We understand the impatience of many of our readers who sent us over 100
letters in reaction to the original article
by André Schulz and to David
Levy's analysis of it. We will soon be publishing excerpts from these letters,
but before we do so we bring you an article by Russian journalist Yuriy Vasiliev
that is highly critical of Schulz' thoughts. It appeared on the Kirsan Chess
Fidelity web site.
…But some are more equal than others …
An essay on Chess Democracy
When
I hear some normal by appearance people saying, that certain countries should
have superiority over other countries in the election of FIDE President, based
on the fact that there are more professional chess players dwelling in their
territories, it reminds me of the plot of George Orwell’s novel "Animal
Farm”.
Once upon a time there were animals that kicked away their feckless farmer,
the drunkard, and started living by themselves. They established the Republic
of the Animals. On the tarred wall they wrote Seven Commandments, which the
animals intended to follow.
The Seventh Commandment of Animalism principles said:
All animals are equal.
Unfortunately there was one Berkshire boar, named Napoleon, who seized the
power in the republic by guile and force. And one fine day the animals saw
that the Seventh Commandment had been corrected, it read:
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
The difference between the democracy and the totalitarianism lies in the fact
that in a democratic society people never impinge upon rights of the alike.
I think that in case FIDE (Heaven forbid!) had heard the voices of those
summoning to give priority, let say to Germany over US Virgin Islands, then
the number of member states in FIDE would have been much fewer than 150.
Which state would accept the status of "second-rate state”? Is
it right that the World Chess Organization should follow the principles of
the boar, named Napoleon, from Orwell's novel?
Although we all love chess in our own way, we should obviously admit that
there is a game which is more popular in the world than chess. This game is
football. And the typical thing is that the idea to discriminate US Virgin
Islands in favor of Brazil or France does not cross the minds of football fans.
FIFA Rules read: "In the spirit of true democracy, each national association
has one vote, regardless of its size or footballing strength”. Even though
the professional football is more advanced in Brazil or France, than in US
Virgin Islands, the national football federations of these countries had equal
rights in the election of FIFA President Zepp Blatter. It is worth mentioning
that the current number of member states in the International Football Association
(FIFA) is 207 and this number has increased by 60 over the period from 1975
to 2002.
Is the common belief that a circle is more democratic than a square indeed
true? Or is a ball fairer than 64 black and white checks?
In conclusion I would like to remind, what the recognition of the corrected
Seventh Commandment by the animals from Orwell's “Animal Farm”
resulted in: "After that it did not seem strange when next day the pigs
who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters”.
Yuriy Vasiliev,
Chess Observer,
"Sport-Express Daily" (Moscow)
Animal
Farm
The novel Animal Farm: A Fairy Story was written by George Orwell
in 1945. It is a satirical allegory of the Russian Revolution, particularly
directed against Stalin's Russia. Led by the pigs, the Animals on Mr Jones's
farm revolt against their human masters. After their victory they decide to
run the farm themselves on egalitarian principles. Initially they prosper,
but then the pigs become corrupted by power and a new tyranny is established
under Napoleon (Stalin). 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more
equal than others.' Snowball (Trotsky), an idealist, is driven out. The final
betrayal is made when the pigs engineer a rapproachement with Mr Jones.
