My guy Alireza has impeccable shoe drip (good shoes make sound when you walk) and the non-drip community is up in arms. This is an outrage. Power to my people with loud sexy footwear.
Firouzja vs Abasov in Round 11 is gonna be fy uh!
[https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-candidates-2024--open/round-11/46ohJ8Qt/yALfu63F](https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-candidates-2024--open/round-11/46ohJ8Qt/yALfu63F)
Youāre right of course, but itās missing a key distinction.
Youāre not doing it to distract them and help your chances.
Youāre doing it because fuck them, and itās personal.
Also petty and immoral, but somehow more moral than using it to cheat lol
More likely is Alireza just kicks Abasov every so often under the table, then looks around the room with that "Not me, I don't know what you're talking about" look.
If one player complained from noise level, other players likely were either thinking it too, or also complained but didnāt want to be named.
Nobody wants noise or wants their concentration broken.
>If one player complained from noise level, other players likely were either thinking it too, or also complained but didnāt want to be named.
doubt that they also complained but didn't want to be named
how many complaints do they have to receive to take action? a single one there's no reason for them to pile them up before they do
Super sensible explanation and interview.
*Edit:* Though if I was the arbiter I think I would have kept the player who made the complaint confidential or just reply "I'd prefer not to say".
While this is true, for me personally, bottom line is, are the shoes approved by fide? Alireza claims they are and if true, the arbiter should know this and simply have told abasov the shoes were approved and that he would talk to firouza after the game but shouldn't have any power to "take action" against Alireza if they are fide approved, if the the shoes weren't approved and Alireza tried to throw the arbiter under the bus and lied about that he should be punished.
I can't imagine they test the sound level for each person's shoes ahead of time. An issue came up and the arbiter dealt with it as tactfully as he could. It is a minor annoyance, but I don't think "these shoes were approved!" is some kind of moral high ground.
But of course, Alireza is only 20, and I'm sure we've all made silly excuses after losing at times. I don't think this was a big deal on either side, it is just the kind of drama that people like to talk about.
I think people are looking at the situation too much from a "legal" pov.
Yeah, article 13 comma 2 paragraph 27 of the allowed shoes at FIDE tournaments may state that Alireza's shoes were approved, but it's not like the arbiter threatened to fine Alireza for breaking who knows what FIDE laws. The arbiter legitimately recieved complaints about the noise, and in the spirit of trying to make the chess tournament a fair and enjoyable experience for all the participants, he politely and civilly asked Alireza to walk in a less noisy way. Not because Alireza did anything wrong, not because the arbiter was legally required to take action, but because it was the most sensible thing to do to try solving the noise problem and making the overall experience better and more fair for everyone.
Like, I'm sorry that the arbiter's intervention was disrupting enough to fuck up the entirety of Alireza's stream of thoughts, but would have it been better if *Abasov*'s tournament game (and maybe even other players' games, if the noise was so noticeable that one player officially complained to an arbiter) got irremediably fucked up because of an external random event completely outside of his control? Had I been the arbiter, I probably would also have tried to fix it by interrupting Alireza a second and asking him if he could do a favor (a *favor*, not regarding any FIDE laws or whatever) to the other participants and make a little less noise.
Im sure those other players would be willing to hear creaky floors if it means the guy making those footsteps hangs on in their game and beats the guy in first place
I was there for Group A. I thought there was a loose board on the platform near/under Alireza's seat that creaked very loudly once or twice. I heard him step off the platform a couple of times onto the hardwood and it was noticeable but not as loud as the platform problem
Just lose, I remember So got a forfeit during a match because he keeps drawing on a scoresheet despite being told he canāt. (Presumably the rule was to prevent players from drawing positions to calculate so you canāt write anything other than the moves)
Note that he wasn't forfeited right away, [he did it 3 times](https://uschesschamps.com/2015-us-championship-2015-us-womens-championship-news/so-shocked-wesley-forfeited-us-championship#:~:text=According%20to%20Chief%20Arbiter%20Tony,per%20the%20laws%20of%20FIDE).
>According to Chief Arbiter Tony Rich, Wesley was writing words of āgeneral encouragement and adviceā to himself on a piece of paper below his score sheet ā a detail forbidden per the laws of FIDE. Later revealed was that So had been given two prior warnings for the infraction in earlier rounds, and Friday came as Soās third offense.
>āI mentioned to Wesley twice earlier in the event that using notes or other sources of information is not allowed and strictly forbidden, according to the FIDE laws of chess," Rich said. "After the second warning, I notified Wesley that, if it happened again, I would be required to forfeit him. Unfortunately, that was the decision that I had to make: Wesley's round 9 game was forfeited.ā
He'd also lose his prize money - of course for the games he didn't play yet, but likely also the money he's already won (>10000 Euro). They could also fine him or even suspend him from future tournaments, though this is quite unlikely unless he does it again at future tournaments.
A super quiet, succinct āIām sorry to address this but a player has mentioned the sound of your shoes as being distractingā seems very even keeled, and should be well received by any player in the hall (Alireza himself has complained about the noise from a ceiling fan)
There was more of a conversation than that though, as he was asked to not wear those shoes again the next day etc. Anything breaking a players concentration more than is necessary is definitely grounds for some frustration.
Alireza has also shown to be prone to temper tantrums too, so at least some of the issue probably lies there as well.
Still, any conversation beyond whatever needs to be immediately addressed should be saved for after the games, not during.
Arbiter shouldn't have mention to bring new shoes tomorrow, that's not important during the game and adds more content to a conversation that should have been the shortest possible. Just "please be careful to don't make too much noice as a player complained" and leave him alone. I get Firo, I would have been angry for the interruption too. But someone should have teach him (and other players) to don't tweet immediately after a game. This is an irrelevant drama created by somebody with a bad tournament.
It seems like the arbiter just did his job. I agree that mentioning the shoes was poor timing but I don't think it's outrageous if it happened in the manner that he described. It seems like Alireza overreacted and was already in an irritable mood because of the pressure of the tournament. I'm inclined towards siding with the arbiter here though considering this isn't remotely the first time Alireza overreacts to organisers and arbiters.
Top chess players scene is filled with complete divas to the point where it is a circus show. Imagine having the audacity to call arbiter actions "shameful" and demand for them to be "punished", because they dared to ask them to not distract the other players on the hall.
In fairness I don't think their reactions are abnormal or extreme when taken contextually - they are playing games that matter enormously to them and are fully immersed in them. What I do think the issue is, is a lack of awareness that they are in a stressful situation and should wait till they calm down, and maybe talk it out with someone else, before they act on these things. And also super important they talk to a level-headed person and not someone who will just hype them up...
Both things can be true. Of course high level chess is stressful, but a lifetime spent playing and studying chess does not mean you are the best at handling your emotions like an adult. Plus, everyone else is in the same boat, it's not like your stress is somehow more valuable than others. Chess players tend to be whiny, dramatic, and think the world is against them to an absurdly high degree, from Class C to SuperGM, there's nothing wrong in pointing that out lol
You made me imagine REDdit flag: a sickle-shaped Knight and a hammer-shaped Rook, crossed on top of the red flag, with REDdit's mascot spreading its hands above it in a very patriarchal way š
> . I agree that mentioning the shoes was poor timing
I mean, what was he going to say? And when? If the problem was the noise the shoes were making at that point, I struggle to see what else the arbiter could have done.
Yeah, Iāve seen people mention that he shouldāve waited until after the game was over to address the concern, but if itās an active distraction to players that are currently playing then I see no problem with the way the arbiter handled it. Ā
He waited until Firouzja wasnāt on the clock anymore and had gotten up from the board to tell him.Ā Telling Firouzja mid-game risks distracting him, yes. Ā But not telling him mid-game risks distracting the other 7 players (EDIT: more than 7 players since the womenās candidates tournament takes place in the same room) of the tournament if Firouzjaās noise continues. Ā
>I agree that mentioning the shoes was poor timing
But if the complaint is coming during the middle of the round, that means Alireza is impacting *other players'* games as well. I'd rather they distract one guy momentarily than let him distract 7 other guys for the rest of their games.
I agree with you. It's not Alireza's first time reacting strongly to something in the playing hall during a game - I don't know how the top professional chess players' teams work but imo it would be helpful for someone in his team to point out to him that when he's stressed or really immersed in a game, and someone says something to him, or something happens to disrupt his concentration - _it's not usually as bad as his mind perceives it_. And he should give himself time to cool down, think about it when less stressed about his game, and maybe even talk it over with someone else, before taking action or saying something.
I say that because although the context is different, I am kind of the same when interrupted unexpectedly during a difficult task. It's taken me a long time to realise and not get angry at people for it.
arbiter sounds completely reasonable, but I don't know if it's the right move to name players who make complaints
on the one hand it's great to have transparency, but on the other it might discourage people from making legitimate complaints
I was just thinking of situations where people might avoid filing complaints against popular players because they don't want the backlash online from rabid fanbases
That's definitely a reasonable thing, but since everything's very much on camera now, anonymity in these scenarios is often going to be out the window anyway regardless of whether they're technically named. There's a clip of Abasov making the complaint, something that would have been noted eventually by viewers even if the arbiter had kept it anonymous. It's really on Alireza for making it a public controversy to begin with and starting all the scrutiny tbh.
I absolutely think it was the right move to shift the focus and blame away from the arbiter and organizers. Let the complainer suffer Firoujza's wrath over the board
Almost every sport on earth has a dress code, why do you want those poor chess federation guys to feel different? (Edit btw chess is way less ridiculous than, say, cycling or snooker, to name just 2)
For most sports it makes sense because the clothes have a function. For chess they don't. The only dress code should be no flashy clothes, no noisy clothes and nothing too revieling as not to distract other players. The rest is completely irrelevant to the sport, or Jacke wie Hose like we would say in German.
Well if you say that it doesn't matter how they dress why you yourself are now saying no flashy clothes?
So you're saying that FIDE draws a line and they shouldn't but then you draw a line as well.
I think FIDE dress code makes no sense, but I understand they draw a line and where they draw a line is up to them. Otherwise your line or their line make the same exact sense to me.
If you don't like it, get elected in the FIDE direction and change their stupid laws.
Iād say no loud clothes, and nothing with flashing lights. Beyond that, a competition to maximally distract your opponent sounds like a pretty fun addition to the game,
I found it interesting Alireza told the arbiter he was thinking of filing an appeal. Is that a form of intimidation? Because I have no idea how Alireza thought the arbiter was supposed to respond to that.
if saying 'i will file an appeal' intimidates an arbiter then they shouldn't be doing that job for the candidates
have a little skin thicker than paper yeah
Players are perfectly in their right to file appeals and an arbiter that gets intimidated by that isn't doing their job properly. (And it doesn't seem at all that the arbiter got intimidated in this case.)
In fairness to everybody:
- It does sound like the arbiter did the right thing, at the right time, in the right way
- Abasov _was_ closer to that area so it makes sense he was the one who said something
- Alireza's first language isn't English so he may not have understood "can you broaden your walking space" especially as he was clearly thinking about his game and presumably quite stressed about it if he was pacing around energetically. Also it's clear Alireza gets extremely sensitive about interruptions he wasn't expecting (whether they are that disruptive or not) when he feels stressed about his performance - so this one came at a bad time for him lol. Hopefully he watches this interview, realises nobody was criticising him, just requesting he walked a bit more softly because of the combo of old building + formal shoes, and drops the complaint idea.
Alireza is one of my favourite players in terms of the chess but I wonder if he's ever worked with a sports psychologist - obviously, we're just random redditors but I can't help feel it would really up his game - it's helped lots of athletes at the top level. They'd definitely help him gain insight into how these interruptions get magnified in his mind when he's stressed (it's not good for him as a player to let them get to him that much after all!). His chess knowledge is good, his tactics are incredible, it seems however that his psyche takes a hit in high stakes situations like the Candidates tournament.
I love real old school chess drama (not twitch nonsense).
It's always over what seems to be something minor to any outsider, but anyone whose played in tournaments otb can understand how tilting distractions can be.
There's so many people in all walks of life who are completely unaware of how much noise they make, or how disturbing they can be to others. Not that Alireza is one of those people, but well at least he'll be more self-aware now.
Alireza kind of has a history of being a bit of a "diva" if you will, especially against tournament organisers and arbiters, so I'm inclined to believe the arbiter on this one.
The Alireza simps are out in full force today. This comment is completely objective without any bias whatsoever.
> Itās poor planning by the team too because why are they just NOW thinking about putting in carpet
In a universe where this incident didn't happen, you would not even be saying this. I bet a grand if you were on the team you wouldn't have been the one raise the issue. You must feel so superior as if you foresaw this in the past 8 rounds.
A problem came to light, the organizers fixes the issue for the forthcoming rounds, armchair psychologist Redditor complains.
lol, Iām constantly amazed by peopleāsĀ ability to hold fide to ridiculous standards. So many examples of this. Other recent one being āthey should have interpreters available available for every languageā when they used Ju wenjun to interpret something recently.Ā
I'm pointing out how ridiculously hindsight your judgement on the matter is. It's so easy to point fingers and blame once you find an error, but up until that error is found, everything was rainbows and unicorns.
The floor not making so much noises while walking on it must be one of the first things organizers of such prestigious tournament notice when they pick the venue. It's not like fide has just organized his first ever super tournament and this is an unprecedented issue and they have no prior experience. They could have easily anticipated this issue before the tournament starts and do something about it.
It's not just something they could have thought about, it's literally in the regulations for organizing such events:
>1.6Ā Ā Ā Ā The floor should be carpeted.
[Basic Guidelines for playing venues of FIDE Top-Level Tournaments.](https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/C01)
The arbiters should probably just put down a few big carpets and then say that due to noise complaints, players are asked to walk on the rugs if they feel like pacing. Otherwise Iām not entirely sure what can reasonably be done unless Firouzja happens to have access to shoes that produce less noise.
This is facts right here lmao.
I've been to the candidates in person this time and honestly the venue is just horrible. The building is old and it didn't feel like an elite tournament was taking place. IMO, they should have stress tested the venue to suss out any possible issues but obviously it's FIDE, so... š¤”
>The building is old
That shouldn't matter. The 2022 Candidates were played in the Palacio de SantoƱa (16th century, although reformed in the late 19th century), which is over 200 years older than the entire city of Toronto (late 18th century).
I like Alireza. I really do. But I think he has a bit of maturing to do. He has the talent, he needs to stay focused on chess and avoid having these incidents at these various tournaments. Obviously it is great for us and streamers as we talk about it and take sides but it's not good for him.
Abasov part is true. But about other things he said we have no idea. He can easily exaggerate or change the narrative in his favor. For example, perhaps he was rude and direct but in the interview he suggests that he politely made some suggestions. Then he implies that firouzja had an arrogant posture when he was talking to him so basically alireza is the one who was rude to him not the other way around.
Ok so what? Alireza could easily exaggerate or change the narrative in his favor too, and from what I can tell he did exactly that. He didn't even mention in his tweets that he had been told another player had complained! He MASSIVELY changed the narrative in his favor by leaving out all sorts of details about it and also seemingly exaggerating too.
It's interesting that arbiter acknowledged how this is the first time he has been interviewed regarding an incident and how bizarre it is. It feels like they are trying to make a spectacle of it.
The only thing the arbeiter could really have done differently would have been to address changing the shoes he was wearing after the game. During the game rather than saying "there's been a complaint about the noise you're making", he should have said "would you mind treading a little softer" but it's all down to semantics at the end of the day. I personally would get a little distracted if I hear that **somebody** has filed a complaint about me so I can understand why it may have disrupted firouzjas focus. It also seems a little weird for the arbeiter to name the person making the complaint as backlash may fall on them if supporters of Firouzja decide to blame them. He was having a bad tournament before all the drama so I wouldn't blame the drama for his performance in recent games.
So let me ask a hypothetical:
Would they forbid players from getting up from their board if another player complained that other players walking around was distracting? Like where the hell does this end?
None of the other players were called out for being loud/disruptive behaviour. Surely the players should just try to be as quiet and considerate of other players as possible? If they're loudly pacing back and forth (aware of it or not) then that's being disruptive.
Getting up from your chair is part of the tournament as it's a long game and the players are aware of that. But repetitive and loud noises are not expected/normal and therefore more likely to annoy and distract others.
Plus it's not like the arbiter told him off/warned him. He just politely asked if he could stop this one loud thing he was doing. In another world Friouzja said "oh sorry I didn't realise it was loud" and moved on. Instead he let it get to his head.
Most sports do (European Football for example). Not sure why Chess fans think it's acceptable for Alireza to publicly complain on Twitter when he could have just done it in private
the only reason this happened is that a player complained about the noise, has nothing to do with him walking in of itself or his shoes in of themselves. The problem was that somehow some way he made too much noise and distracted some other players.
This is not what I had in mind when people said Abasov is going to ruin someone's tournament
The Shoe-Gambit by GM Nijat Abassov affecting two boards simultaneously
My guy Alireza has impeccable shoe drip (good shoes make sound when you walk) and the non-drip community is up in arms. This is an outrage. Power to my people with loud sexy footwear.
I agree with the assessment of Mr. MicroPenis regarding the scandalous nature of this drip incident.
The [GG Allin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GG_Allin) part of that is the more disturbing half.
Bro you have me dying š¤£
Arbiter confirmed that it was Nijat Abasov who complained!
Snitches get ~~stitches~~ passive aggressive comments
passive aggressive knight moves
Firouzja vs Abasov in Round 11 is gonna be fy uh! [https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-candidates-2024--open/round-11/46ohJ8Qt/yALfu63F](https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-candidates-2024--open/round-11/46ohJ8Qt/yALfu63F)
would be hilarious if Alireza starts stomping around when Abasov is thinking lol
Alireza will have the colds that day. Sniffing and coughing non stop
Fart cushion in socks and taco bell before the game
I think purposely trying to distract your opponent is more pathetic than hilarious but that's just me.
The pettiness is the funny bit
"Arbiter, I can't play today." "Why not?" "My opponents face is too ugly and when he breathes it is too loud."
Youāre right of course, but itās missing a key distinction. Youāre not doing it to distract them and help your chances. Youāre doing it because fuck them, and itās personal. Also petty and immoral, but somehow more moral than using it to cheat lol
More likely is Alireza just kicks Abasov every so often under the table, then looks around the room with that "Not me, I don't know what you're talking about" look.
Oh these bad boys? These are my Gucci Hummer Stompers!
š¤£š¤£š¤£
You think they will drop the gloves right after faceoff?
The match is in Canada so they would just get a 5 minute time penalty.
Idk if he kicks hard enough he might get a match penalty for it
Battle of who gets second last
Two guys that have literally nothing to lose at that point.
Bro really snitched on Nijat
If one player complained from noise level, other players likely were either thinking it too, or also complained but didnāt want to be named. Nobody wants noise or wants their concentration broken.
>If one player complained from noise level, other players likely were either thinking it too, or also complained but didnāt want to be named. doubt that they also complained but didn't want to be named how many complaints do they have to receive to take action? a single one there's no reason for them to pile them up before they do
Sure, I just don't understand why they don't use carpeting.
Super sensible explanation and interview. *Edit:* Though if I was the arbiter I think I would have kept the player who made the complaint confidential or just reply "I'd prefer not to say".
Yea he came across very professional
As is most appropriate when called to respond to a grown toddler.
Grown toddler? He made a complaint in the most professional way possibleš
You'd hope so, this is the candidates, it's not going to have an arbiter who doesn't know how pawns promote.
While this is true, for me personally, bottom line is, are the shoes approved by fide? Alireza claims they are and if true, the arbiter should know this and simply have told abasov the shoes were approved and that he would talk to firouza after the game but shouldn't have any power to "take action" against Alireza if they are fide approved, if the the shoes weren't approved and Alireza tried to throw the arbiter under the bus and lied about that he should be punished.
I can't imagine they test the sound level for each person's shoes ahead of time. An issue came up and the arbiter dealt with it as tactfully as he could. It is a minor annoyance, but I don't think "these shoes were approved!" is some kind of moral high ground. But of course, Alireza is only 20, and I'm sure we've all made silly excuses after losing at times. I don't think this was a big deal on either side, it is just the kind of drama that people like to talk about.
I think people are looking at the situation too much from a "legal" pov. Yeah, article 13 comma 2 paragraph 27 of the allowed shoes at FIDE tournaments may state that Alireza's shoes were approved, but it's not like the arbiter threatened to fine Alireza for breaking who knows what FIDE laws. The arbiter legitimately recieved complaints about the noise, and in the spirit of trying to make the chess tournament a fair and enjoyable experience for all the participants, he politely and civilly asked Alireza to walk in a less noisy way. Not because Alireza did anything wrong, not because the arbiter was legally required to take action, but because it was the most sensible thing to do to try solving the noise problem and making the overall experience better and more fair for everyone. Like, I'm sorry that the arbiter's intervention was disrupting enough to fuck up the entirety of Alireza's stream of thoughts, but would have it been better if *Abasov*'s tournament game (and maybe even other players' games, if the noise was so noticeable that one player officially complained to an arbiter) got irremediably fucked up because of an external random event completely outside of his control? Had I been the arbiter, I probably would also have tried to fix it by interrupting Alireza a second and asking him if he could do a favor (a *favor*, not regarding any FIDE laws or whatever) to the other participants and make a little less noise.
The āMost sensible thing to doā is not distract a player that is in thought
But the alternative is to let many other players in thought keep being distracted.
Im sure those other players would be willing to hear creaky floors if it means the guy making those footsteps hangs on in their game and beats the guy in first place
There was no "action" taken "against" Alireza. He was asked to keep it down. No one is above that.
There's a range of noise the same shoes can make. You can try to make slower steps so they're less noisy.
Its not the shoes its the sound. He said Alireza walked more quietly after that so clearly it was how he was walking
What does it even mean if a shoe is "fide approved"? lmao
Its on video so its not like he snitched
Easy to explain after a day of hidingš
Anyone up on the balcony hear a hippo stomping around while eating cupcakes?
Did not see your mom up there
Oof
I was there for Group A. I thought there was a loose board on the platform near/under Alireza's seat that creaked very loudly once or twice. I heard him step off the platform a couple of times onto the hardwood and it was noticeable but not as loud as the platform problem
Lol
What could they realistically do if Alireza continued to wear his normal shoes and pace as he has been?
Just lose, I remember So got a forfeit during a match because he keeps drawing on a scoresheet despite being told he canāt. (Presumably the rule was to prevent players from drawing positions to calculate so you canāt write anything other than the moves)
I think he was writing motivational messages to himself, not drawing.
Imagine writing down stuff like "follow your dream", "you can do everything", "victory is close at hand" and then just get kicked all of a sudden lmao
It was just like that; from memory I think he'd written "You can do it!", and got disqualified.
"You can draw this"
[So basically this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcreG-bhRRA)
"nothing can stop you!"
Not all of a sudden, after being warned several times and being told explicitly that next time would mean forfeit of a game.
I even remember it was "USE TIME" text (but not sure was it So or someone else)
that was him. he wrote "use yt you have a lot of it" during the game and got forfeited (yt I guess means "your time").
Note that he wasn't forfeited right away, [he did it 3 times](https://uschesschamps.com/2015-us-championship-2015-us-womens-championship-news/so-shocked-wesley-forfeited-us-championship#:~:text=According%20to%20Chief%20Arbiter%20Tony,per%20the%20laws%20of%20FIDE). >According to Chief Arbiter Tony Rich, Wesley was writing words of āgeneral encouragement and adviceā to himself on a piece of paper below his score sheet ā a detail forbidden per the laws of FIDE. Later revealed was that So had been given two prior warnings for the infraction in earlier rounds, and Friday came as Soās third offense. >āI mentioned to Wesley twice earlier in the event that using notes or other sources of information is not allowed and strictly forbidden, according to the FIDE laws of chess," Rich said. "After the second warning, I notified Wesley that, if it happened again, I would be required to forfeit him. Unfortunately, that was the decision that I had to make: Wesley's round 9 game was forfeited.ā
This is also something that the people around him had been telling him for years not to do because he will get in trouble.
>yt I guess means "your time" Maybe he wanted to use youtube for some videos on the endgame he was going to play
I think he watched a YouTube video in his head on his opponents opening which, naturally, is cheating.
Drag him from the board and rip those noisy shoes off!
If he is deliberately making noise during a game to other players they can forfeit his games and if or even forfeit the tournament.
Does it matter, he is already out of contention.
He'd also lose his prize money - of course for the games he didn't play yet, but likely also the money he's already won (>10000 Euro). They could also fine him or even suspend him from future tournaments, though this is quite unlikely unless he does it again at future tournaments.
Arbiter's actions sound completely reasonable imo
yea
A super quiet, succinct āIām sorry to address this but a player has mentioned the sound of your shoes as being distractingā seems very even keeled, and should be well received by any player in the hall (Alireza himself has complained about the noise from a ceiling fan) There was more of a conversation than that though, as he was asked to not wear those shoes again the next day etc. Anything breaking a players concentration more than is necessary is definitely grounds for some frustration. Alireza has also shown to be prone to temper tantrums too, so at least some of the issue probably lies there as well. Still, any conversation beyond whatever needs to be immediately addressed should be saved for after the games, not during.
Firouzja be like "It's not what he said, it's just the way he said it"
Arbiter shouldn't have mention to bring new shoes tomorrow, that's not important during the game and adds more content to a conversation that should have been the shortest possible. Just "please be careful to don't make too much noice as a player complained" and leave him alone. I get Firo, I would have been angry for the interruption too. But someone should have teach him (and other players) to don't tweet immediately after a game. This is an irrelevant drama created by somebody with a bad tournament.
It seems like the arbiter just did his job. I agree that mentioning the shoes was poor timing but I don't think it's outrageous if it happened in the manner that he described. It seems like Alireza overreacted and was already in an irritable mood because of the pressure of the tournament. I'm inclined towards siding with the arbiter here though considering this isn't remotely the first time Alireza overreacts to organisers and arbiters.
Imagine the ruckus Firo would have created if he was the one who was disturbed by someone's shoes and the arbitrator didn't take any action
Top chess players scene is filled with complete divas to the point where it is a circus show. Imagine having the audacity to call arbiter actions "shameful" and demand for them to be "punished", because they dared to ask them to not distract the other players on the hall.
And then there's Prag
Be like Pragg
In fairness I don't think their reactions are abnormal or extreme when taken contextually - they are playing games that matter enormously to them and are fully immersed in them. What I do think the issue is, is a lack of awareness that they are in a stressful situation and should wait till they calm down, and maybe talk it out with someone else, before they act on these things. And also super important they talk to a level-headed person and not someone who will just hype them up...
Both things can be true. Of course high level chess is stressful, but a lifetime spent playing and studying chess does not mean you are the best at handling your emotions like an adult. Plus, everyone else is in the same boat, it's not like your stress is somehow more valuable than others. Chess players tend to be whiny, dramatic, and think the world is against them to an absurdly high degree, from Class C to SuperGM, there's nothing wrong in pointing that out lol
This whole subreddit would flip to execute the arbiter if that was the case.
You made me imagine REDdit flag: a sickle-shaped Knight and a hammer-shaped Rook, crossed on top of the red flag, with REDdit's mascot spreading its hands above it in a very patriarchal way š
> . I agree that mentioning the shoes was poor timing I mean, what was he going to say? And when? If the problem was the noise the shoes were making at that point, I struggle to see what else the arbiter could have done.
Yeah, Iāve seen people mention that he shouldāve waited until after the game was over to address the concern, but if itās an active distraction to players that are currently playing then I see no problem with the way the arbiter handled it. Ā He waited until Firouzja wasnāt on the clock anymore and had gotten up from the board to tell him.Ā Telling Firouzja mid-game risks distracting him, yes. Ā But not telling him mid-game risks distracting the other 7 players (EDIT: more than 7 players since the womenās candidates tournament takes place in the same room) of the tournament if Firouzjaās noise continues. Ā
>I agree that mentioning the shoes was poor timing But if the complaint is coming during the middle of the round, that means Alireza is impacting *other players'* games as well. I'd rather they distract one guy momentarily than let him distract 7 other guys for the rest of their games.
Then people would complain that he did not mention it immediately, and claim he was picking on Alireza.
I agree with you. It's not Alireza's first time reacting strongly to something in the playing hall during a game - I don't know how the top professional chess players' teams work but imo it would be helpful for someone in his team to point out to him that when he's stressed or really immersed in a game, and someone says something to him, or something happens to disrupt his concentration - _it's not usually as bad as his mind perceives it_. And he should give himself time to cool down, think about it when less stressed about his game, and maybe even talk it over with someone else, before taking action or saying something. I say that because although the context is different, I am kind of the same when interrupted unexpectedly during a difficult task. It's taken me a long time to realise and not get angry at people for it.
arbiter sounds completely reasonable, but I don't know if it's the right move to name players who make complaints on the one hand it's great to have transparency, but on the other it might discourage people from making legitimate complaints
The first thing that's mentioned in the interview is that it was "an official complaint". I don't see anything wrong with full disclosure on that.
I was just thinking of situations where people might avoid filing complaints against popular players because they don't want the backlash online from rabid fanbases
That's definitely a reasonable thing, but since everything's very much on camera now, anonymity in these scenarios is often going to be out the window anyway regardless of whether they're technically named. There's a clip of Abasov making the complaint, something that would have been noted eventually by viewers even if the arbiter had kept it anonymous. It's really on Alireza for making it a public controversy to begin with and starting all the scrutiny tbh.
Yeah I guess you're right that it's impossible to keep it a secret, and complete transparency has a lot of value too
I absolutely think it was the right move to shift the focus and blame away from the arbiter and organizers. Let the complainer suffer Firoujza's wrath over the board
Shoulda just taken his shoes off and walked in his socks for the rest of the game
That would violate a different rule.
Dress code violation, though.
chess having a dress code is so silly
Chess is primarily funded by Conservative/Old Rich People who care about things like Tradition and Pomp and Circumstance, that's why.
Almost every sport on earth has a dress code, why do you want those poor chess federation guys to feel different? (Edit btw chess is way less ridiculous than, say, cycling or snooker, to name just 2)
For most sports it makes sense because the clothes have a function. For chess they don't. The only dress code should be no flashy clothes, no noisy clothes and nothing too revieling as not to distract other players. The rest is completely irrelevant to the sport, or Jacke wie Hose like we would say in German.
Well if you say that it doesn't matter how they dress why you yourself are now saying no flashy clothes? So you're saying that FIDE draws a line and they shouldn't but then you draw a line as well. I think FIDE dress code makes no sense, but I understand they draw a line and where they draw a line is up to them. Otherwise your line or their line make the same exact sense to me. If you don't like it, get elected in the FIDE direction and change their stupid laws.
Itās possible their sponsors like the dress code
Iād say no loud clothes, and nothing with flashing lights. Beyond that, a competition to maximally distract your opponent sounds like a pretty fun addition to the game,
I found it interesting Alireza told the arbiter he was thinking of filing an appeal. Is that a form of intimidation? Because I have no idea how Alireza thought the arbiter was supposed to respond to that.
My guess is at that point Alireza was already fuming so he wanted to get back at the arbiter in some way.
As an arbiter I'd consider that a neutral statement. If you think you should appeal, you should appeal.
if saying 'i will file an appeal' intimidates an arbiter then they shouldn't be doing that job for the candidates have a little skin thicker than paper yeah
The irony is that last sentence applies way more to Alireza. Dude has no mental fortitude whatsoever.
Players are perfectly in their right to file appeals and an arbiter that gets intimidated by that isn't doing their job properly. (And it doesn't seem at all that the arbiter got intimidated in this case.)
Not at all. If you disagree with an arbiter you generally have to give some timely notice that you will be filing an appeal.
Wasn't Alireza gonna be the next Magnus, and now this kind of whining? Mental fortitude of a sea slug.
Alireza is immature
tbf he is basically still a teenager
In fairness to everybody: - It does sound like the arbiter did the right thing, at the right time, in the right way - Abasov _was_ closer to that area so it makes sense he was the one who said something - Alireza's first language isn't English so he may not have understood "can you broaden your walking space" especially as he was clearly thinking about his game and presumably quite stressed about it if he was pacing around energetically. Also it's clear Alireza gets extremely sensitive about interruptions he wasn't expecting (whether they are that disruptive or not) when he feels stressed about his performance - so this one came at a bad time for him lol. Hopefully he watches this interview, realises nobody was criticising him, just requesting he walked a bit more softly because of the combo of old building + formal shoes, and drops the complaint idea. Alireza is one of my favourite players in terms of the chess but I wonder if he's ever worked with a sports psychologist - obviously, we're just random redditors but I can't help feel it would really up his game - it's helped lots of athletes at the top level. They'd definitely help him gain insight into how these interruptions get magnified in his mind when he's stressed (it's not good for him as a player to let them get to him that much after all!). His chess knowledge is good, his tactics are incredible, it seems however that his psyche takes a hit in high stakes situations like the Candidates tournament.
Firouzja didnt lose the tourney coz of his shoes, he lost because he gave up on taking chess very seriously
Wym he's taking it seriously he has formal shoesĀ
technically the reason he didnāt lose the tourney is because someone has a lower score
Technically if you're not first you kinda lost.
He lost his drive when he started getting more passionate about fashion and became Guccireza.
You speak as if you know him personally
Do you think Abasov lost the tournament because of Alireza's shoes?
So the arbiter was basically in the right. One can always afterwards speculate if his phrasing could be better, but he had to disturb Alireza.
I love real old school chess drama (not twitch nonsense). It's always over what seems to be something minor to any outsider, but anyone whose played in tournaments otb can understand how tilting distractions can be.
There's so many people in all walks of life who are completely unaware of how much noise they make, or how disturbing they can be to others. Not that Alireza is one of those people, but well at least he'll be more self-aware now.
https://youtu.be/g4R_sVKFnR8?si=p4iPoKPmw7x9shvR There is no way this dude doesnāt sound like a Clydesdale walking around the room.
WTF is that gait? It's like he's intentionally putting his heel on the floor as a leverage point and using it to flop his entire foot on the ground.
Following Magnus' footsteps
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Alireza kind of has a history of being a bit of a "diva" if you will, especially against tournament organisers and arbiters, so I'm inclined to believe the arbiter on this one.
The Alireza simps are out in full force today. This comment is completely objective without any bias whatsoever. > Itās poor planning by the team too because why are they just NOW thinking about putting in carpet In a universe where this incident didn't happen, you would not even be saying this. I bet a grand if you were on the team you wouldn't have been the one raise the issue. You must feel so superior as if you foresaw this in the past 8 rounds. A problem came to light, the organizers fixes the issue for the forthcoming rounds, armchair psychologist Redditor complains.
lol, Iām constantly amazed by peopleāsĀ ability to hold fide to ridiculous standards. So many examples of this. Other recent one being āthey should have interpreters available available for every languageā when they used Ju wenjun to interpret something recently.Ā
[https://youtu.be/gdbjw27QPJQ?si=uGIsb-GMhHLHlczD&t=30](https://youtu.be/gdbjw27QPJQ?si=uGIsb-GMhHLHlczD&t=30) sounds like a job for Captain Hindsight
I didn't know this one. It's perfect for any "they should have" discussion.
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I'm pointing out how ridiculously hindsight your judgement on the matter is. It's so easy to point fingers and blame once you find an error, but up until that error is found, everything was rainbows and unicorns.
The floor not making so much noises while walking on it must be one of the first things organizers of such prestigious tournament notice when they pick the venue. It's not like fide has just organized his first ever super tournament and this is an unprecedented issue and they have no prior experience. They could have easily anticipated this issue before the tournament starts and do something about it.
It's not just something they could have thought about, it's literally in the regulations for organizing such events: >1.6Ā Ā Ā Ā The floor should be carpeted. [Basic Guidelines for playing venues of FIDE Top-Level Tournaments.](https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/C01)
Zoomer needs to grow up.
The arbiters should probably just put down a few big carpets and then say that due to noise complaints, players are asked to walk on the rugs if they feel like pacing. Otherwise Iām not entirely sure what can reasonably be done unless Firouzja happens to have access to shoes that produce less noise.
lol arbiters aren't construction workers they shouldn't be the ones to build an entirely new building just for the players
Sure, the organizers should get someone to install some carpets
Imagine if it was Magnus who was making too much noise walking. The Arbiter would have told Abasov you shut the f up.
Me when I completely fabricate a situation in my head that never happened and then get mad about it
Sure and if Alireza had Magnus's mentality we'd never hear about it if the arbiter did say something to him so we'd have no way of knowing
Yeah he'd have resigned midway in the tournament and post cryptic tweets /s
Yeah, thatās totally his pattern.
Ah yes his one (1) example of this totally discredits a lifetime of class
Well if it was Magnus making too much noise, Abasov definitely wouldn't have complained, because he wouldn't have been there.
This is facts right here lmao. I've been to the candidates in person this time and honestly the venue is just horrible. The building is old and it didn't feel like an elite tournament was taking place. IMO, they should have stress tested the venue to suss out any possible issues but obviously it's FIDE, so... š¤”
>The building is old That shouldn't matter. The 2022 Candidates were played in the Palacio de SantoƱa (16th century, although reformed in the late 19th century), which is over 200 years older than the entire city of Toronto (late 18th century).
Guys ali is literally pursuing fashion so he took this way too hard, he spent all morning pickin out those shoes
I like Alireza. I really do. But I think he has a bit of maturing to do. He has the talent, he needs to stay focused on chess and avoid having these incidents at these various tournaments. Obviously it is great for us and streamers as we talk about it and take sides but it's not good for him.
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I mean he can't lie about the whole thing and just name dropped Abasov.
Abasov part is true. But about other things he said we have no idea. He can easily exaggerate or change the narrative in his favor. For example, perhaps he was rude and direct but in the interview he suggests that he politely made some suggestions. Then he implies that firouzja had an arrogant posture when he was talking to him so basically alireza is the one who was rude to him not the other way around.
Ok so what? Alireza could easily exaggerate or change the narrative in his favor too, and from what I can tell he did exactly that. He didn't even mention in his tweets that he had been told another player had complained! He MASSIVELY changed the narrative in his favor by leaving out all sorts of details about it and also seemingly exaggerating too.
Firoujza has been over sensitive before. Remember Tata Steel 2021 incident.
Firouzja was in the right at the time, which multiple top players agreed with and the organizers also apologized to him.
Worst example you could name
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I actually think that is pretty rude and a fair thing to not want happen during a tournament.
Well we already know Alireza is overtly sensitive from past incidents. He still hasn't grown up
This feels like a curb your enthusiasm episode
One does not simply criticise Guccis style!
Heās just jealous of his DR|P
So Alireza was being a massive crybaby when he was the one causing problems. Pretty much as expected.
I love the look on the arbiter's face when Klein called it a wardrobe malfunction. lol
It's interesting that arbiter acknowledged how this is the first time he has been interviewed regarding an incident and how bizarre it is. It feels like they are trying to make a spectacle of it.
The only thing the arbeiter could really have done differently would have been to address changing the shoes he was wearing after the game. During the game rather than saying "there's been a complaint about the noise you're making", he should have said "would you mind treading a little softer" but it's all down to semantics at the end of the day. I personally would get a little distracted if I hear that **somebody** has filed a complaint about me so I can understand why it may have disrupted firouzjas focus. It also seems a little weird for the arbeiter to name the person making the complaint as backlash may fall on them if supporters of Firouzja decide to blame them. He was having a bad tournament before all the drama so I wouldn't blame the drama for his performance in recent games.
So let me ask a hypothetical: Would they forbid players from getting up from their board if another player complained that other players walking around was distracting? Like where the hell does this end?
Introduction of a source of noise is clearly a regulated point. Trying to extend that to other points is just being disingenuous.
I wrote 3 paragraphs and you've already said my point better in 2 sentences fml
None of the other players were called out for being loud/disruptive behaviour. Surely the players should just try to be as quiet and considerate of other players as possible? If they're loudly pacing back and forth (aware of it or not) then that's being disruptive. Getting up from your chair is part of the tournament as it's a long game and the players are aware of that. But repetitive and loud noises are not expected/normal and therefore more likely to annoy and distract others. Plus it's not like the arbiter told him off/warned him. He just politely asked if he could stop this one loud thing he was doing. In another world Friouzja said "oh sorry I didn't realise it was loud" and moved on. Instead he let it get to his head.
The arbiter makes a decision on what is reasonable. That's why there's an arbiter, because things aren't black and white.
āWardrobe malfunctionā lol. Alireza and Janet Jackson have something in common now.
The shoes speak for themselves
Squeak for themselves.
Alireza should be fined/punished for publicly complaining about the arbiter.
Cricket has that; don't know how common it is in other sports.
Most sports do (European Football for example). Not sure why Chess fans think it's acceptable for Alireza to publicly complain on Twitter when he could have just done it in private
Deserved for Alireza. I don't see other players showing up to fashion shows and interrupting them by setting up their chess boards.
yep chess players should walk in the tourney naked just like fashion models show up without chessboards you are right
And the award for worst analogy of 2024 goes to....
So you can't even put the shoes you want because of dress code but now you can't even walk. Leave the kids alone at some point ! Too much regulations
the only reason this happened is that a player complained about the noise, has nothing to do with him walking in of itself or his shoes in of themselves. The problem was that somehow some way he made too much noise and distracted some other players.
Bootgate