 "chess")
The Kovalyov "Shortsgate" affair was reviewed by the Fide Ethics Committee. The chief organiser of the World Cup, Zurab Azmaiparashvili, had an altercation with GM Anton Kovalyov, a few minutes before the Third Round of the World Cup was due to start.
Canadian GM Kovalyov withdrew after being berated and threatened for wearing shorts. He has since refused to claim his prize money. Azmaiparashvili called him a "Gypsy" which may be construed as a racial insult. Azmaiparashvili clarified that he meant "homeless" and, for what it's worth, the Georgian GM apologised for his "loud voice".
The Dress Code is unclear. Kovalyov had worn shorts through his previous four games and habitually wears shorts while playing. Indeed, at the previous World Cup in Baku (2015) Kovalyov had checked and confirmed that shorts were acceptable. The WC winner, Levon Aronian wore a collarless T-shirt with a cat motif, while Anish Giri habitually wore jeans. Other players at other events (including schoolgoers) also often wear shorts.
The Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) made an appeal and released an open letter: "The issue is the behaviour of Zurab Azmaiparashvili in taking it upon himself to insult and threaten our young Canadian player minutes before his scheduled third round game.". The Association of Chess Professionals also released a Petition strongly condemning Azmaiparashvili (www.ipetitions.com/petition/acp-protests).
One huge problem - the Chairman of the Appeals Committee is... Zurab Azmaiparashvili! He did not recuse himself. Kovalyov refused to testify since he felt he would not get a fair hearing. The appeal concluded with the bigger issues not addressed.
The European Club championships are on at Antalya Turkey. Globus and Odlar Yurdu (both staffed by many super-GMs) have perfect scores in the Open section with four wins (8 match points) each in the 7-round event. In the women's section, SHSm Legacy Square, Odlar, Batumi NONA and Bossa Nova (all 6 points) share the lead. Harikrishna, Sasikiran and Harika are playing.
Another Indian prodigy has arrived. D. Gukesh (Born 2006) won the inaugural First Friday round-robin at Kuala Lumpur, with 7 points from 9 games. He also scored an IM norm, which is pretty good going.
THE DIAGRAM, White to Play (White: Matlakov Vs Black: Najer, Euro Club Chps, 2017) features an interesting positional sacrifice. White played 12.Bxe6!? fxe6 13.Nxe6 Qa5 14.Bf4 Rc8 15.Qb3 Nh5 ? ( Black has a sharp defence with 15.-- Bxe4!! 16. Rfe1 Bd5 17. Qh3 Kf7. White should have played 15. Re1 to prevent this)
Play continued 16.Ng5! Nxf4 17.Qf7+ Kd8 18.Qxf4 Rg8 19.Rad1 Bc6 20.e5 h6 [ Other tries like 20...Bxa4 21.e6 Rc7 22.exd7 Bxd7 23.Ne6+; 20...Be7 21.Nc5 Qxc5 22.Ne6+; 20...Kc7 21.e6+ Kb7 22.exd7 Rd8 all lose] White finished with 21.Nf7+ Ke8 22.Qf5 Be7 23.Qg6 Qxa4 24.Ng5+ (1–0)
Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player
