Nigel Short called for abolition of chess titles
According to reports from India, EU chess champion and defending Commonwealth champion Nigel Short called for the abolition of the titles in chess like “Grand Master” and “International Master”.
During a pre-tournament press conference before the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Mumbai (November 20-29, 2006) Short said on November 18: “My personal opinion is to do away with these titles in chess. I know several instances of tournaments being fixed in order to help players attain the required norms and then get the GM titles. There have been instances of players throwing away matches for money to enable their opponents get these titles.”
In 1950 FIDE awarded the title “International Grand Master” to 27 players. In 1972 there were only 88 GMs.
Short said in Mumbai: “There are over 1000 players – both past and present – who are holding GM titles. The titles are not the same as they were twenty years ago.”
Short: “Instead, we should have ranking system like tennis. To me rankings are sufficient to judge a player’s worth.”
Online sources: The Sunday Express, Financial Express, The Statesman and Rediff India.
The Commonwealth Chess Championship is being organized by the Venus Chess Academy: www.venuschessacademy.in.
Two years ago, The Sportstar wrote after the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2004 regarding the youth tournaments: “It is learnt, through players and arbiters, that some resourceful parents and coaches of these youngsters offer a tidy sum to the rivals of these players to `throw’ the match. On the other hand, there are players who approach such parents or coaches with an offer. (…) These clandestine deals in chess are nothing new. (…)”