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From: ditzel@ssc-vax.UUCP (Charles L Ditzel)
Newsgroups: net.chess
Subject: Soviet Chess Schenanigans
Message-ID: <422@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Aug-83 11:42:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.422
Posted: Wed Aug 17 11:42:29 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Aug-83 10:56:03 EDT
Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
Lines: 17

I agree that FIDE should be the organizing body.  How realistic is
it to not have FIDE be amenable to the wishes of a national federation (i.e. the
U.S or USSR) or to the PLAYER's wishes?  Not very.  Fischer alone proved this
time and again.  In Fischer's case FIDE was dealing with an individual
personality and Fischer won virtually on every count! The point is not
that the Soviets are now paradoxically on the same side Fischer was on, it
is that FIDE *has* to listen to the players and the player' national
federation. Politics is a reality in the sport/chess world.  I think
a little commonsense pays off. Saying that one wishes politics or political
pressure would vanish is like saying "i wish there were no more wars".
Whether it is Bobby running around saying he wants to play Spasski in
a small ping pong room behind the main theater  or  its Kasparov or his
federation not wanting to play in Pasadena, it's all the same. Maybe it is
not ideal but these things happen all the time in the sports and chess
worlds. The idea is to have people that have a sense of compromise and
know when to draw the line as the organizers.