World Chess Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk announced on her Facebook page that she will not support the chess tournaments being held in Saudi Arabia because she will not be treated as “a secondary creature.”
Anna Muzychuk
In a few days I am going to lose two World Champion titles – one by one. Just because I decided not to go to Saudi Arabia. Not to play by someone’s rules, not to wear abaya, not to be accompanied getting outside, and altogether not to feel myself a secondary creature. Exactly one year ago I won these two titles and was about the happiest person in the chess world but this time I feel really bad. I am ready to stand for my principles and skip the event, where in five days I was expected to earn more than I do in a dozen of events combined. All that is annoying, but the most upsetting thing is that almost nobody really cares. That is a really bitter feeling, still not the one to change my opinion and my principles. The same goes for my sister Mariya – and I am really happy that we share this point of view. And yes, for those few who care – we’ll be back!
In November, FIDE (World Chess Federation) announced women players would not be required to wear a hijab or abaya for the tournament.
| King Salman Rapid & Blitz 2017 – Historic Agreement |  |
| Tuesday, 14 November 2017 14:23 |
FIDE is pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Organisers that the dress code for the event will be dark blue or black formal suits, with white shirts, either open necked or with a tie, for men and dark blue or black formal trouser suits, with high necked white blouses for women. There will be no need to wear a hijab or abaya during the games, this will be a first for any sporting event in Saudi Arabia. The total Prize Fund for the event is $2,000,000, with individual prize funds of $750,000 for the Open and $250,000 for the women in both events. This is almost 350% more than the previous event. There will be 30 prizes for each event, with the first prize being $250,000 in the Open Section and $80,000 in the Women’s Section, all new records. With regards to visas, FIDE has raised with the Organisers that there may be problems for players from certain countries. FIDE has not been advised that any player will not be able to participate. FIDE is continuing to work with the Organisers to ensure that visas will be issued to all players who have confirmed their participation. |