Open letter by GM Arkadij Naiditsch (internet drama inc!)

[Crossroad]

Open letter by top German chess grandmaster and Arkadij Naiditsch, German national A Team (29.07.2010):

Why the German A-team will not participate in the 2010 Olympiad

This letter is not addressed to anybody directly. As a player of the German National team I would like to make some things clear about my hard working Federation and its President, Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker. Let’s start with the fact that nobody from the German A-team is going to participate in the Chess Olympiad this year. These players are Georg Meier, Jan Gustafsson, Daniel Fridman and me, Arkadij Naiditsch. Why? The easy answer is that the biggest chess federation in Europe, about 100,000 active members, couldn’t manage to find money to pay the players.

So, the next question is “how could this happen”? This question is easy to answer as well: nobody in the federation has been doing anything for at least five years. The German Chess Federation has no sponsors at the moment, so the money is only coming from their members. Generally, even this should be enough to have a great and lazy life, but the main problem is the meetings attended by huge amounts of hungry officials that are being held almost monthly in expensive hotels.

Let me now become a bit more direct, because I would like to single out a few people with whom I have had to deal with personally.

1) Mr. U. Bönsch – National Coach
The first Olympiad that I played in was in Turin, 2006. I played on the first board for the German team and Mr. Bönsch was already an experienced and well-respected trainer. But the strange thing was, all he ever did was distribute the line-up for the next match and make a great black tea that we drank together every evening. Not once did he make the slightest effort to help anybody from the team chess wise.

So, year after year, the chess help from Mr. Bönsch remained the same: nothing but tea. In my opinion, our national trainer could be a hero in any teahouse!

2) Mr. Klaus Deventer – responsible for finding and distributing money for the national team. In German: Leistungssportreferent.
With regard to finding money there isn’t much to say. I think Mr. Deventer in his crushing career in the Chess Federation never even gave it a try.

In distributing money for the national team he has clear methods and opinions. That is, the national team should play for free!! By the way, to be clearer, Mr. Deventer is the individual who is responsible for fighting for us to get money. So, from a 110,000 Euro budget he manages for “top chess” in Germany, less than a quarter is left for the Olympiad for male and female teams combined.

Strangely, Mr. Deventer is a very important man in the federation. Personally, I could never understand what he is actually doing. And I think after many years of deep thinking, I finally got a little clue about his function; it is to try to stop anybody from being a professional chess player in Germany. Mr. Deventer really hates this. Rarely it is possible to meet somebody as unpleasant as Mr. Deventer.

3) Mr. Ralph Alt – Tournament Director
Mr. Alt is a famous public prosecutor in Germany. He is the organizer of many official tournaments in Germany, such as the National Individual Championship.

He only has one problem: he is always scheduling these championships to match his holidays. So, sometimes he gets lucky and there is nothing running at the same time. No such luck this year. He held the German National Championship at exactly the same dates as the European Individual Championships. A normal reaction would be, what the heck? Easy answer: Sorry, holidays are holidays. Can’t move them! So nobody participated in it from the A-team and the young German player Niclas Huschenbeth managed to win the title. Congrats to him as he showed great fighting spirit in the tournament.

My last German Championship was in 2007. In that year Mr. Alt showed absolute class. He found a city in Germany that has no train or bus (or anything else) connection. So taxi was the only way to reach it. Respect for Mr. Alt!! This is really not so easy to do. Give it a try. ;-)

4) Mr. Jörg Schulz – fifteen different positions!!
Personally, I didn’t have much to do with Mr. Schulz as he has always been responsible for the German Youth Chess Federation. (Deutsche Schach Jugend). Slowly, over the years he took over about fifteen different positions within the federation and is almost completely in charge of the whole money flow now. Bravo to Mr. Schulz!

For example, he created a chess company that is paying the players for participating in the European Team Championships as well as Olympiads. The company is making no money but paying us. Wow, really great job by Mr. Schulz.

That’s all from the main German Federation Crushers! There might be few more that I don’t know, but they are probably in hiding.

About Mr. Prof. Dr. Robert von Weizsäcker I will write a bit down below. First you will have to read his great letter that he wrote to the four of us (German A-team). For other people in the Federation, there are so many that deserve a few choice words, but I think it wouldn’t be fair to the few people who are trying to do something for German chess. Anyway, my many thanks to these few.

Dear readers, I hope you now have a bit of an overview of what is going on in my Federation.

This year, the A-team has said that we will not play for the funny money they are offering and asked for conditions. It drove almost all the guys in the Federation completely crazy! How is it possible that we will not play?? Do we have to cancel now a few dinners? No way we gonna do that!!”

Mr. Deventer immediately wrote a very long and boring letter, where he is comparing us with soccer players and asking us to play almost for free because the German National Soccer team is also not getting their normal salary for going to Africa. Funny, no? I guess then we have to compare Mr. Deventer to a Russian oligarch and ask him to support us from his own budget?!

Afterwards, we half-heartedly attempted to find sponsors ourselves, which didn’t work out. So the result was, of course, that the German A-team is not going to play the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

This is when Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker is coming into the game (he has been the German Chess President for the last two years).

So far, according to the words of Jan Gustafsson (all the contact was going through him) our President supported us, the players.

But on June 29th we received a letter from Prof. Dr. Robert von Weizsäcker that completely shocked me. Up to that point my opinion of our President was quite positive; he seemed to be a man with an understanding of chess players.

Here is the letter:

Concerning: Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk

Dear members of the men’s national team, dear chess friends,

In answer to my letter of May 19th, 2010 Mr Gustafsson answered by email on June 10th, 2010 that, on the given conditions you are not willing to play in Khanty-Mansiysk. Besides, he has started an initiative to find a sponsor as soon as possible, something that was clearly supported by me. To my knowledge this initiative hasn’t had the desired effect.

If no last-minute sponsor will contact Mr Gustafsson soon, this means the German Chess Federation won’t be able to send you to the Chess Olympiad. I wouldn’t only regret this terribly, but I’d be personally disappointed as well.

I can only partly understand that you keep on insisting on demands that, despite great efforts, couldn’t be fulfilled by either the German Chess Federation or the company.

Therefore I would personally like to ask you to reconsider your position and accept the same terms as two years ago. In case you’re still prepared to accept this, please declare this to the team captain not later than July 2nd 2010. After that he will be forced to nominate other players. I would have liked to push this deadline up front, if there wasn’t a deadline set by FIDE to enter the team.

At this weekend’s meeting of the Top Sport Commission it was decided that your status as selected players would become inactive for the time being, if you’re not prepared to play the upcoming Olympiad under the current conditions.

This would imply that any course of action to support you as top players would become impossible. Furthermore, for the year 2011 the team captain was requested to check whether the criteria for future support, i.e. the willingness of all players to cooperate with the federation, are still being met. I fully support this decision because in my opinion we cannot simply move on.

Support by the German Chess Federation, which partly involves a longer period of time, is naturally associated with the expectation to engage in an appropriate manner and in a responsible way for German chess.

On the other hand the German Chess Federation doesn’t want to close all doors. In any case it would be useful to have a meeting after the Olympiad, to which our Top Sport Coordinator will invite you, to discuss the situation. Still I hope that all these considerations won’t be necessary. The decision is yours.

Best regards,
Yours truly,

Robert von Weizsäcker.

Cool, no? Let me clarify a few things:

Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker found 0 Euros in two years of being the President of the German Chess Federation. (Maybe he simply has no time, being a Professor at a few universities?) The huge support he is threatening to cancel is this: for myself as German number one (my current ELO rating is 2684), the German Federation covers about half of my expenses for playing in exactly one tournament, the European Championship. That amounts to about 800 Euros a year, nothing more.

[Crossroad]

Part II

Now, of course, their direct threat to cancel all that help is making me sleep badly and giving me nightmares. Next time, maybe if I cover the coffee bill I hope Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker and my hard working Chess Federation will not cancel the important support for me?! We will see in the future if they have any mercy.

As we know, Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker is running his campaign for the ECU Presidency, and many European countries are giving their support to him. Now, the logical conclusion would be since he could do absolutely nothing for chess in his own country in two years, or again had no time for it, which, of course, led to the same result, can he do something for Europe? I would say probably not. So here comes the idea. Maybe we could open a charity foundation for the German Chess Federation and for Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker? Many people are sending small amounts for “saving the forest” so maybe it could work with my dear Federation and Prof. Dr. Von Weizsäcker, too? It is hard to find anybody coming across as more poor and helpless than the German Federation.

Hope you enjoyed reading my statement. And please don’t get the idea that I have exaggerated. I really did my best to stay as close to the facts as possible. :-)

Grandmaster Arkadij Naiditsch

[David]

This are two open letters that have been published some days before this (Yahoo translation from German to English):

German chess grandmaster Igor Khenkin (09.07.2010):

Dear Mr. Professor von Weizsäcker,

as I could take www.chessbase.de from the Internet site, the four the German Eloliste stating player (Naiditsch, Meier, Friedman, Gustafsson) will not participate for lack of agreement over the player fee in the chess Olympiad 2010 in Chanty Mansijsk.

Ausweislich of the above mentioned report plans coaches of the national team Bönsch in place of its to let a “young team” begin. A personal discussion with Mr. Bönsch resulted in that Bogner, Baramidze and Buhmann will educate this team presumably among other things. This was determined in such a way by the “achievement commission” of the German chess federation.

For me to it following questions and considerations result in tying:

1. Is the “achievement commission of the German chess federation” educated by which persons?

2. According to which criteria is the German national team set up?

After my firm conviction first criterion for the list of the national team should be the play strength. “Softer” criteria can also flow apart from the play strength, however the play strength must remain the clear guide for nominating. Here all considerations do not have to subordinate themselves to the dictation of the Elozahl. However the Elozahl (or also the DWZ) should remain as unquestioned and objektiviertes measure of the play strength regulation also here rough guide.

Completely absurdly those are now and then to hearing expressions of relevant functionaries, a player is “too old”. Almost each today's top player was promoted in his youth. A goal of the youth promotion of talented players is the full development of the individual efficiency. If one refuses however this formerly promoted to then play today's top players the possibility then the so important youth promotion pervertiert to the sense-emptied end in itself. In truth there are neither old nor young, neither hard nor soft, neither “correct” German nor immigrated players: there are only good and bad players.

If one already does not follow the play strength with nominating the national team however, then the list has itself to align however at least at material criteria. If one wants to give about - because of the disappointment over the alleged “funds greed” of the best ones - the chance (just as allegedly) to a “unspent” youth crew, then this would at least be in the beginning a material criterion. However is it then completely incomprehensibly, already the 29-jährigen Rainer Buhmann to avoid (around each misunderstanding: which I personally and schachlich exceedingly estimate) to carry forward. In all other respects one could consider just as well by the fact to the understandable desire for a “juvenile” crew that one these - as before two years in Dresden - when B-crew nominates.

Apopos B-crew: Nearly it seems, as if the list is motivated by secret loving of the coach of the national team to the letter “B”. This would move even its own list into the range of the possible one. But fun aside: Nominating the German chess national team momentarily unfortunately actually carries out itself beyond all material and schachlich sporty considerations. This replaced by Intransparenz, incalculability and not least by personal Animositäten. It seems, as if the way of the guidance of many years of the FIDE abgefärbt by Campomanes and Iljumschinow also on the German chess federation. In order to say it completely clearly: It is completely incomprehensible to me that is obviously planned not to carry me forward as (both after Elo and the DWZ) best the now available German player to the chess Olympiad into my old homeland.

With hope for an imminent statement I remain

Yours sincerely
Igor Khenkin

[David]

And this was the answer (in form of an open letter) by the mentioned Klaus Deventer (Yahoo translation from German to Englisch).

Open letter of 09.07.2010

Dear Mr. Khenkin, I thanks you for your email letter of 09.07.2010, you identically also at the presidents, whom coaches of the national team and possibly to further officials of the German chess federation addressed and than open letter also in the chess press publish have. I would like to answer you today in the name of the German chess federation and take the liberty to make this letter in reply likewise generally accessible.

First I can confirm that the German chess federation will be with the chess Olympiad 2010 in Khanty Mansiysk with two young teams at the start. I may in this connection to my press release of 13.07.2010 refer, which surely admits to you is. The acceptance, the appointment is unfounded into the national team takes place via a decision of the commission achievement sport. As also in other kinds of sport usual, it is rather the exclusive decision of the coach of the national team reserved, whom it appoints into the national team. The fact that thereby subjective estimates flow necessarily with lies likewise in the nature of the thing, like the circumstance that not all agree with its decision. The coach of the national team must place himself to the criticism directly of the concerning like also the chess public.

Since the coach of the national team leads naturally before its decision discussions, I am in the position to answer your letter also contentwise although I was not involved in the actual nominating decision. After the four strongest German players for the well-known reasons decided itself to call off for the coming chess Olympiad he stood before the decision, how he deals with this situation. Surely it would have been a possibility to nominate after Elo the number of next-best. The crew, which would have resulted from it, could itself have let players, who were active already in the national team see certainly – without exception. But evenly also player, who probably reaches its achievement zenith due to its age, perhaps already crossed. Since we cannot exclude according to situation of the things unfortunately the fact that our four top players will not be to us in the long term no more at the disposal, was it after my conviction correctly to set on a young crew which in the best case in the position will be medium-term, the developed gap to close, anyhow however had perspective upward. This is valid after the conviction of the coach of the national team also for in particular the Rainer Buhmann addressed by you. The coach of the national team quite takes in purchase that perhaps a more experienced crew in Khanty Mansiysk, also stronger after current Elo number, could cut off around a few places better, although this is not certain by any means. Anyhow the beginning convinces me to look perspectively over the current Olympiad. One cannot have both by the way. A second crew may nominate only the respective host of the Olympiad, your proposal for compromise, even if it were eligible for financing, is thus not passable.

Surely one can argue about these questions splendid and have you your opinion in addition already published. This should happen after my conviction however essentially. Therefore I would not like to deal with the remarks at the end of your open letter.

Since you asked expressly how the commission builds itself achievement sport up, I would not like to leave finally also this question unanswered. The commission achievement sport in an educated manner from the director of sport, the coach of the national team, the federal new generation coach, the active spokeswoman, the active speaker, a representative of the DSJ, up to two representatives from the regional organizations and the adviser for achievement sport as presiding. The commission achievement sport is among other things responsible for fundamental affairs in the area of the achievement sport, sets up the federal cadres and meets in the area of the new generation achievement sport also some nominating decisions (youth WM, youth EM). For the decision, who will appoint into the national team, it is as said not responsible.

I hope, you can now reconstruct better, due to which circumstances and considerations the questionable nominating decisions are fallen.

Yours sincerely
Klaus Deventer

[Caissa]

I like the letter. It's a very honest letter and fun to read!

[Crossroad]

By the way, this is the first open letter by Jan Gustafsson in which he is asking for sponsors. The idea to look for sponsors was discussed in a TV Chessbase show where Gustafsson was a guest. A day later this open letter (Yahoo translation from German to Englisch) appeared on the Chessbase site.

Open letter by Jan Gustafsson (11.06.2010):

Chess is not olympic. Even the recent innovation, on chess tournaments Dopingtests to accomplish (!), in it so far nothing could change.

But we have every 2 years the chess Olympiad. And those does not have to hide itself, over 130 nations sends to Vierermannschaften + a substitute in running, it is the chess tournament absolutely. In September this yearly stands the next before the door, in the hopefully not yet all too cold Siberia.

With our Olympiad it is permitted to begin with professionals.

Chess professional? Yes. We, the 4 best German players, the large masters Arkadij Naiditsch, Daniel Fridman, George Meier and January Gustafsson, are chess professionals. We are not as single players absolute world class, but in the crew absolutely competitive, have thus with the national soccer team some together.

Chess professional is a mad job. We travel much, participate in tournaments in the whole world and are our own boss. Contrary to the soccer players we play in increase European leagues at the same time, in order to earn our rolls, we have or had crews in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, France, Spain, Serbia, Luxembourg and Greece.

The first question, which I hear each mark, is: „ one can live on it “? Yes, but one does not become rich. We train very much, up to 8 hours daily prepare we with chess data bases, which contain millions of portions, on the next tournaments forwards. The play and the different strategies continue to develop constantly, it give something to thus always do. The competition, in particular from the former Soviet republics, recently even from China, is enormous.

In order the rent and the many unpaid training hours to financiers, are we on it to be instructed, with our employments also for the national team be paid appropriately.

With which we would be for the problem. Chess has a good reputation. In the advertisement it teems from chessmen, the game of chess however as public property is seen. With sponsors we are not richly blessed. From view of the marketing the chess haven is in Germany, despite scarcely 100,000 active ones organized in the chess federation, a not ordered field.

Therefore the German chess federation under guidance of Professor Dr. Robert von Weizsäcker and we need active assistance. So far ChessBase and the German chess federation restaurant economics GmbH support us. But 20,000 is missing €, in order to ensure the participation of the best selection of the chess Olympiad of this year.

We would be obligated to a rescuer, who would make a good preparation and the fight for the medals for the German national team possible as partner, to enormous thanks.

Who would like to help, with us to recruit would like, or us first to become acquainted would like, turns please by 24 June to the editorship or directly to me:

Tel. ***********, mail: Schachnationalmannschaft@googlemail.com.

This action is carried by the president of the German chess federation, Mr. Robert von Weizsäcker.

Jan Gustafsson