GM arrested after scuffle

Violence has marred the closing ceremony of the 36th Chess Olympiad held at Calvia on the island of Mallorca as GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili the head of the Georgian Chess Federation, Fide Vice President and one of the most controversial figures in the chess world was involved in a scuffle with security guards, arrested and imprisoned.

The forty-four year old GM ranked world number thirty-one got into trouble as he tried to approach the podium to attract the attention of Fide President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov after the medal ceremony had been concluded. Mr Azmaiparashvili was trying to correct an omission by the organisers who had forgotten to award a prize donated by the Georgians that was to be presented by the legendary former world champion Nona Gaprindashvili.

At this point accounts of the rumpus differ but your correspondent has met several eye witnesses and the likelihood is that the Spanish security guards who, it appears had already taken a dislike to Mr Azmaiparashvili, overreacted.

Six guards literally covered the Grandmaster from head to toe after he remonstrated with them as they blocked his path.

The Spanish tournament organisers allege that Azmaiparashvili head-butted a security policeman in the mouth without provocation. In a counter-statement Fide alleges he was set upon without provocation. What is clear is that he was handcuffed and then beaten up in front of his wife and the crestfallen players and delegates. He was then taken into custody by the Spanish police at a federal police station in Palmanova, Mallorca. He emerged from jail some forty hours later with a black eye that dwarfs even that sported by Rocky Balboa after his epic title fight in the film Rocky II.

"One harkens back to Strumica 1995, one of the best-known fake tournaments ever. In a four player sextuple round robin, the scores were:

Azmaiparashvili 16/18
Kutirov 11.5/18
Kurajica 4.5/18
Rashkovsky 4/18

from what i have heard and deduced and from what azmai said in an interview a year or so back in new in chess my view is as follows:

1 the tournament actually did take place

2 it took place under very informal circumstances-in a bar or restuarant

3 only two of the players took the event remotely seriously and it might even have been played at a fast time limit

4 some of the results may have had few or no moves which is why the game scores are hard to obtain

5 everyone who played benfitted in one way or another

my conclusion is that the event probably happened but that it may well not have conformed to the regulations which permit rating-it might have been a fun event -basically played in a bar-then someone got the bright idea that getting it rated -with appropriate compensation for the lower players-wd be a clever thing to do.

In the second photo, the guy on the right is the one who allegedly got headbutted. The Spanish guy with the bald head and sporting a mustach looks quite evil and hungry for a fight. The guy who has Azmai on a headlock looks like he's having fun.

In the third photo, the guy on the right is the one who allegedly got headbutted. As you can see, he has no injuries at all on his face nor is his lips busted.

Being Spanish (thankfully not from Spain) , I was able to read the page. It seems whoever wrote this article believes the account from the Spaniards. At one point, the editor asks how Azmai's wife could be cold-blooded enough to record the fight. Uh, I don't know about this editor, but I would have recorded it as well if I were her. I would want evidence. Besides, what else could she have done, they were huge and as strong if not stronger than Azmai.