Israeli chess players still ‘hope and believe’ they will play in Saudi Arabia

A spokesperson for the Israel Chess Federation says the group is still holding out hope that seven of its players will be allowed to take part in an international championship being held in Saudi Arabia in two days time, despite being denied visas thus far.

“Even now, despite the fact that the world tournament in Riyadh begins on Tuesday, we hope and believe that FIDE (the World Chess Federation)… and the Saudis will reach an agreement regarding the participation of the Israeli chess players,” Israel Chess Federation spokesperson Lior Aizenberg says.

The speed chess tournament includes cash prizes of up to two million dollars, so Israel’s exclusion “presents both economic and professional damage to your players,” Aizenberg says.

He adds that if they are indeed barred from the tournament, then his group plans to organize its own championship “in the near future,” for the Israeli players and “for the excellent players from around the world who support our participation in the tournament.”

Earlier, another top official from the Israel Chess Federation, Moshe Shalev, told The Times of Israel that the group was considering taking legal action against FIDE over the Saudis’ refusal to permit the Israeli players to take part in the tournament.

“It is most outrageous that FIDE allows a state to agree to host an international championship, without promising to accept all athletes, regardless of their country of origin,” Aizenberg says.

— Judah Ari Gross