ACP Newsletter - March 2013

Dear ACP members,

In the course of 2012, the ACP has been working intensely, organizing a number of high-level chess events, pressing for important decisions and promoting initiatives aimed at improving the conditions of chess professionals. Here is a brief resume of our most recent actions, with only the major achievements listed.

Continental Championships:

We are pleased to inform, that after lengthy discussions, the following very important recommendations were approved by the FIDE Presidential Board.

1. As of 2014, the following minimal threshold prize fund shall be introduced in Continental Championships:

Europe:  150.000 EUR for men, 75.000 EUR for women
Asia:    50.000 USD for men, 25.000 USD for women
Americas:  50.000 USD for men, 25.000 USD for women
Africa: 20.000 USD for men, 10.000 USD for women

This translates into a very significant raise on every continent, which will benefit hundreds of chess players around the world. The prizes are net (after Continental fees, before local taxes).

2. Sofia rules will NOT be used in the Continentals, as they contradict to the spirit of the qualification tournament.

3. The practice of having two games per day will be abandoned in the classical Continental Championships.

4. The unfortunate decision by the arbiters in Plovdiv, who awarded a 0-0 result in the Baron-Safarli game, which ended in a draw by threefold repetition was finally overturned as far as rating is concerned. Each player will regain five rating points.

We would like to thank FIDE for approving our suggestions, and look forward to further fruitful cooperation in the future.

Anti-cheating initiatives
 

ACP has been very proactive in the field of parring cheating. We launched a campaign that was signed by over 700 players, among them more than 250 GMs. This is unprecedented in the chess history. The ACP is now opening negotiations with FIDE for setting up a joint FIDE-ACP commission to deal with this urgent issue, and is in the process of fine-tuning its proposals.

Building on the Tournament of the Year contest
 

Following Gibraltar's success in the 2012 edition, the ACP provided the tournament with a 1000 GBP sponsorship aimed at the best ACP member not to earn another prize. The amount was finally awarded to GM Le Quang Liem from Vietnam.

As of 2013, the ACP will have 3 wild cards (2 for men, 1 for women) for invitations to the tournament. The wild cards will be distributed according to the ACP Tour standings and will be aimed at <2700 only.="" span=""> Talks are ongoing with the Tata Steel Chess organization committee to find a form of cooperation for 2014.

EU Championship in Legnica
 

The ACP sent official letters to the organizers and ECU asking for clarifications on such all-important issued as hotel rates (that appear to be higher than standard rates) and the so-called organizational fee, which improperly includes a transfer fee which not all players are interested in. The outcome of our action is still to be determined, but the ACP is fighting hard for its members.

Tournament and Book of the Year 2013
 

Following last year's success, both contests have been launched for this year as well. You will soon receive a communication with the nominations for both contests.

ACP Board

5 March 2013