Before we share the new tidings with you, here some of the feedback we received
on our previous
article:
"I cannot believe anyone would take this seriously" – Rob,
USA
"Did you forget, you already had an April Fools joke!" –
Michael F, USA
"Wow, have I really slept all the way through till April 2010?"
– Billy H, Bristol
"Is there an August 24th Fool's Day or is this a preview for next year's
April 1st?" – Gabriel C, USA
"Read about him in gamesforum
and Chess
Circle"– Anatoly G, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
"I can only laugh... this kind of thing can only happen in the US. It
would be interesting to hear what Akobian has to say about it. He is a serious
player, isn't he?" – Martin C, Albacete, Spain
"What kind of a twisted travesty is this? It demeans Grandmaster Akobian
to be portrayed in this ridiculous joke!" – Rick A, San Diego
"The critical letters in the release are 'WC', in the acronym's most
traditional connotation" – Andrew P, Toronto.
"Shame on ChessBase for giving this charlatan even one ounce of free
publicity" – Ken J, Missouri, USA
"Back in the 1970s and 1980s it was customary for the organisers of
the biennial South African Open to invite a player or two of international
strength (Elo 2300-2500) to play in the tournament as an attraction. In 1986
we were introduced to the great Stan Vaughan, supposedly around 2300 Elo,
with much fanfare. If I remember correctly he got 6/11..." – Graeme
F, Johannesburg, South Africa
"'Sorry, we simply couldn't resist: here is the press release...' Why
is it so hard to resist publishing an obviously fraudulent story full of misinformation?
An apology in advance simply doesn't help. It's still sleazy." Bruce
B, San Diego
"Through the tears of laughter, I wish this match much publicity and
enough noise to wake some FIDE officials up." – Kajetan W, Wroclaw,
Poland
Once again we cannot resist. The latest press release of the WCC (or WCF or
whatever) tells us that GM Varuzhan Akobian has not agreed to play, in spite
of the six million dollar prize fund, because his World Cup contract with FIDE
prohibits competition in any rival "world championship" for the next
four years. The good news (we think) is that the WCC has set up a full candidates
cycle, starting with Satellite qualifier matches in November, the Qualifier
matches in December, then Candidates knockout finals in January 2010. The winner
then goes on to challenge the current titleholder Stan Vaughan, who has kept
his title as a result of challenger Varuzhan Akobian's decision to default.
Only in America, as some readers have told us, is such a match and such an
announcement possible (wait, surely in Nigeria too?!) We promise to try very
hard to refrain from publishing further press releases of the WCC – unless
we are all shamed by a multi-million Dollar World Chess Championship actually
being staged next year in Las Vegas. In that case we will do live broadcast
and apologise to the organisers whom we have so insidiously doubted in our current
reports.
For those who desperately need more information there is a contact address
and phone number at the bottom of this page. You may want to give Tatiana a
call?!
Press release – Sept. 2nd 2009

The World Chess Federation announced today that the sponsors of 'The World
Chess Championship' 2009 have exercised their options to proceed with sponsoring
'The World Chess Championship' Candidates 2010 as well as “The World Chess
Championship' 2011.
'The World Chess Championship' Candidates 2010 will take place in three stages:
1st stage: Satellite qualifier matches open to anyone in the world, which can
be organized also anywhere in the world (November 2009). 2nd stage: Qualifier
matches including winners of 1st stage, to be held in Las Vegas (December 2009)
at the Riviera Hotel/Casino Las Vegas. 3rd stage: Candidate matches including
winners of 2nd stage, to be held at the Riviera Hotel/Casino Las Vegas starting
January 2010 consisting of knockout matches (first to 6 wins, draws not counting).
Full details will be at www.americanchessassociation.org after October 1, 2009.
The winner of 3rd stage will earn the right to be the official challenger to
compete for the World Chess Federation, Inc title 'The World Chess Champion'
in a match for 6 million US$ in 2011 against current titleholder of 'The World
Chess Champion' Stan Vaughan who retained the title through 'The World Chess
Championship' 2011 as a result of challenger Varuzhan Akobian's recent August
30th decision to default in 'The World Chess Championship' 2009 after he was
notified by competitor FIDE (International Chess Federation) that in signing
contract to play in their 2009 World Cup tournament in Siberia (see World Cup
Player contract at www.fide.com) that he had legally obligated himself under
Article 4.2 to not play in WCF's 'The World Chess Championship' 2009 voiding
a previous 2007 contract to do so. Rather than face a threatened breach of contract
suit by FIDE over the non compete clause, Akobian elected to default.

WCF 'The World Chess Champion' Stan Vaughan commented, “It is my opinion
that FIDE's noncompetition agreements, which they are forcing the 128 competitors
in their 'World Cup' to sign as a precondition to participation is nothing less
than illegal 'involuntary servitude' prohibiting those 128 players from competing
in WCF events for at least the next four years, through 2013.
As such, I applaud the response of WCF in following the suggestion of Bobby
Fischer to open 'The World Chess Championship' candidates 2010 stages to select
my next challenger to anyone in the world without being required to be a member
of any federation worldwide. This is simply the logical response to FIDE's declaration
of war upon WCF via the new FIDE illegal 'involuntary servitude' noncompetition
agreements as they attempt to prevent top chess professionals from competing
in WCF's 'The World Chess Championship' events. A storm is brewing, and the
Stalinist repressive dictator 'extortion' tactics against chess professionals
and FIDE's attempt to control rather than govern has led to this unprecedented
occurrence in the history of chess of a challenger choosing to default a match
for 'The World Chess Championship' title of 'The World Chess Champion' formerly
held by Bobby Fischer after FIDE signed away the rights to the title in 1992
and Fischer did not sign the so-called 2002 Prague Agreement which is of no
legal effect.
American Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan said in 2003 that “It has become
abundantly clear that men and women of good conscience can no longer support
FIDE in the face of its...callous destruction of professional careers.”
How much more so then, this statement holds true in light of now since then
these illegal 'involuntary servitude' noncompetition agreements being forced
upon those chess professionals as a precondition of participating in their FIDE
'World Cup', that at present, under Ilyumzhinov, FIDE is superfluous, even prejudicial
to world chess.
FIDE has injured the prestige of its 'FIDE champion' title with inane rapid
time controls that have spoiled the quality of games. In contrast, the WCF Candidates
2010 will be played with time controls of 20 moves /1hour in stage one; 15/1
in stage 2; 12/1 in the stage 3 Candidates matches played first to 6 wins, draws
not counting and 10/1 in the 'The World Chess Championship' Finals match of
2011 played first to 11 wins, draws not counting.
By opening the WCF 'The World Chess Championship' Candidates 2010 to anyone
in the world without being required to be a member of any federation, FIDE and
its political structure is made irrelevant. As British Grandmaster Nigel Short
opined in June 2007: “I have come to the conclusion that FIDE is unreformable
in its current state and that corruption and incompetence are deeply entrenched.”
In The New Cold War WCF is hoping chess spectators would rather enjoy this
December the WCF Candidates in Las Vegas and 70 degree weather versus FIDE's
World Cup in Siberia's Khanty-Mansiysk and negative 24 degree celsius weather.
World Chess Federation, Inc
2533 East Palmera Drive
Las Vegas, Nevada 89121-4021
Contact: Tatiana Honek
(702) 809-8400