during the past two tournaments.
“January 2010.
Trophy Stall Chess Tournament.
No. of Games: Seven.
Colours played by Mr Meusa: Four Whites, and Three Blacks.
Mr Meusa played the White pieces against Mas.Taffin Khan and lost.
“February 2010.
Topco Juice Mashramani Chess Tournament.
No. of Games: Eight.
Colours played by Mr Meusa: Four Whites and Four Blacks.
Mr Meusa played the White pieces against Mr Michael Perreira and lost. He played the White pieces against Mr Shiv Nandalall and drew. He played the Black pieces against Mas. Taffin Khan and lost.
“These are the facts. And they are undisputed.
“The pairings of players in chess tournaments worldwide are done by computers, not manually. Therefore, Tournament Director Mr. Irshad Mohammed has absolutely nothing to do with who is paired with whom, and who plays the White pieces in juxtaposition to who plays the Black pieces. The computer decides. We use the identical programme for pairings that is being used by other chess federations throughout the world. Since Mr Meusa is complaining publicly about the unfair practices of the distribution of colours, and he is of the considered opinion that he has been unfairly singled out, and individually targeted from among hundreds of millions of chess players by the writers of the computer programme, he may wish to bring his case officially to the GCF, and we would request that the Federation Internationale des Echecs investigate his complaint.
“Mr Meusa is a strong, and notably sharp chess player, but he has failed in his efforts to win a tournament since he captured the National Championships last year. Obviously, the competition is improving.
“It is an individual’s privilege to comment on any issue which he considers should be voiced, but it is disappointing that Mr. Meusa chose to tell the nation that senior chess players consume alcohol[ic] beverages and smoke cigarettes during chess tournaments, at tournament venues. This is not true. Alcohol is certainly not a friend of chess, since it dulls a person’s thinking processes. The consumption of the product therefore, and smoking in the playing hall during a tournament, are outlawed by the GCF. However, the Executive Committee and some other members of the Federation, cannot recall an instance whereby a player was observed consuming alcohol and/or smoking in a playing hall. I am left to assume that Mr Meusa, naturally, has information to the contrary, and the GCF would stand corrected if he would provide the required information to its members. I can assure Mr Meusa, that the perpetrators of such ignominious acts, if he can pinpoint them for us, would be disciplined by the Federation.
“The GCF is of the view that reporter Mr Michael Benjamin made an error when he wrote: ‘Mohammed said that he had noted some players consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes in the playing room. He said that this was done out of ignorance and not in blatant contravention of the rules.’ Mr Mohammed has denied making such a statement. Mr Benjamin, on the other hand, comes often to give us coverage in tournaments, and he has never indicated to us that he once observed alcohol being consumed in the playing hall. Anyway, Mr Benjamin has admitted there has been an error, and we in the GCF believe it must have been the work of the ‘printers devil.’ It happens to all of us sometimes.
“The GCF is a family-oriented organization.
During tournaments, some parents accompany their kids and wait for them until they are finished playing. Mr Meusa himself is regularly accompanied by a number of his family members who take pride in watching him play. For the GCF and its members, chess is more than just a sport. It has a relationship to intellectual development and art…
“The purpose of having a Guyana Chess Federation is to develop the game locally, and to promote the playing of chess as widely as possible, and as far as we can go. A few dedicated persons have committed themselves to this effort, which they believe would in turn be rewarding to the entire society. A number of sponsors have come forward to assist us in what we are doing. We are strong, and remain committed towards helping others to play the game of chess.”
The President and Executive Committee
Guyana Chess Federation.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
Carlsen v Smeets
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament, organized by the Association Max Euwe in Monaco, is currently underway in Nice. Each participant plays one Blindfold game and one Rapid game against his opponent. After suffering a 2-0 defeat against Vassily Ivanchuk in the first round, the world’s number one player, Magnus Carlsen, is back in the lead with six straight victories. He shares the lead with Ivanchuk with six wins from eight games. Here is his win against Jan Smeets.
Carlsen, M (2813) – Smeets, J (2651)
19th Amber Blindfold Nice FRA (4), 16.3.2010
1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.0-0 Bf5 5.c4 e6 6.d3 Bd6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Nh4 Be6 10.e4 Na6 11.Qe2 Re8 12.h3 Be5 13.f4 Bxc3 14.bxc3 dxe4 15.dxe4 Bd5 16.e5 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Qd5+ 18.Nf3 Rad8 19.c4 Qe4 20.Re1 Qxe2+ 21.Rxe2 Nd7 22.Be3 f6 23.Bxa7 fxe5 24.Nxe5 Nxe5 25.fxe5 Kf7 26.Rb1 Rd7 27.Bf2 Ke6 28.g4 Rf8 29.Be3 Rff7 30.a4 Rd3 31.a5
31…Rc3. 32.Rd1 Rxc4? 33.Bg5! A killer blow. Rd7 34.Rxd7 Kxd7 35.e6+ Ke8 36.Rd2 Black Resigns ! 1-0.
During the past week, national chess champion Wendell Meusa made two public statements which are damaging to the integrity of the Guyana Chess Federation. Mr Meusa has accused the Federation of the following:
1. having a biased and unfair policy towards the distribution of colours for a tournament game;
2. haing members, and encouraging them to, consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes in the playing hall during tournament games;
3. violating the established rules of chess; and last, but certainly not least,
4. the “misuse or over-use of power and authority” and “dramatic physical confrontation.”
The Federation has issued an official statement on the matter, refuting Mr Meusa’s defamation. Perhaps Mr Meusa can elaborate, and give us examples of what he means by the violation of the rules of chess, the misuse and over-use of power and authority, and dramatic physical confrontation (fighting?). We are waiting.
Such remarks bear the signs of being made, not casually, but perhaps with a specific purpose in mind. We do not know what the reasons are. Some members of the Federation have made contact with me in relation to this matter. The majority have requested that Mr Meusa provide proof of his allegations. Mr Meusa has lost the psychological momentum of winning. Now he complains vehemently about everything. He should provide proof of his accusations.
Press Statement
“The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) refutes the allegations which have been made against the national body by Mr. Wendell Meusa, and which were carried in the Tuesday, March 16, 2010 edition of the Kaieteur News headlined NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPION AT ODDS WITH EXECUTIVE OF LOCAL FEDERATION.
“Mr Meusa has accused the GCF of demonstrating preference to certain favoured players in the distribution of colours for a tournament game.
Meaning, that the Tournament Director gives the White pieces to some players, when in fact they should be playing with the Black pieces. The player with the White pieces makes the first move, and it is felt he begins with an infinitesimal advantage in the game. Mr Meusa is contending that he is not within the select group who enjoy such privileges from the Tournament Director and has been quoted as saying: ‘This type of behaviour is tantamount to corruption and I would have nothing to do with it.’ Here are the facts in relation to the distribution of colours for Mr Meusa during the past two tournaments.
“January 2010.
Trophy Stall Chess Tournament.
No. of Games: Seven.
Colours played by Mr Meusa: Four Whites, and Three Blacks.
Mr Meusa played the White pieces against Mas.Taffin Khan and lost.
“February 2010.
Topco Juice Mashramani Chess Tournament.
No. of Games: Eight.
Colours played by Mr Meusa: Four Whites and Four Blacks.
Mr Meusa played the White pieces against Mr Michael Perreira and lost. He played the White pieces against Mr Shiv Nandalall and drew. He played the Black pieces against Mas. Taffin Khan and lost.
“These are the facts. And they are undisputed.
“The pairings of players in chess tournaments worldwide are done by computers, not manually. Therefore, Tournament Director Mr. Irshad Mohammed has absolutely nothing to do with who is paired with whom, and who plays the White pieces in juxtaposition to who plays the Black pieces. The computer decides. We use the identical programme for pairings that is being used by other chess federations throughout the world. Since Mr Meusa is complaining publicly about the unfair practices of the distribution of colours, and he is of the considered opinion that he has been unfairly singled out, and individually targeted from among hundreds of millions of chess players by the writers of the computer programme, he may wish to bring his case officially to the GCF, and we would request that the Federation Internationale des Echecs investigate his complaint.
“Mr Meusa is a strong, and notably sharp chess player, but he has failed in his efforts to win a tournament since he captured the National Championships last year. Obviously, the competition is improving.
“It is an individual’s privilege to comment on any issue which he considers should be voiced, but it is disappointing that Mr. Meusa chose to tell the nation that senior chess players consume alcohol[ic] beverages and smoke cigarettes during chess tournaments, at tournament venues. This is not true. Alcohol is certainly not a friend of chess, since it dulls a person’s thinking processes. The consumption of the product therefore, and smoking in the playing hall during a tournament, are outlawed by the GCF. However, the Executive Committee and some other members of the Federation, cannot recall an instance whereby a player was observed consuming alcohol and/or smoking in a playing hall. I am left to assume that Mr Meusa, naturally, has information to the contrary, and the GCF would stand corrected if he would provide the required information to its members. I can assure Mr Meusa, that the perpetrators of such ignominious acts, if he can pinpoint them for us, would be disciplined by the Federation.
“The GCF is of the view that reporter Mr Michael Benjamin made an error when he wrote: ‘Mohammed said that he had noted some players consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes in the playing room. He said that this was done out of ignorance and not in blatant contravention of the rules.’ Mr Mohammed has denied making such a statement. Mr Benjamin, on the other hand, comes often to give us coverage in tournaments, and he has never indicated to us that he once observed alcohol being consumed in the playing hall. Anyway, Mr Benjamin has admitted there has been an error, and we in the GCF believe it must have been the work of the ‘printers devil.’ It happens to all of us sometimes.
“The GCF is a family-oriented organization.
During tournaments, some parents accompany their kids and wait for them until they are finished playing. Mr Meusa himself is regularly accompanied by a number of his family members who take pride in watching him play. For the GCF and its members, chess is more than just a sport. It has a relationship to intellectual development and art…
“The purpose of having a Guyana Chess Federation is to develop the game locally, and to promote the playing of chess as widely as possible, and as far as we can go. A few dedicated persons have committed themselves to this effort, which they believe would in turn be rewarding to the entire society. A number of sponsors have come forward to assist us in what we are doing. We are strong, and remain committed towards helping others to play the game of chess.”
The President and Executive Committee
Guyana Chess Federation.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament, organized by the Association Max Euwe in Monaco, is currently underway in Nice. Each participant plays one Blindfold game and one Rapid game against his opponent. After suffering a 2-0 defeat against Vassily Ivanchuk in the first round, the world’s number one player, Magnus Carlsen, is back in the lead with six straight victories. He shares the lead with Ivanchuk with six wins from eight games. Here is his win against Jan Smeets.
Carlsen, M (2813) – Smeets, J (2651)
19th Amber Blindfold Nice FRA (4), 16.3.2010
1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.0-0 Bf5 5.c4 e6 6.d3 Bd6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Nh4 Be6 10.e4 Na6 11.Qe2 Re8 12.h3 Be5 13.f4 Bxc3 14.bxc3 dxe4 15.dxe4 Bd5 16.e5 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Qd5+ 18.Nf3 Rad8 19.c4 Qe4 20.Re1 Qxe2+ 21.Rxe2 Nd7 22.Be3 f6 23.Bxa7 fxe5 24.Nxe5 Nxe5 25.fxe5 Kf7 26.Rb1 Rd7 27.Bf2 Ke6 28.g4 Rf8 29.Be3 Rff7 30.a4 Rd3 31.a5
31…Rc3. 32.Rd1 Rxc4? 33.Bg5! A killer blow. Rd7 34.Rxd7 Kxd7 35.e6+ Ke8 36.Rd2 Black Resigns ! 1-0.
