Third time lucky? Indian chess prodigy Sarin furious with FIDE drug test

The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2023 being held in Uzbekistan is under fire for the wrong issues

Indian teenage chess prodigy Nihal Sarin on Friday, December 29, joined the long list of complainants at the World Chess Federation (FIDE) World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2023 held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Sarin complained about the way his drug tests were conducted after the end of the competition.

In a flurry of tweets, Sarin said that he had to give his urine sample thrice as the first two samples were termed too diluted for the liking of FIDE officials.

Sarin, ranked 46th in the world, further asked if there is any need to take a drug test for a chess event at all and if there is a need, then have the medal winners of all the events in the last 20 years been tested?

Sarin was not the only complainant at the event which was marred by controversies. Dutch female player Anna-Maja Kazarian was fined 100 euros for wearing sneakers, which resembled sports shoes according to the organisers.

Earlier, chess legends like Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana cried foul, saying that world number one Magnus Carlsen was given special treatment by the organisers as he had access to his personal lounge and laptop between the rounds. Nepomniachtchi even quoted George Orwell from 'Animal Farm', writing, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal.”

Later on, FIDE had to issue a clarification where they said that no one was being given preferential treatment.

Who won the Rapid championship?

India’s Vidit Gujarathi came very close to being at the joint top in the Rapid championship but faltered in his last game to finish joint fourth as Carlsen was crowned men’s champion. India’s Koneru Humpy too faced heartbreak in the women's category, losing out in the final tie-break to eventual champion Anastasia Bodnaruk of Russia.