Bengaluru: Twelve Freestyle Chess Gamers Membership members, which incorporates reigning world champion from India, D Gukesh, have agreed to kind an unbiased gamers affiliation with a professional authorized crew to signify their pursuits, Freestyle Chess stated in a press release issued on Monday. This transfer is available in direct response to current clashes with Fide, stated the assertion.
Twelve chess gamers, together with Gukesh, have agreed to kind an unbiased gamers affiliation to signify their pursuits to Fide (AP)
The Sunday night assembly, following the primary day of the quarterfinals, included all Freestyle Chess Grand Slam individuals in Weissenhaus, Germany, distant members of the Freestyle Chess Gamers Membership and Freestyle Chess organiser Jan Buettner. “They agreed to temporarily avoid using “world” to counter Fide’s unfounded claims of possession over such phrase.”
“This was never our intention, as we have always called our events ‘G.O.A.T. Challenge’ or ‘Grand Slam,’” Buettner stated. “It’s important to note that this decision was made by the players, not by Freestyle — and certainly not by Fide.” The title “Freestyle Chess Champion” will apply for the 2025 season. On the yr’s finish, organisers and gamers will overview and talk about the 2026 tour, together with the title at stake, stated the assertion.
The assertion went on to say that final month, Fide “demanded that players sign a legally questionable document, setting an inconvenient deadline right after the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee,” the place many have been competing. The doc required them to (i) acknowledge an alleged obligation to not compete in non-FIDE occasions crowning a World Champion or comparable title and (ii) settle for a ban from future Fide World Championship cycles in the event that they violated this rule, it stated.
“The players, some still teenagers, were notified by Fide’s Legal Director and were given no chance for legal counsel to review the demand. These repeated harassments are outrageous,” stated Buettner. “We strongly oppose Fide’s coercive tactics, which pressure players to forgo their right to choose which events to play.”
“We were ready to take all necessary action to defend the freedom of the players,” Buettner added. However in Sunday’s assembly, gamers unanimously agreed to disregard Fide’s calls for, refusing to be pressured into selecting between thrilling new occasions and future Fide participation.”