From the Chess archiv of Chess-Results.com: Article: 501 from 10.12.1997, Category International

Newsletter to all European Chess Federations (10.12.97 von Prof.Kurt Jungwirth)

FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DES ÉCHECS PROF. KURT JUNGWIRTH, CONTINENTAL PRESIDENT OF EUROPE

GRAZ, 10.12.1997

To all European Chess Federations

Dear chess friends,

A new era of Chess World Championships is beginning. Since 1896 when Wilhelm Steinitz defeated Johann Zukertort, with the exception of the tournament The Hague/Moscow in 1948, only matches decided on who could call himself the best player of the world.

The new format, a sort of chess Wimbledon, corresponds more closely to modern times. Let us hope it will increase world wide interest for chess. The whole world elite is to participate. The FIDE leadership and the organisation committees in Groningen an Lausanne have worked hard to prepare the ebonite. In order to make Kasparov come back to FIDE he, together with Karpov, was offered the privilege to enter the tournament very late. Unfortunately for chess he avoids confrontation so that Karpov will go directly to the final. This has led also Kramnik to withdraw. The only consolation is that next time, in 1999, there will be no exceptions.

At the recent meeting of the FIDE Presidential Board brilliantly organised by the Tunisian Chess Federation FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumishinov reiterated his promise to guarantee ten World championships in a row. By sponsoring the first leg he hopes to get more and more financial support from powerful co-sponsors.

In Groningen the Women's Candidates Tournament will also be played. Moldova has already made a bid to stage the Womanise' World Championship (new format) in 1999. In a statement at the Presidential Board I stressed the necessity of increasing the number of participants in the starting round to ensure the existence of zonal tournaments particularly important for women.

As to finances there are still federations seriously in arrears. Let me say in this context that in Mr. David Jarrett FIDE has a treasurer we can absolutely rely upon. I ask all federations to take his information an his warnings seriously. It would be a serious inconvenience to them to be temporarily excluded from FIDE events and to have their players banned from the rating lists of FIDE.

The final of the 13^th European Club Cup was played in Kazan. On the whole the 1997 competition beginning with seven preliminary rounds was successful. Reykjavik declared not to be able to participate in the final. There was hardly enough time to inform all the teams placed second in the preliminaries but Moldavia replaced the club from Iceland. It was, however, a great nuisance that Agrouniversal Zemun withdrew much too late. We shall sensibly increase the penalties for such incorrect behaviour in the future. A second team of Kazan stood in for the Yugoslavs. Organisation an hospitality were perfect, participation was very strong. Among the players there were 13 qualifiers to the individual World Championship 1997. Final standings: 1. Ladia Azov, 2. Polonia Warsaw (tie-break by rapid games), 3. Sperbank Tatarstan Kazan, 4. Chess School Kazan, 5. Merkur Graz, 6. Herzliya Israel, 7. Dinamo Yerevan, 8. Rezina Gas Kishinev.

Based on this year's experience Mr. Stubenvoll will send out amendments proposed for the next season.

We shall also submit to the federations and their top clubs guidelines for a European Super League to be created. The framework might be: 8 or 10 clubs playing a round robin tournament. The last two or three are relegated to the 56 qualifiers of the following year's European Club Cup. The first two or three of the Club Cup final are promoted to the League. The best teams of the Club Cup 97 and 98 are invited to launch the competition of 1999. Problems of finances and calendar may be delicate while the event, a real top level competition, is certainly very attractive.

At the meeting of the Presidential Board in Tunis the World Team Championship 2001 has been awarded to Armenia.

The European Juniors an Girls Championship 1998 will be held in Yerevan 4 September to 18 September.

Coming back to my circular letter of 19^th September I want to stress once more the priority of supporting FIDE's action to approach the IOC.

Let me also remind the European CACDEC federations of the question I asked them last time. So far I have not got any response.

With the end of the year 1997 approaching let me say thanks to all organisers of FIDE events which were held in Europe since my last letter, in Pula (World Problemists' Congress), in Tallinn (European Juniors and Girls U20, much better staged than the Championship 10-16), in Yerevan (World Youth 16, 18), in Lucerne (World Team Championship), in Bald Wildbad (World Seniors), in Kazan (Final European Club Cup).

Good luck to Cannes (World Youth 10-14), to Hastings (World Amateurs), and, of course, to Groningen and Lausanne!

All my good wishes go to you for a happy chess year, a good Olympic and Congress Year 1998!

Kurt Jungwirth m.p.