This letter was first published in CHESS in September, 1993. It is republished here (slightly edited by the webmaster) with permission.
As regards the future World Chess Championship, may I say a few words on behalf of the many rabbits in the game?
A bit of my background will not go amiss at this stage, and anyone who may be in a position to read this may find a mirror of their own chess life reflected.
I am nearly in my 70th year, an age when chess becomes hard work. I have played the game for 60 years and few weeks have gone past when I have not played a game of sorts. I have played in weekend tournaments, the local league, Yorkshire league, been a secretary, in fact a Chess Nut to boot. I have always looked forward to the World Championship, in fact I have collected cuttings from every one to date.
Now what will the next World Championship mean to my friends and I? NOTHING. Let me outline why. I have been a long-standing member of the BCF except when I was abroad. No doubt some of my money has gone to further young players in their quest for the Grandmaster title, even Short. When it was announced that the Championship was going to be held in Manchester, a number of friends and I decided to make up a party to visit. However, when it was seen that the venue and opt-out system had come into effect, we all lost interest in the Championship. It seems the new venue, plus filthy lucre, has put the possibility of a visit to London out of the reach of most of the players who are the backbone of chess in England. Or should I say Britain? We calculated that a day's visit from Sheffield would cost about £100, whereas when I attended the last World Championship on a number of days I found it quite reasonable.
I would like to make another point about the present Championship, and I am backed by other players though this opinion is my own. One great thing is missing this time and that is CHARISMA. Fischer, Tal, Spassky and many other had it, but I doubt if Short has. Also I had the feeling that after Karpov beat Anand, he treated his match with Short with just routine effort as he may have thought sitting opposite Kasparov for another twelve weeks was a bit much. Short's games v. Karpov were nothing to shout about. I would rather have seen Anand play Kasparov. Also Short has lost a lot of support from Up North after the disparaging remarks he made in one of his columns about Postal Chess.
A bit of my background will not go amiss at this stage, and anyone who may be in a position to read this may find a mirror of their own chess life reflected.
I am nearly in my 70th year, an age when chess becomes hard work. I have played the game for 60 years and few weeks have gone past when I have not played a game of sorts. I have played in weekend tournaments, the local league, Yorkshire league, been a secretary, in fact a Chess Nut to boot. I have always looked forward to the World Championship, in fact I have collected cuttings from every one to date.
Now what will the next World Championship mean to my friends and I? NOTHING. Let me outline why. I have been a long-standing member of the BCF except when I was abroad. No doubt some of my money has gone to further young players in their quest for the Grandmaster title, even Short. When it was announced that the Championship was going to be held in Manchester, a number of friends and I decided to make up a party to visit. However, when it was seen that the venue and opt-out system had come into effect, we all lost interest in the Championship. It seems the new venue, plus filthy lucre, has put the possibility of a visit to London out of the reach of most of the players who are the backbone of chess in England. Or should I say Britain? We calculated that a day's visit from Sheffield would cost about £100, whereas when I attended the last World Championship on a number of days I found it quite reasonable.
I would like to make another point about the present Championship, and I am backed by other players though this opinion is my own. One great thing is missing this time and that is CHARISMA. Fischer, Tal, Spassky and many other had it, but I doubt if Short has. Also I had the feeling that after Karpov beat Anand, he treated his match with Short with just routine effort as he may have thought sitting opposite Kasparov for another twelve weeks was a bit much. Short's games v. Karpov were nothing to shout about. I would rather have seen Anand play Kasparov. Also Short has lost a lot of support from Up North after the disparaging remarks he made in one of his columns about Postal Chess.
