An appeal to readers

by Nagesh Havanur
3/4/2022 – The world is witnessing a catastrophe in Ukraine. Many of us are also anxious over the safety and well-being of chess players in the war-torn land. News on their current situation is coming in, but it is not enough to address all our concerns about them. We would be better placed to offer sympathy and help to players in Ukraine if we share information on their plight. It is in this spirit that our columnist has made the appeal to readers here.

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ChessBase is not into politics and it does not pass judgment on governments and nation states. But then, above politics there is humanity.

 An Appeal to Readers by Nagesh Havanur

A tragedy has unfolded in Ukraine. The stories of suffering, loss and death therein have left us numb. Amidst the grief and misery there are also tales of courage, kindness and hope.  So, all is not lost for humanity. Meanwhile many of us have asked the same question, “What about our friends, chess players in Ukraine? Where are they? What has happened to them?” That is not easy to know.  Lines of communication are cut and, more importantly, many are on the move, seeking safety for their families even as they have become refugees in neighbouring lands. Others are fighting on the front, when they are defending their homes, street after street. 

All the more reason why we have to find our friends and tell them, “You are not alone. We are with you.” To speak those words to them, we need to know where they are and if they are safe. So this is an earnest appeal to readers to offer information through the Comments column here.

Some of you may wonder, “There are so many of them, GMs, IMs, not to mention organizers, coaches and their wards. How can we reach them all?” That’s right. Let us start with some well-known names, and then the circle can widen to include as many chess players in Ukraine as possible.

Here is a tentative list:

  • Vasyl Ivanchuk
  • Anton Korobov
  • Andrei Volotkin
  • Pavel Eljanov
  • Muzychuk sisters
  • Anna Ushenina
  • Natalia Zhukova
  • Irina Gaponenko

(sorry, many good players are not yet on the list)

What we know so far:

GM Oleksandr Sulypa has become the symbol of resistance. He serves in the army.

  • Pavel Eljanov has moved to Lviv with his old mother mainly “to calm her down” as he put it.  Otherwise he is conducting a spirited public campaign in defence of his country. His former wife takes care of their daughter in Kharkiv.
     
  • Young Kyrill Shevchenko has moved away from Kyiv after spending days in a bomb shelter along with many others.
     
  • Alexander Moiseenko is still in Kharkiv and he continues to remain in his flat.
  • What about Igor Kovalenko?  His admirers may ask. "I am in Kyiv, and I will be in Kyiv," the grandmaster has said. Among other things he is busy helping the elderly who cannot leave their hometown.
     
  • As of now, we have information on three female grandmasters.
     
  • Natalia Zhukova is in Odessa in the Southern part of Ukraine. She lends moral support to soldiers and is active on the media front (Face Book).
     
  • Frederic Friedel has located the Muzychuk sisters Anna and Mariya, who managed to slip out of the country. He has invited them to say in his house for as long as is necessary.

Two Composers Survive:

  • Vladislav Tarasiuk, the well-known composer of endgame studies, resides in a suburb of Kharkiv. As of now, his family is safe. However, he has to attend to duty in the hospital. Check out his work and you will like it.
     
  • Sergey Didukh is a stormy petrel among modern composers. Never afraid to call a spade a spade, he delighted and antagonized both friends and peers. His blog bore the imprint of his combative personality and it was a regular wrestling arena for composers. With the onset of war it has shut down: He is mercifully alive.
     
  • Sad news: Alexey Valentinovich Druzhinets, arbiter and children’s chess coach died of injuries on 2nd March, 2022.

What we have yet to know

As of now, I have yet to receive any news of Vasyl Ivanchuk, Anton Korobov, Andrei Volotkin, Anna Ushenina and Irina Gaponenko among others.
It is here that I bank on the goodwill of readers here. Do share your information on these grandmasters and other players here.

Caution

One word of caution: Do not mention contact numbers and addresses of players in distress here. It would compromise their safety and security. 
Among others both the French Chess Federation and European Chess Union have offered assistance to players in need of help. They are two possible avenues to send such confidential information.

Helping hands

At the social media end Pavel Eljanov, Oleksandr Prohorov, and Natalia Zhukova are active and they do offer helpful information. The Ukraine Chess Federation has barely survived and still made a brave attempt to stand by its members.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all individuals and institutions offering help to our Ukrainian friends. Remember that there are about one million refugees from Ukraine and chess players there are a very small community scattered by the winds of war. How and where they can be found is only the first of the challenges. It would take a lot more to help them to rebuild their lives.

The chess world owes a debt to Ukraine for nurturing great minds from Boleslavsky to Ivanchuk. Here is one way of repaying the same.

GENS UNA SUMUS

Links:

Prof. Nagesh Havanur (otherwise known as "chessbibliophile") is a senior academic and research scholar. He taught English in Mumbai for three decades and has now settled in Bangalore, India. His interests include chess history, biography and opening theory. He has been writing on the Royal Game for more than three decades. His articles and reviews have appeared on several web sites and magazines.

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chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/10/2022 05:11
By way of general interest I may mention a message that I received from Vladislav Tarasiuk, eminent composer from Ukraine (he is still there in the country)
“Dear All,
Thank you for your support. I and my family are alive... We decided to stay… We pray every day. Pray for us too.
Greetings
Vladislav.”
Note:For younger reader not familiar with his work here is an article:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/here-comes-noah-s-ark
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/10/2022 04:55
@mrstillwater and @zurubang,
in
Trust, you have checked the report today: He is in Hamburg. All's well that ends well:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/tykhon-is-safe
lajosarpad lajosarpad 3/8/2022 12:59
@Chessbibliophile if I find out that chess players from Ukraine arrive in Hungary or Romania then I will surely write a comment here.
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/7/2022 03:38
@lajosarpad,
There are Indians and Africans among these medical students who tried to cross the border. The latter fared worse than the Indians according to international reports. I offered a detailed listing of news sources and you could check from them how these young refugees fared in each country they entered.
A humanitarian corridor is yet to become a reality and it would become possible only when pressure is exerted on governments by people & media, not to mention bodies like UNHCR and Red Cross.
That brings me to the main theme of this Appeal. If readers of this page can confirm that one or two players from Ukraine have sought asylum in their respective countries and are safe, the information helps. @lajosarpad, in case they become guests of your country, do let us know.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 3/7/2022 01:55
@chessbibliophile the reason for my question was that I was concerned that other nations (including mine) would commit this kind of unacceptable atrocity. Even though I find it reprehensible that Indians are so severely discriminated against and some people here are even defending that, at least the board guards of my nation did not commit this kind of atrocity so far (as far as we know). Is it possible to create a humanitarian corridor for these people? Also, are the embassies accepting them?
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/7/2022 01:15
@lajosarpad asked how the Indian medical students are treated by border guards of other countries. No complaints on that score that I know of. But that is not the point. An attitude like “My country and my people first. As long as they are treated well, it’s OK by me. What does it matter how others are treated?” does not agree with me at all. We need to have a wider picture of the war and the humanitarian crisis in and around Ukraine to see how chess players there are faring. Admittedly, the sheer magnitude of the issue and the logistics of aid & rehabilitation are mind-boggling. The UNCHR deals with the refugee problems and it is one place to look for information. The Russian web site, Meduza is another. Anyone who reads the reports and pictures therein cannot but be moved. I would also commend Al-Jazeera. No, you don’t have to accept the political views on these two web sites. Look for news. But use your discretion on what you have to accept and what not.
But let us get back to chess. Ruchess.ru , the official web site of the Russian Chess Federation is silent on the war and the plight of players in Ukraine. ChessPro.ru, another good site is also muted on the issue. Chess-news.ru is better. One can see and hear the voices of players from Ukraine.
There is of course the official web site of the Ukraine Chess Federation. When I checked last, the focus of the site was understandably on protest. We can all check there again on news of safety of players.
A few players from Ukraine are active on Face Book. On occasion their pages are not updated. So one has to be patient and wait instead of getting alarmed. In some cases the page of a prominent player has not been updated for years. Like Vasyl Ivanchuk’s. Let us see if any good information on him surfaces sooner or later.
It goes without saying that that all that we see, hear and read needs to be cross-checked.
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/7/2022 12:58
The focus of this Appeal is on the plight of chess players in Ukraine and not on how other nationals are treated by its government and its border guards. It was with some reluctance that I mentioned it here and that after India was repeatedly brought in as a subject and my response was sought. Presently in India there is some serious introspection and debate on the state of medical education. Why is it that medical education is not affordable for meritorious students and why many of them have to go to distant lands like Ukraine? The testimony for abuse and violence over the Indian medical students came from girls who also saw and suffered. A nation that seeks sympathy and support from the world also has to have a sense of responsibility towards others. No good citizen in Ukraine would endorse these inhuman acts let alone find excuses for them. Let us not defend the indefensible.
Note: Gender equality in medical education is not an issue in India. There are many lady doctors.
And I do not want to spend time here explaining all that happens in the subcontinent with more than a billion people. Let us get back to chess.
karban karban 3/6/2022 11:18
With all respect to all you guys over the world- in Europe (Western, Eastern, whatever), in case of emergency, children, women, elderly people first. That's how it is. That's the rule here. Plus Ukraine has banned leaving the country for adolescent men for obvious, defensive reasons.
Great that all Indians are studying medicine in Ukraine -this fact alone seems suspicious I have to admit- but you can't expect that leaving country by men will be welcomed in that case. Why these students are, by chance are not, predominantly males is another matter.
Sorry, I don't buy such complaints. Better look how gender equality looks like in India and why so few women study at all.
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/6/2022 05:44
@lajosarpad,
For the border guards, sending native Ukrainians to safety was priority. But these medical students, young men and women would have been of positive help to the traumatized Ukrainian citizens (old folks, women and children) if they had accompanied them to safety across the border.
As of now, I have yet to see any complaint of ill-treatment meted out to the Indian medical students by border guards of other nations. There are some probable reasons for this.
One was the presence of the Government of India* representatives on the spot and the chartered flights that took the students back to India. Unlike other refugees these medical students were not seeking migration to countries they had crossed over to. They were going away for good. So I think, they did not present an issue.
*Note: The Government of India had been strongly critcised for its apathy and inaction in the Indian press and other media before and it had to do something.
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/6/2022 03:47
Amidst the grim scenario that we are seeing Ukraine, there is also a ray of hope. Here is the story of Dr. Anwesh Upadhyaya, an Indian IM saved by Olexandr Prokhorov, arbiter and organizer of tournaments in Ukraine:
https://www.chessbase.in/news/Anwesh-Upadhyaya-moves-from-Ukraine-to-Poland
lajosarpad lajosarpad 3/6/2022 03:39
@Chessbibliophile it is terrible that the Ukrainian board guards are not allowing Indians to flee to safety and even offend their dignity. This is the same Ukrainian state that oppressed its minorities. Also, I agree with you that the Ukrainian majority (hopefully) disagrees with the ill deeds of their government. I would like to ask you, since you appear to be much better informed about the situation Indians face in Ukraine: are other board guards treating Indians well? (Polish, Slovakian, Hungarian, Romanian)? Also, why do the Ukrainian board guards prevent them from fleeing?
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/6/2022 03:15
Currently the mood in India is grim as now it has become a matter of life and death for the Indian medical students stranded in Ukraine. The parents can see and hear the anguished voices of their sons & daughters and only wring their hands in despair.
The testimonies of returning students on the racist slur hurled at them by the Ukrainian border guards and their brutality has fueled public anger in India. Time and again these students were abused and ordered to go back. Repeated pleas to allow them to cross the border were met with harsh violence. They were punched in the face, kicked and beaten up with steel rods. The audio-visual evidence and reports by the international press & human rights organizations confirm the statements of students who somehow managed to escape and reach safety across the border. Ukraine has forfeited much of the goodwill of India with the racist mindset of its border guards and their criminal folly. Its Foreign Ministry has poured salt over the wounds by denying all charges of racism and violence. It would have done better by ordering an inquiry and promising strict action against the uniformed culprits at the border. As for the Government of India, it has not even bothered to collect evidence and pressed charges.
Two wrongs do not make one right. Sober minds in India know, it would be unjust to blame the people of Ukraine for the inhumanity of its border guards. Decent folks in Ukraine, reeling from the tragedy of war themselves, would be the first to accept the wrongs and express regret for all that has happened. They don’t have to bear the burden of sins of others. The same Indian students would also be able to acknowledge countless acts of kindness by their Ukrainian hosts when this nightmare is over.
As a chess player and as a human being, my commitment to the cause of players in Ukraine remains unswerving in spite of grave provocation inherent in the present situation.
Keshava Keshava 3/6/2022 12:41
@dlemper, sane nations will primarily be concerned with their own vital national security interests. Russia is a vital supplier of weaponry to India which they need to counter China. Since China annexed Tibet there have been tensions and bloody border clashes with India. Therefore, India's relation with Russia is more important to them than their relations with Ukraine or the opinion of other nations.
Keshava Keshava 3/6/2022 12:13
@Frits Fritschy, you are correct but I think that sports serve best when the players (and fans?) completely forget about other factors that they may be inter-linked with. Nixon's 'Ping Pong Diplomacy' led to an emergence of a previous isolated China which caused a transformation of the world economy that lifted millions of Chinese out of poverty ... but the table tennis players just focused on their sport.
Keshava Keshava 3/6/2022 12:01
I don't wish to offend anyone but I think it was immoral to not allow any males between 18 - 60 to leave Ukraine. Some men have wives and small children that are totally dependent upon them and there are plenty of men of fighting age willing to fight and even thousands of volunteers from outside of Ukraine that are traveling there to join the struggle. Also, it should go without saying that my sympathies are with the innocent who suffer because of the actions of others.
Frits Fritschy Frits Fritschy 3/6/2022 12:01
Sports and politics are completely interlinked. That has been so since the ancient greeks. Sports are, and always have been, an extension of politics. You may not want it to be like that, but you can't escape the fact.
bondsergey bondsergey 3/5/2022 08:14
Please leave chess out of politics. If you let publish pro-Ukrainian views, then let publish what Russian players want to say. Overwise it is a one side story, in other words - propaganda. A fair sports organization which is free from politics should be built.
dlemper dlemper 3/5/2022 04:42
I'm sorry about any prejudice against darker people in the Ukraine or anywhere. I have several dear friends from India or of Indian ancestry, plus some from Pakistan. For over thirty years my best friend at work was from India. I've been to the Temple and read parts of the Gita. For years I've noted that a few of our non-Indian friends did not seem to get along well with the Indian ones. Sadly bias & prejudice are a fact of life. In my social circle it appears to affect only a few. In most I suspect it's sub-conscious. Any that existed in the Ukraine does not justify the destruction of the country and the slaughter of it's people. Implying that is just an extreme example of prejudice.
Serse Serse 3/5/2022 02:48
@Moderator
Would you please pay attention to the nauseating messages spread by propagandists of Putin's government on this thread? And act accordingly?
lajosarpad lajosarpad 3/5/2022 01:12
I hope all chess players are safe. However, it is important to note that their location should not be shared if they are in the Ukraine, that might put them in danger, especially if they are somehow involved into the conflict. As about the conflict, yes, Russia is the aggressor, but Ukraine was also brutally oppressing its minorities. Let's hope that somehow peace will be reached, the Ukrainians will have a country to live in and the minorities' rights will be respected.
chessbibliophile chessbibliophile 3/5/2022 12:03
Dear dlemper and friends,
What governments say and do is often the opposite of what people feel and think. Public opinion in India is against the stand taken by the government at the UNO. There is anger and outrage over the death of an Indian medical student in the recent bombing of Kharkiv. What adds to the frustration is the continuing ordeal of other Indian students still in Ukraine.
The suffering of people in Ukraine matters to those in India. Women are more vocal about it in conversation as they understand what it means to lose husbands and sons in war.
Here I have limited myself to one small, but very important question, “Where are our chess player friends in Ukraine now and are they safe?”
I am still looking for answers.
mrstillwater mrstillwater 3/5/2022 11:44
@JanneKejo Actually both the BBC and Sky News have reported about problems with racism at the borders as people from Ukraine have tried to flee to other countries, however that's obviously absolutely nothing to do with the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Trying to blame Western media for Russia's totally uncalled for action is ridiculous.
JanneKejo JanneKejo 3/5/2022 10:45
@dlemper
"I amazed that a great democracy like India would make such an absurd statement. Can't they see, hear or think ?"

I think it's the opposite: In India they know and understand the historical background of what is happening in Ukraine. People in the west have been "protected" by the mainstream media from knowing that background.

Btw, There are about 20 000 Indian students in Ukraine and they have problems getting out of the country because of the racist practices. Blonde people get out but darker coloured people face restrictions. Even the UN has admitted this but I guess the western mainstream media has not bothered to mention it. Luckily there are other media, too. For example PressTV.ir (last year the US blocked access to PressTV.com), where one can find enlightening articles about the Ukrainian crisis and other things.
Pionki Pionki 3/5/2022 05:59
Thank you, dlemper.
dlemper dlemper 3/5/2022 05:50
Thank you Prof. Havanur for your concern for the Ukraine & it's players & people. I only wish the country of India felt the same. India abstained in the UN vote to censure Russia. The reason given "that differences can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy". I amazed that a great democracy like India would make such an absurd statement. Can't they see, hear or think ? Like the three monkeys they see no evil. The Ukraine and it's people are being dismembered. Is the Russian attack dialogue or diplomacy ? The UN vote was simply a desperate extension of diplomacy. Did the UN vote kill any Russians ? I've had Indian friends for years and often prayed "Shanti Shanti Shanti" with them. I'm now afraid to talk to my Indian friends or return to my favorite Indian restaurant. I finally realize how deep is India's embrace of Russia.
mrstillwater mrstillwater 3/4/2022 05:58
Thanks @Zurubang, do you know if they're at least in a relatively safe place - I understood that they live right on the Eastern border with Russia?
Alexandru27 Alexandru27 3/4/2022 03:48
Thank you for sending here this appeal, and for the news regarding some Ukrainian chess players. I do hope those who are not heard of as yet, are fine.
Zurubang Zurubang 3/4/2022 03:42
I am having daily contact to Tihon and his family. They are still in Ukraine. Every day, I hope they are well.
Chess Gator Chess Gator 3/4/2022 02:48
The Chess Federation of Canada has released a news article on this topic condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://www.chess.ca/en/news/2022/02/27/cfc-condemns-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
mrstillwater mrstillwater 3/4/2022 02:07
Is there any news about Tihon Chernyaev? I don't think he's streamed in over a week. I hope he and his family are somewhere safe.
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