January 20 2008 - Corus Chess Press

Decision of the Appeals Committee in the dispute between Grandmasters Ivan Cheparinov and Nigel Short (8th round Grandmastergroup B) on January 20th 2008.

The Appeals Committee (GMs Vladimir Kramnik, Michal Krasenkow, Judit Polgar) agrees that refusal to shake hands with one’s opponent before the game is an obvious violation of the behavioural norms of players in chess events.

According to the decision of FIDE Presidential Board taken in June 2007, any player who doesn’t shake hands with his/her opponent (and doesn’t do it after being asked to do so by the arbiter) will immediately lose the game.

However, according to the information obtained by the Appeals Committee, in the relevant case GM Cheparinov, after his initial refusal to shake hands with GM Short, didn’t clearly reject the arbiter’s request to do so.

Therefore:

1. We declare that GM Cheparinov must make a public excuse to GM Short in a written form before 11.00 hours January 21st 2008 for his refusal to shake hands.
2. Then the game between Ivan Cheparinov and Nigel Short has to be replayed on Monday January 21st 2008 at 13.30 hours.
3. Both players must shake hands at the start of the game.
4. Any player failing to comply with the present decision forfeits the game.

In order to avoid any conflicts in future we suggest the following procedure in similar cases: if one of the players deliberately refuses to shake his/her opponent’s offered hand at the start of the game, the arbiter shall officially warn him/her and demand him/her to do so. Only if the player again refuses to shake hand, he/she automatically forfeits the game.