Omri posted on this last month when it was starting to heat up. But this item from last week's Jerusalem Post may serve as an update as well as a fresh reality check for anyone who was buying Col. Ghaddafi's new leaf act.
Chess – not just for smart people anymore
By MIKE LEBOWITZ
Muammar Gaddafi's past two weeks haven't been a complete failure.
Sure he got busted trying to wack the Saudi crown prince. But he did manage to get the entire world, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to ban Jews from a major competition beginning this week. Considering the fact that many anti-Semites could care less about a bullet-riddled Saudi dictator, I would say that Gaddafi will be celebrated for his achievement.
Yes, it's official. The IOC and its cronies have fallen hook, line, and sinker to Libya's plot to host a Jew-free World Chess Championship in Tripoli.
And guess whose fault it is that top ranked Israeli and US Jews have been effectively barred from competition?
"The Israeli chess players decided not to participate in the Tripoli Chess Championship," stated Georgios Makropoulos, deputy president of the IOC-sponsored World Chess Federation (FIDE), in responding to questions as to who was to blame.
Unfortunately, blaming the Jews for not participating in the $1.5 million competition is only one of a myriad of ridiculous statements that have festered around this competition.
Who says chess is a thinking man's game? Following the example of its governing body, one would surmise that the competition is more on the level of checkers.
The problems began last year when FIDE announced that the World Cup of chess would be hosted by Libya despite the fact that the Arab nation doesn't allow anyone who has been in Israel for more than one second to enter its borders.
Apparently realizing that Jews make up some of the best chess players in the world, FIDE and the IOC arranged a deal to host part of the competition in Malta. Officials from this island nation were ecstatic, and some Israelis began their preparations to compete.
So far, so good. Then, about a month ago, FIDE basked in the glory of coexistence when Gadaffi's son, Mohamed, announced that all qualified players were welcome in Tripoli. The IOC took credit for the political coup and promptly agreed to cancel the preparations in Malta. A week later, Mohamed publicly stated that the "Zionist enemy" was not welcome in Libya.
In true IOC fashion, a proposal by Malta to stick to the original plan was flatly rejected.
The result: A Jew-free competition in a game where Jews are really, really good.
Clever. Very clever.
But I'm not sure who'll have the last laugh here. Note:
It is not just the Israelis who are absent. Only two of the top 10 players in Fide's rankings have turned up following protests that Garry Kasparov, the world number one, would be allowed to play the tournament winner without having to participate in the qualifying rounds.
It would have been nice if they were also protesting Ghaddafi's dishonesty and racism -- but okay, I know, let's get real.
