Painting by my sister Sofia
The chess world has witnessed some of the most outrageous behavior, comments and actions lately. It is truly disturbing to me.
Many Chess Professionals have complained that they are not making enough money and sponsorships / endorsements are hard to come by. To tell you the truth, if I own a major company, I would not want to sponsor chess players or chess events either (unless changes or improvements are made) after seeing the countless embarrassments since Elista.
Do you think Chess Professionals need to be trained on how to behave professionally as well how to deal with the media? Or am I just too conservative and old school?
In addition, what should be the role of FIDE? So far, nothing is done while continuous damages are done to our game.
Do you think Chess Professionals need to be trained on how to behave properly as well how to deal with the media?
In general I would say no. The only exception could be Topalov.
Nakamura needs some lessons. So do Nigel Short, Topalov and Kramnik.
That has long been needed. But the chessplayers themselves strongly resist the necessity of dress code and appropriate behaviour as well as effectively talking to the press. The question is how to implement in a fair and consistent manner.
Presumably such things should be covered by FIDE bylaws, match organizers, and conditional tournament invitations. Being hit in the borrom line is a powerful motivator not to bring chess into disrepute.
I wonder who do you intend to train susan. everybody seems to be ok except for topalov or danailov to my knowledge kramnik has not said anything a derogatory against topalov team yet.
Well, yes, it would not hurt the top players to get some advice on how to handle the media. Then againg, I am not sure that some controversy hurts the game. “All PR are good PR” is a saying, and it may be some thruth in that.
I think they can all use some training. In most sports, like basketball, it’s not uncommon to see some of the top players contribute (if not money then time) to foundations such as “Make-A-Wish”, or AIDS awareness, etc.
Without the presence of Kasparov (who, like him or hate him, was an outstanding ambassador for chess), todays top players do very little as far as promoting the game or giving back to communities. Susan’s efforts have been phenomenal compared to what some of the top GM’s have done. What we have now are a bunch of spoiled arrogant chess players, particularly in the US, who many times just show up for their appearance fees and play these silly short draws.
Chess is one of the few sports, if you can call it that, where the upper echelon players, particularly American players look down on the lower echelon with such contempt and disdain. Can you imagine how tarnished Kobe Bryant’s image would be if he let it be known that he viewed common leisurely basketball players as “fish” or “patzers”?
Leadership for these things have to come out of the federations and fide.
One thing I did not like was the $500 fee to complain. A person in San Luis is not going to put up $500 cash of his own money to file a complaint that he feels something is wrong in San Luis. So it makes things worse. Nothing wrong with filing a silent complaint that is free.
Imagine if I went to the police station to file a complaint and they said I had to pay $500. Well almost no complaints would be filed. Would that get rid of crime. NO. It would make small crime much more frequent.
For example what is the benefit for Nigel Short to file a $500 complaint in San Luis. None. It hurts his reputation to file and Fide is going to file it in the trash can anyway.
The problems with chess start with fide and uscf. Without leadership we have chaos.
Susan, I don’t think that training necessarily is needed. Some players just have to be aware that when one becomes well known a lot more attention and scrutiny follows. In that respect clearly Topalov, and Danailov to some extent, said things that were better left unspoken. I believe that at some point a PR person might become necessary. Not an expensive one, but just a student doing these things as an Internship.
Overall I see a fairly sophomoric manner in which communication takes place in the chess field. Even established entities like Chessbase act like a school newspaper sometimes.
At the same time, I think that the latest debacle was very educational to all sides and I hope we will not have to discuss this topic soon.
D.
Chess needs to follow the example of successful sports organizations. This means fines or other sanctions for misconduct. One reader objected to prices for filing complaints, but I disagree. Other sports have a policy where, to file a grievance, you need to submit a “deposit”. If the grievance turns out in your favour, you get the money back, and if it doesn’t, you don’t. This is to cut down on the really silly protests, and it works.
To those Topalov haters, you seem to forget Kramnik’s antics that started all this. His toilet trips were suspicious, and whether it was cheating or an attempt to unnerve his opponent, this was not sporting behaviour by any means.
Yes, sports can benefit from controversy by raising interest and awareness, but too much is destructive. Perhaps the next head of FIDE should be someone who ran a professional sports organization and has NO knowledge of chess and no political leanings.
I will explain the typical life of a chess professional(MI or GM) here,in our federation:
Usually they are hired to play with the main team and to give lectures(one or twice per week)at the chess club.
They have internet students or local students and they earn money of them.
For they is very frecuent to play one day tournaments(Sundays,20 minutes games,8 rounds) and to win one form time to time.
That is their normal life from fall to spring.
In summer the chess clubs are closed and there are a lot of “Opens”.They can play from 10 to 12 tournaments in just three months.
And ocasionally they do a simul.
I am not sure about why some of the masters are so unpolite.
Maybe because they think chess is the only important thing in their lifes, and in all the lifes.
Well I am an engineer and I do not think “you must be stupid because you are not other engineer”,but sometimes I feel that some masters think “you must be stupid because you are not a master”.
If they think in that way,the next step is not to sign a autograph to a child, to be unpolite with a sponsor or not to attend to the press.
I believe that some of them need to be educated again.
An sample for my own experience:
In september I had three options in order to hire a master to do a simul in my city.Two of them were the type of unpolite master I explained before, and the other was a young IM.An Easy question:Who did the simul finally?. And yes,he was very nice with the people playing and with the local TV and press, as I expected.
Susan, I think that bad behavior by players is beneficial, as it generates interest in chess.
99.9% of the public, including me, does not have the level of chess skill and knowledge necessary to understand games between top GM’s, so the actual chess is not intersting. On the other hand, everyone can understand and be entertained by personal conflicts.
What we must do is just ignore the clowns…
Also people like you, Susan, who are influential, should not post about Danailov’s every move…. Just ignore them clowns…That is the solution…
Cause by talking about their clown acts, we just point more audience at the circus…
“Need to be trained” is kind of a Maoist concept, isn’t it? That said, perhaps there need to be sanctions for poor sportsmanship –I just watched a video of Korchnoi being totally rude to your sister when she beat him at blitz. Korchnoi is a legend; he truly believes in giving back to the game. But “lose with dignity” is not just an empty phrase; it really means something!
Remember what goodwill Boris Spassky generated by being a true gentleman of the sport?
FIDE needs to have, among other things, strong sanctions for unsportsmanlike conduct — including accusing one’s opponent of cheating without sound reasons to do so!
But the real reason for corporate disdain for chess seems to be the ambiguous character of so many of chess politicians, both here on the USCF board as well as at the high levels of FIDE. It’s kind of creepy.
Kramnik is the embodiment of dignity, a most graceful character.
And Short is raising up an important concern.
It is Topalov who should be banned from chess forever when he is found guilty of cheating.
In many sports here in the U.S. players are given instruction on how to deal with the media and are expected to behave in a professional way. Indeed, it specifies in their contracts that they can be released by exhibiting untoward behavior and disgracing the game they play. Why should chess be any different. I think rule #1 for chess players should be to shut-up and play.
Susan
I think there is a type on this thread. The picture is certainly a photo by your sister not a painting. It is just too good for a painting.
Susan, I think you are too conservative ni this respect! Look at what happens to other sports. Football, Cricket, Tennis, Swimming or anything. I can imagine FIDE adding a law that every chess player has to follow certain behavior while handling media. However, later FIDE may use this law to shut everyone’s mouth and do whatever they like as no one will be able to talk anything under this condition.
A better proposal is to adding certain media handling clauses by the chess player’s sponsor (if they have any) and from the tournament organizer’s only during the start and end date of a tournament.
In democracy I feel, let others talk whatever they like. If you dont feel good, you criticize that otherwise appreciate that. But players should have freedom of voice.ojdmnhac
Yes you’re being conservative, but you’re also right.
From what I have seen chess professionals seem rather adept in handling the media.
Danailov courts controversy wherever he goes, and makes sure that what his client cannot win over the board, he makes up for in book royalties.
Kasparov, Short and others who question whether Topalov cheats have their every word hung upon by everyone from Chessbase to well.. Susan Polgar. Even the mainstream media is taking an interest.
It seems to me that these are very media savvy people.
Perhaps you just dont like the things they are saying?
J.
I don’t think chessplayers in general are guilty of any eggregious misbehaviour.
That said, I think it might be helpful to the world of chess to give a few pointers to top players on how to relax and look interesting on camera. Any sport or activity aquires a much larger profile when there are a few charismatic individuals to follow and root for. The top players, by and large, are completely unkown to the general public. When they do talk to the press (usually the Eurpoean press) it seems, more often than not, that they clam up, stick to business, and adopt a “deer in the headlights” demeanour. A little coaching might help- as it would any of us in a similar predicament.
People like having someone they can relate to. Teaching players to act more human and “natural” on camera (which, ironically enough, requires a kind of acting) would likely draw more outsiders in.
Brad Hoehne
P.S.
There are a few exceptions, of course, and those folks are much more well known: Nigel Short, Garry Kasparov, Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley, and, of course, Susan Polgar. Unfortunately, these players are also not currently competing at the very top of the sport. (Nigel is closest, and Susan is still strong, but neither one are top 10 players).
The last note was mine.
Brad Hoehne
I disagree that Chess Professionals need training, at least at the very top. I don’t think much of many local masters but elite GMs seem ok when dealing with the public. There are videos of the recently concluded Corus tournament. The news conferences by some of the participants have been nothing but professional and honest. Even the conduct of Topalov was exceptional.
That is live conduct. It is totally different how some of these same GMs behave in print. Karpov’s and Kortchnoi’s writings show much political venom yet their behavior in live public are a sharp contrast. Fischer’s radio broadcasts are…profane to say the least, yet you can hear kindness and reason between outbursts. I have read of many GMs’ posts in various forums and I wonder if they are impersonations of well-known internet trolls. I’ve met some of them in person – remarkable contrast.
I have confidence in nearly all the elite GMs will behave correctly when dealing with the public. It is in print and internet forums where there might be a problem.
But then, Chess Professionals dealing with the media is live and will behave appropriately (so far that I’ve observed), while print and internet forums are not live and so not relevant.
Can’t say the same of some local masters but they are not elite GMs so we lose nothing by ignoring them.