FIDE panel to study one time-control proposal

By P.K. Ajith Kumar

KOZHIKODE, AUG. 1. The world chess governing body, FIDE, has appointed a committee to study proposals to allow only one time- control for all tournaments. Two different time-controls are followed at present in classical chess tournaments: the traditional seven hours and the newly-introduced four hours. (The game is also played in much shorter duration in rapid and blitz games).

FIDE vice president P.T. Ummer Koya told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the decision to appoint the committee was taken by the last presidential board of FIDE which met in Dubai last month. He said FIDE was confident of the new time control, and that gradually every player would get used to it.

``At the recent European championship at Ohrid, Macedonia, the new format was followed and we received complaints from only two out of the 39-member federations: the Netherlands and Denmark,'' Mr. Koya said. ``In the coming World junior championship in Greece too, the games will be of four-hour duration.''

The Asian junior championship, which was held in Teheran last month, was also played according to the new time control. India's youngsters showed in Iran that they were as well prepared as anybody else for the new system, taking five out of the six medals on offer. The four-hour format would also be followed at the Asian men's championship in Kolkata from August 9 to 18 and the Asian women's championship in Chennai from September 2 to 12.

However, in the world's super category tournaments, like Linares and Dortmund, they still follow the seven-hour format. The players' complaint against the new reduced time control is that there are bound to be mistakes when there is considerably less time to think.

FIDE, however, believes that the only way for the game to go forward in the fast world is by going ahead with the times. ``FIDE is very keen to see chess as an Olympic discipline and for that dream to materialise the traditional time control is a deterrent,'' Mr. Koya said.

The committee, comprising Castro P. Abundo, FIDE's Rating administrator, Panagiotis Nikolopoulos, Arbiters' Council chairman, and Willy Iclicki, World Championship Cycle Committee chairman, will submit their report in the third quarter FIDE congress, scheduled to be held at Halkidiki, Greece, in September.

FIDE Coaches Academy: At the Dubai presidential board meeting the world chess governing body also approved in principle to set up the FIDE Coaches Academy (FCA) in Berlin. The academy, proposed by the German Chess Federation, will have the best trainers as lecturers and course instructors from different countries. It will have the most advanced teaching aids, including chess software, and each course will comprise ten to 16 participants.

The Russian Chess Federation will also cooperate with the FCA, according to Horst Metzing, a German Chess Federation official. FIDE proposes to finance the initial costs in setting up the academy, while the German federation will undertake the administration costs.

The academy, which is supported by the Berlin Senate, will award the titles of FIDE trainer and International Trainer besides presenting trainer-certificates. The courses will be held in English, Russian and German. FIDE has left the final decision on the financial contributions to the treasurer and the steering committee, which will be held in Lausanne on August 4 and 5.

Mr. Koya, a member of the four-member steering committee, said the FCA would be of help to chess coaches around the world, especially for countries like India. ``Since we don't have sufficient facilities in India to train our coaches, the FCA would be a wonderful option. We could send out coaches as well as players for training to Berlin,'' he said.

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