The Indian capital New Delhi hosts the third leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022/23 series. The event takes place from March 24 to April 5, and supposed to kick off with the first round on Saturday, 25th of March. However, the first round was postponed due to organizational issues which led to withdrawal of one player. The 12-player round-robin tournament got shortened to 11-player format as GM Zhansaya Abdumalik withdrew from the event after bad reception at the airport.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich sent an apology letter to the players. “On behalf of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), I would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the mishandling of the Women’s Grand Prix tournament in India. We deeply regret the problems and inconveniences you have experienced, which has led to one player withdrawing from the tournament”, reads the letter. The complete letter can be read below:
On Women’s Grand Prix tournament
Dear Participants,
On behalf of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), I would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the mishandling of the Women’s Grand Prix tournament in India. We deeply regret the problems and inconveniences you have experienced, which has led to one player withdrawing from the tournament.
We understand that this situation has caused great dissatisfaction among the players and has put the tournament in danger. We acknowledge your concerns and frustrations, and we take them seriously. We highly appreciate your openness and would like to assure you that we are committed to addressing the issues that have been raised regarding this tournament and FIDE women events in general. We are also determined to improve the level of communication with the participants.
Considering all the arguments in place, we have decided to continue with the Women’s Grand Prix tournament in India. We believe that such a decision is best under the given circumstances, even though the withdrawal of a player would require all of the tournament participants and organizers to adjust themselves.
In case of postponement, the current FIDE calendar does not allow space for strong assurances when the tournament can be held. It is also important not to create a precedent that the whole event can be terminated and other players’ plans influenced due to the decision of a player to withdraw. Alongside the utmost respect for the comfort of our professional players, we are equally committed to demonstrating our reliability as trustworthy, credible partners to our organizers and sponsors.
We are fully committed to taking swift and decisive action to improve the situation immediately. Above all, our priority is to demonstrate that we truly care about our participants, and we will spare no effort to ensure that they receive the highest level of support and attention. To that effect, FIDE will appoint an additional coordinator to be at the full disposal to the participants of the event. Also, all affected players will be provided with compensation, such as covering any additional expenses they may have incurred or will incur during the event.
In order to manage the tournament under the new conditions, the following schedule and principles will apply:
- The tournament will be held with the participation of 11 players
- The first round pairings will remain as they are (IM Assaubayeva exempt)
- The following rounds will be affected as less as possible in order to balance colours where it is possible.
The broader issues which have been highlighted by the players regarding other events have also been taken into account.
From the very beginning, my team and I have been dedicated to promoting women’s chess, and we are proud to have made significant strides in this regard. This includes the creation of numerous new events for top players, the allocation of major tournaments across three continents, record prize funds, and an increasing number of opportunities for female participation. We remain committed to advancing the cause of women’s chess around the world. Having said that, I realise there is still a lot we should do to improve.
Concerning women’s chess events and the broader issues raised, FIDE will take the following steps:
- We will conduct a thorough review of the guidelines and standards for organizing women’s tournaments, and make sure to strengthen the connection with players, as well as further improve the proficiency of the events organizing team.
- We will ensure that the cooperation between local organizers and FIDE functions significantly better, to reflect the standards of events.
- Improve and sharpen the mechanism of selecting the host cities and venues for the tournaments, thus improving the planning of the FIDE calendar.
- We will continue to work on closing the prize gaps between Open and Women events.
Once again, please accept my apologies and thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Yours sincerely,
Arkady Dvorkovich
FIDE President
