ON THE CHESS PLATFORM FICGS, THERE WAS A DEBATE ON MY PUBLIC APPEAL

Recently, on about 04 November 2023, I published my text

“A Public Appeal to Chess Organisations on the Bombing of the Gaza Strip”

I published this appeal in both English and Estonian.

The core of this Public Appeal was the following call:

… I call on all chess organisations to either immediately lift the restrictions imposed on Russia and Belarus or to impose the same restrictions on Israel, whose disproportionate and indiscriminate military action is killing a catastrophic number of civilians in the Gaza Strip every day.

Suppose it is permissible to obstruct Russian sports persons to get Russia to stop its military aggression against Ukraine. In that case, it must also be permissible to obstruct Israeli sports persons to get Israel to stop its war crimes and to punish the perpetrators.

In Estonia, I sent this Public Appeal to several chess organisations and one chess magazine, but none of them even replied that they had received my letter. I also officially sent the letter to the Estonian Correspondence Chess Federation via the ICCF server.

Therefore, in the future, I don’t want anything to do with organisations like the Estonian Correspondence Chess Association, the Estonian Chess Federation, or the Estonian Chess Support Group or whatever it was called. I also no longer wish to have any contact with the publication “Eesti maleelu” [= “Estonian Chess Life”].

I also sent this Public Appeal to one of the mailing lists of Estonian correspondence chess players. There, I received a reply from only one Israeli supporter, who tried to frame me as an anti-Semite, and to whom I replied that I refused to talk to him or play chess with him in the future.

I also sent this Public Appeal to several international chess organisations, as well as some national chess organisations. Only one of them responded, stating that it was not within its competence to lift the sanctions.

Conversation on the FICGS Chess Platform

On 05 November 2023, on the chess platform’s FICGS Forum, I also launched a discussion entitled

“A Public Appeal to Chess Organisations”

This conversation can probably only be read by a registered user. Also, I’m unsure if this conversation will remain there, for example, after I leave FICGS.

Apart from me, there were only three people there.

Ilmars Cirulis took part in the conversation episodically. He expressed his condolences for the civilians killed on both sides in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and said that both Netanyahu and Hamas should be in prison. I replied that I had roughly the same view.

Two people participated in the interview at length: Herbert Kruse, a highly rated chess player there, and Thibault de Vassal, who, by his own admission, is one of the organisers of the FICGS chess platform.

Several months ago, I had told Thibault de Vassal that I no longer wished to speak to him. At the time, the discussion was about the chess sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus, which I criticised. Still, I eventually interpreted Thibault de Vassal’s replies as pure demagogy and personal attacks. At that time, I decided I would no longer play chess on the FICGS platform because of the chess organisers and chess grandmasters’ inappropriate style in the Forum discussions.

This time, it went even worse.

In my view, Herbert Kruse and Thibault de Vassal completely ignored the text and the arguments I put forward in the Public Appeal and then completely ignored the arguments I put forward during the discussion. In doing so, both of them constantly changed the subject and the context and interpreted what I had said in a completely arbitrary and illogical manner.

Herbert Kruse made one after another series of irrelevant arguments, and when I replied to them, he was already changing the subject again. His favourite topic was Jews and anti-Semitism, completely ignoring the fact that my Public Appeal had stated clearly, emphatically, that we should not impose chess sanctions based on the chess player’s nationality.

In the end, however, things took a criminal turn.

I quote below the most characteristic parts of this conversation.

Personal attacks

HERBERT KRUSE:

I wished you Had more emphaty for the victims 

JÜRI EINTALU:

Herbert Kruse:

“I wished you Had more emphaty for the victims”

After all, you are directly insulting and slandering me.

Get lost, Mr Herbert Kruse.

xxx

JÜRI EINTALU:

The 07 October attack is quite recent, and I would not say that all the circumstances are clear. For example, I am not sure that Hamas “chose” to kill civilians.

The only thing that is sure is that some number of civilians were killed by Hamas. It is sure, because Israel accuses Hamas of killing the civilians, and one of Hamas leaders has publicly admitted, that during that attack, Hamas killed some civilians “accidentally”.

Killing civilians may make it a war crime. Intentionally killing civilians may make it an act of terrorism.

HERBERT KRUSE:

“I am not sure that Hamas “chose” to kill civilians. “

for that u dont need empathy, u need to be in prison!

JÜRI EINTALU:

Me:

“I am not sure that Hamas ‘chose’ to kill civilians.”

Herbert Kruse:

“for that u dont need empathy, u need to be in prison!”

My answer:

Please arrest this man with the name “Herbert Kruse”. He is obviously a fascist.

xxx

HERBERT KRUSE:

now the russian trolls are here too, its sad

JÜRI EINTALU:

Herbert Kruse:

“now the russian trolls are here too, its sad”

I do not know, perhaps Herbert Kruse kept in mind, for example, the following section from my Public Appeal:

“Suppose it is permissible to obstruct Russian sports persons to get Russia to stop its military aggression against Ukraine. In that case, it must also be permissible to obstruct Israeli sports persons to get Israel to stop its war crimes and to punish the perpetrators.”

Or, perhaps the following one:

“However, the civil war in Ukraine, which started in 2014, had killed around 20,000 civilians by 2022. But, by November 2023, the Russian invasion that began in 2022 had already killed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers.”

You are a moral and intellectual bastard, Mr. Herbert Kruse.

And what if someone says here, on the Forum of the chess platform:

“Now the paedophiles, sodomites and corpse-eaters are here too, its sad.”

How would you publicly prove here, on the Forum, that you are not a paedophile, sodomite and corpse-eater?

xxx

THIBAULT DE VASSAL:

Juri, you probably spread fake news:

___________________________

Social media users recently circulated video footage they claimed shows an Israeli helicopter killing Israelis at an Oct. 7 concert in Israel. (…)

In doubt, such news (probably fake news) have no place here… Thanks in advance.

Now we heard your message (and I did respond to your public appeal), feel free to let chess organizations decide what they have to do, no need to discuss it more here.

JÜRI EINTALU:

Thibault de Vassal:

“Juri, you probably spread fake news:…”

“In doubt, such news (probably fake news) have no place here… Thanks in advance.”

I have NOT shared that video here, on the Forum, neither a link to it. And I have NOT mentioned that video here, on the Forum.

You are a sick slanderer, Mr. Thibault de Vassal.

Don’t worry, I will not play a single chess game on the platform FICGS anymore. I decided so already half a year ago.

Summary

Herbert Kruse and Thibault de Vassal, chess masters and organisers, slandered me openly and to my face.

I repeatedly told them that the attack of 07 October was not relevant to my Public Appeal because Hamas cannot be expelled from FIDE or ICCF because it never was there and never could be. I also pointed out that the text of the Public Appeal had already explained why it was not wise to talk about chess sanctions against Hamas. I also stressed that the attack of 7 October cannot be a justification for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel.

Despite my protests, they continued to talk about the attack of 07 October to distract attention from the massive war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In doing so, they sought an opportunity to attack my person.

Concerning the attack of 07 October, I only reported the following:

• Hamas claimed that it also killed civilians in the course of this attack, but Hamas claimed that it was accidental.
• It is possible that Israel itself killed some civilians.
• I am not yet confident about all the facts of this attack of 07 October as a recent event.
• The details of this attack do not change the question of Israeli war crimes and the need to impose chess sanctions on Israel, as they were imposed on Russia.

In fact, the very next day after Herbert Kruse made the scurrilous accusations to me, the Israeli newspapers themselves reported Israel itself killed some of the civilians on 07 October. The Israeli news mentioned, among other things, an Israeli attack helicopter and also claimed that Hamas, when it launched the attack, did not know that the dance party was still going on.

Nowhere and to no one have I claimed that any video of an Israeli helicopter is authentic, certainly not in a conversation on the FICGS Forum, nor did I share such a video there.

All in all, we can see that sport, including chess, is being politicised and politicised in a biased way: Russia, which started the war, is being punished, but Israel, which is committing genocide, is not.

However, supporters of such policies, such as Herbert Kruse and Thibault de Vassal, avoid engaging in substantive debate and are eager to find ways to incriminate and falsely accuse those who make arguments that do not suit them.

There has been no substantive debate.

A PUBLIC APPEAL TO CHESS ORGANISATIONS ON THE BOMBING OF THE GAZA STRIP

Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, and the war is still going on today.

Just a few days after the start of the war in Ukraine, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) initiated the process of a chess blockade of Russia and Belarus, which assisted Russia in the war.

A few months later, a decision was taken that Russian and Belarusian chess teams would not be allowed to participate in FIDE international tournaments, while individual chess players would not be allowed to play under the Russian or Belarusian flag.

Online chess platforms soon joined the campaign.

The blockade was eventually joined by the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF).

FIDE also imposed a temporary ban on participating in international tournaments on international chess grandmaster Sergei Karyakin. As a result, Karyakin, one of the world’s strongest chess players, was excluded from the candidates’ tournament for world chess champion.

Karyakin was accused of publicly “justifying” Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. It is indeed what Karyakin did, referring to the systematic crimes committed by Ukraine against people of Russian nationality.

Karyakin was of the opinion that, in the name of stopping the genocide in Ukraine, Russia was justified in going to war.

However, the civil war in Ukraine, which started in 2014, had killed around 20,000 civilians by 2022. But, by November 2023, the Russian invasion that began in 2022 had already killed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers.

However, there have been several shortcomings in the sanctioning actions of international chess organisations concerning the war in Ukraine.

These organisations did not have rules for chess blocking of Russia and Belarus. The bans were imposed by introducing new rules on the fly, ad hoc. These rules were applied retrospectively. Also, these restrictions amount to collective punishment, which is prohibited by international law. The decisions in question also violated the accepted moral principles of sport and chess-sport. It was a politicisation of sport.

However, one of the main drawbacks was that the punishment of Russia and Belarus was discriminatory, selective.

For example, there have been no barriers to chess players from other countries that have started unjustified wars, occupied or annexed foreign territories, committed war crimes, etc.

For example, international chess organisations have not imposed any barriers on US chess players despite the US starting unjustified wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, occupying these countries for many years and committing war crimes there. At the time when the Russian and Belarus chess players were being punished, the US had just finally withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan, but some US military bases are still in Iraq today.

On 07 October this year, 2023, the Palestinian armed group Hamas, exiting the Gaza Strip, suddenly attacked Israel. Over a thousand Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed in the attack.

Israel then declared war on Hamas and started military operations in the Gaza Strip, an area separated by a wall and barbed wire, where more than two million people live on a few hundred square kilometres. It is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet and has essentially been turned into an open-air prison.

In the course of this military action, Israel imposed an absolute blockade on the Gaza Strip, with no water and no electricity. Food and medicine could not be sent there either. Finally, the blocking of internet access was added. People have not been allowed in and out, with a few exceptions.

In the walled area, Israel started destroying homes with powerful aircraft bombs and rockets, hitting and/or damaging hospitals and refugee shelters.

A month later today, 9,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza, more than half of them women and children. More than 10,000 people are still trapped under the rubble.

International organisations confirm that Israel has managed to kill more children in the Gaza Strip in one month in 2023 than were killed in all the war zones on the planet in the whole of 2022. In fact, significantly more children have been killed by Israeli bombs in one month than in two years of war in Ukraine. See also, e.g.:

“GAZA: 3,195 CHILDREN KILLED IN THREE WEEKS SURPASSES ANNUAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN KILLED IN CONFLICT ZONES SINCE 2019” 

Save the Children, 29 October 2023 

https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-3195-children-killed-three-weeks-surpasses-annual-number-children-killed-conflict-zones# 

The statistics on civilian casualties are similar.

The United Nations has raised suspicions that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip are a war crime. 

However, the Colombian President has explicitly called it genocide.

Returning now to the game of chess, international chess organisations such as FIDE and the ICCF, as well as the major chess platforms, have done nothing about Israel.

Therefore, I call on all chess organisations to either immediately lift the restrictions imposed on Russia and Belarus or to impose the same restrictions on Israel, whose disproportionate and indiscriminate military action is killing a catastrophic number of civilians in the Gaza Strip every day.

Suppose it is permissible to obstruct Russian sports persons to get Russia to stop its military aggression against Ukraine. In that case, it must also be permissible to obstruct Israeli sports persons to get Israel to stop its war crimes and to punish the perpetrators.

Since there is obviously no hope that the politically biased international chess organisations will impose such restrictions on Israel, I will make a proposal to all individual chess players - a proposal that I myself will follow:

• Refuse to play chess with anyone who plays under the Israeli flag.
• Refuse to play chess with anyone who is an Israeli citizen and who does not publicly, clearly and loudly condemn Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
• Refuse to play chess with anyone who publicly supports or justifies Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

These restrictions would remain in place until Israel has lifted the blockade of the Gaza Strip and stopped the bombing of its residents, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his henchmen have been convicted of war crimes in court.

Of course, local chess clubs, local chess tournament organisers, etc., can also impose similar restrictions.

However, at a non-individual, organisational, official level, the third point above, which calls for public condemnation of Israel’s actions, should be avoided. Notably, the Israeli police have threatened to severely punish anyone who criticises Israel’s current military action in the Gaza Strip. It is unreasonable to formally demand that a sports person should make such a statement, which would result in him being punished by the authorities in his own country.

As for Hamas, the European Union has already declared Hamas a terrorist organisation, so there is no need to impose such sporting sanctions on the group. After all, you are not going to meet a chess player playing under the Hamas flag anywhere, anyway.

As far as the Jews are concerned, collective punishment must not be applied to them. No one may be accused or discriminated against based on their nationality.

03 November 2023, Tallinn

Jüri Eintalu, chess player and philosopher

AVALIK PÖÖRDUMINE MALEORGANISATSIOONIDE POOLE SEOSES GAZA SEKTORI POMMITAMISEGA

Venemaa sõjaline invasioon Ukrainasse algas 24. veebruaril 2022. a. ja see sõda kestab veel ka täna.

Vaid mõned päevad pärast Ukraina sõja algust algatas Rahvusvaheline Maleföderatsioon (FIDE) protsessi Venemaa ja Valgevene, kes Venemaad selles sõjas abistas, maleliseks blokeerimiseks. 

Mõne kuu pärast võetigi vastu otsus, mille kohaselt Venemaa ja Valgevene malevõistkonnad ei saa FIDE rahvusvahelistel turniiridel osaleda, individuaalsed maletajad aga ei tohi mängida Venemaa või Valgevene lipu all.

Peatselt ühinesid selle kampaaniaga ka maleplatvormid internetis. 

Lõpuks ühines selle blokaadiga ka Rahvusvaheline Kirimale Föderatsioon (ICCF).

Samuti kehtestas FIDE ajutise rahvusvahelistel turniiridel osalemise keelu rahvusvahelisele malesuurmeister Sergei Karjakinile. Seetõttu jäi Karjakin, kes on üks maailma tugevamaid maletajaid, välja male maailmameistri pretendentide turniirilt.

Karjakini süüks peeti seda, et ta avalikult “õigustas” Venemaa sõjalist agressiooni Ukraina vastu. Seda Karjakin tõepoolest ka tegi, viidates Ukraina poolt süstemaatiliselt korda saadetud kuritegudele vene rahvusest inimeste vastu. 

Karjakin oli arvamusel, et Ukrainas toimuva genotsiidi peatamise nimel on Venemaa õigustatud alustama sõda.

Ent Ukrainas aastal 2014 alanud kodusõjas oli aastaks 2022 hukkunud paarkümmend tuhat tsiviili. Aastal 2022 alanud Venemaa sissetungi tagajärjel oli novembriks 2023 aga hukkunud juba sadu tuhandeid Ukraina sõdureid ja samuti sadu tuhandeid Venemaa sõdureid.

Rahvusvaheliste maleorganisatsioonide sanktsioneerival tegevusel seoses Ukraina sõjaga on aga olnud rida puudusi.

Venemaa ja Valgevene maleliseks blokeerimiseks puudusid nendel organisatsioonidel vastavad reeglid. Keelud kehtestati, uusi reegleid käigu pealt ad hoc kehtestades. Neid reegleid rakendati tagasivaatavalt. Ka on nende piirangute puhul tegemist kollektiivse karistusega, mis on kaasajal rahvusvahelise õigusega keelatud. Samuti rikkusid vastavad otsused spordi ja malespordi tunnustatud moraalseid põhimõtteid. Tegemist oli spordi politiseerimisega. 

Üheks peamiseks puuduseks oli aga see, et Venemaa ja Valgevene karistamine oli diskrimineeriv, selektiivne. 

Nii näiteks pole tõkkeid seatud maletajatele teistest sellistest riikidest, mis on alustanud õigustamata sõda, okupeerinud või annekteerinud võõraid alasid, sooritanud sõjakuritegusid vms. 

Näiteks pole rahvusvahelised maleorganisatsioonid mingeid tõkkeid seadnud USA maletajaile hoolimata sellest, et USA alustas õigustamata sõdasid Afganistani ja Iraagi vastu, okupeeris neid maid palju aastaid ning sooritas seal sõjakuritegusid. Sel hetkel, kui karistati Venemaa ja Valgevene maletajaid, oli USA just äsja oma väed Afganistanist lõpuks välja viinud, ent Iraagis on mõned USA sõjaväebaasid sees veel ka täna.

Käesoleva, 2023. aasta 07. novembril ründas palestiinlaste relvastatud rühmitus Hamas, väljudes Gaza sektorist, ootamatult Iisraeli. Selle rünnaku käigus hukkus üle tuhande Iisraeli sõduri ja tsiviilisiku.

Seejärel kuulutas Iisrael Hamasile sõja ja alustas sõjategevust Gaza sektoris, mis on müüri ja okastraadiga eraldatud ala, kus paarisajal ruutkilomeetril elab üle kahe miljoni inimese. Tegemist on planeedi ühe tihedaimalt asustatud piirkonnaga, mis on sisuliselt muudetud vabaõhuvanglaks.

Selle sõjategevuse käigus kehtestas Iisrael Gaza sektorile absoluutse blokaadi, mitte andes sellesse piirkonda vett ja elektrit. Ka toiduaineid ja ravimeid ei saanud sinna saata. Lõpuks lisandus ka internetiühenduse blokeerimine. Inimesi pole sisse ja välja lastud, väljaarvatud üksikud erandid.

Iisrael asus müüriga piiratud alal võimsate lennukipommide ja rakettidega hävitama elumajasid, tabades ja/või kahjustades ka haiglaid ning põgenike varjupaiku. 

Kuu aega hiljem, tänaseks päevaks, on Gaza sektoris hukkunud 9000 tsiviilisikut, kellest üle poole on naised ja lapsed. Üle 10 000 inimese on veel rusude all lõksus.

Rahvusvahelised organisatsioonid kinnitavad, et Iisrael on Gaza sektoris 2023. a. suutnud ühe kuuga tappa rohkem lapsi kui hukkus planeedi kõikides sõjakolletes kokku terve 2022. aasta jooksul. Seejuures on Iisraeli pommide all hukkunud kuu ajaga märgatavalt rohkem lapsi kui Ukraina sõjas kahe aasta jooksul kokku. Vt. n.:

“GAZA: 3,195 CHILDREN KILLED IN THREE WEEKS SURPASSES ANNUAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN KILLED IN CONFLICT ZONES SINCE 2019” 

Save the Children, 29 October 2023 

https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-3195-children-killed-three-weeks-surpasses-annual-number-children-killed-conflict-zones# 

Sarnased näitajad on ka statistikal hukkunud tsiviilide kohta.

ÜRO on esitanud kahtlustuse, et Iisraeli tegevus Gaza sektoris on sõjakuritegu. 

Kolumbia president nimetas seda aga otsesõnu genotsiidiks.

Kui nüüd malemängu juurde tagasi pöörduda, siis rahvusvahelised maleorganisatsioonid nagu FIDE ja ICCF, samuti suured maleplatvormid, pole Iisraeli tegevusega seoses mitte midagi ette võtnud.

Seetõttu teen kõikidele maleorganisatsioonidele üleskutse kas viivitamatult tühistada Venemaale ja Valgevenele seatud piirangud või rakendada samu piiranguid ka Iisraelile, kelle ebaproportsionaalse ja valimatu sõjalise tegevuse tõttu hukkub iga päev katastroofiline arv tsiviilisikuid Gaza sektoris.

Kui on lubatud tõkestada Venemaa sportlasi eesmärgiga, et Venemaa lõpetaks oma sõjalise kallaletungi Ukrainale, siis peab olema lubatud tõkestada ka Iisraeli sportlasi eesmärgiga, et Iisrael lõpetaks oma sõjakuritegude sooritamise ning et süüdlased saaks karistatud.

Kuna pole ilmselt lootustki, et poliitiliselt kallutatud rahvusvahelised maleorganisatsioonid Iisraelile sellised piirangud kehtestaksid, siis teen ettepaneku kõigile individuaalsetele maletajatele - ettepaneku, mida mina ise järgima hakkan:

• Keelduge malet mängimast ükskõik kellega, kes maletab Iisraeli lipu all.
• Keelduge malet mängimast ükskõik kellega, kes on Iisraeli kodanik ja kes ei mõista avalikult, selgelt ja valjuhäälselt hukka Iisraeli sõjakuriteod Gaza sektoris.
• Keelduge malet mängimast ükskõik kellega, kes avalikult toetab või õigustab Iisraeli sõjakuritegusid Gaza sektoris.

Need piirangud kehtiksid seni, kuni Iisrael on Gaza sektori blokaadi ja sealsete elanike pommitamise lõpetanud ning Iisraeli peaminister Netanyahu ja tema käsilased on sõjakuritegude eest kohtus süüdi mõistetud.

Loomulikult saavad sarnaseid piiranguid kehtestada ka kohalikud maleklubid, kohalikud maleturniiride organiseerijad jne.

Ent mitteindividuaalsel, organisatsioonilisel, ametlikul tasandil tuleks hoiduda kolmandast punktist ülal, mis nõuab Iisraeli tegevuse avalikku hukkamõistu. Nimelt on Iisraeli politsei ähvardanud karmi käega karistada kõiki neid, kes kritiseerivad Iisraeli praegust sõjalist tegevust Gaza sektoris. Pole mõistlik ametlikult nõuda sportlaselt, et ta teeks sellise avalduse, mille tagajärjel ta oma kodumaal võimude käest karistada saaks.

Mis puutub rühmitusse Hamas, siis Euroopa Liit juba kuulutas Hamasi terroriorganisatsiooniks, mistõttu puudub vajadus selliseid spordialaseid sanktsioone sellele rühmitusele rakendada. Pealegi niikuinii ei kohtuta kusagil maletajaga, kes mängiks Hamasi lipu all.

Mis puutub juutidesse, siis kollektiivkaristust nendele rakendada ei tohi. Mitte kedagi pole lubatud süüdistada või diskrimineerida tema rahvuse alusel.

3. novembril, Tallinnas

Jüri Eintalu, maletaja ja filosoof