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.

It was deemed too diluted again. So had to go through the same process again. Third time lucky.

3 hours I think and it’s already past midnight as I reached back my room.

All I’m asking is - is this needed?

— Nihal Sarin (@NihalSarin) December 28, 2023

 

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?

I thought doping test is compulsory on every medal winner of the tournament to protect the sport. Has it been done on every medal winner of every @FIDE_chess tournament in the last 20 years? What if they were doping and the medal had to be stripped? (I am trying to make a point)

— Nihal Sarin (@NihalSarin) December 29, 2023

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.

Update: I got fined. This is absolutely ridiculous. @FIDE_chess please revert this warning. My shoes are NOT sports sneakers https://t.co/3VlGwMtaPp pic.twitter.com/vRcGlMgeFh

— Anna-Maja Kazarian (@AMKazarian) December 27, 2023

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.”

Dear @FIDE_chess and organisers of the Championship! As known, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Is it fair to provide @MagnusCarlsen a personal lounge where he can rest and prepare to the game using a laptop, while nobody else has such an opportunity?

— Ian Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq) December 26, 2023

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

To make it clear, none of the participants of the RB championship have been granted with special conditions and even if in between rounds any of the players has been provided with an access to external premises as per the invitation of FIDE officials, full fair play control has… https://t.co/xX6hPlYkQQ

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 26, 2023

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.