The storm broke out on live TV during a chess game. Ilya SmirinGrand Master, has no scruples in asserting that “maybe the game of chess is not for women”. He also tried to soften her claims, but only managed to make her situation worse. To get an idea of how much noise her words made, just give an example: it’s as if the commentator or the ‘technical’ voice next to him accompanying a women’s football match said that women’s football is not football. Which is not for women.
The dust that he raised weighed down on the former champion, considered one of the twenty best in the world when he was still a businessman. His career as a columnist was short-lived: as soon as he started, he found himself expelled from the circuit. The outcry turned into tam tam and reached the ears of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the reaction was immediate: his experience as an English-language commentator was ended in Astana, Kazakhstan, by the judgments defined as “sexist and unacceptable”. Object of the scandal: the accents used to assess the style and ambitions of the chess player of Zhu Jiner.
The Chinese player is a female Grandmaster, a very high title but separate and inferior to that of Grandmaster. Will it ever get there? Here Smirin got into trouble: arguing with the other commentator beside him, Fiona Steil-Antoni (female international master), expressed the concepts of discord: “Is she a grandmaster woman or what?… Why does she want to be like a grandmaster man in this case?”. The embarrassment becomes loud when the colleague invites him to clarify his sentences: “Are you saying maybe chess isn’t for women?”
Smirin’s answer opened the glitch, the problem was done and what was said afterward only made the situation worse: “I didn’t say it openly, but in a private conversation”. And again, pressed by your opinion of the Grand Master Aleksandra Goryachkinadmitted that he judged his performance by claiming that “played like a man”. That’s not all, the highest and lowest point at the same time touched him soon after. “Only men know how to play well?”was the commentator’s provocative question. “No, no,” added Smirin. “But he’s playing with style, with positional style….
The (definitive) solution to the issue was provided by FIDE, which could not help but intervene directly, especially after fierce protests from the strongest players in the world. “Unacceptable, you have to intervene before the next match”was the reaction of the former women’s world champion Susan Polgar. The United States Women’s Champion Jennifer Shahade he added: “It’s reprehensible to see so much sexism in the broadcast of a female event”.
The federation’s statement was very harsh: “While we have great respect for Grandmaster Ilya Smirin as a chess player, the views he expressed on the air are completely unacceptable, offensive and do not represent any of the values that FIDE stands for.” with all those who were offended. FIDE not only strives to increase female representation in professional sports and official positions, but also to change the perception of chess as a purely male world. Our community must be a place where women feel safe and respected”. And with immediate effect, his role as official commentator was revoked.
Source: Fan Page IT
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
