Because there's no legal force behind it - that was an ad hoc measure from the tournament organiser ergo no power beyond the tournament itself.

Had it come from the country wide set up then it might have attracted a country wide ban etc. Best if FIDE get that promised anti cheating set up running.

Bibs wrote on 12/14/13 at 13:23:29:

"Newark gambit" replies #51 & post #65, "Theoretical refutation of 6...Qc7 7.Qg4?!" reply # 15 and  "Does anyone still play the poor old Grob" Reply #10....Glasshouses and stones, Bibs.

Getting back to chess. I have some questions. Considering many chess professionals and amateurs a like beleive Ivanov is cheating in tournaments, just why are Ivanov's tournament entrees being accepted? I don't know but are tournament organizers forced to accept tournament entrees under any FIDE rules? Doesn't continuing to accept Ivanov's entrees into tournaments knowning that he is beleived to be a sophisticated cheat perpetuating the issue?....This is perhaps the thing I find most hard to get my head around. You have a guy in your tournament that is strongly beleived to be cheating so why let him in the first place? Just why are the tournament organizers and directors not doing more to put the ownus on Ivanov to prove he is not cheating...for aguement sake, a playing condition is that a pat-down can be requested by one or both players and it must be applied to both players equally (which I think they do now) but if its refused by one or both players then that player is expelled from the tournament if a good reason is not supplied that the pat down should've not proceeded (which again I think they do). If it gets that far then it should be a tournment ban for the length of the history of that tournament....and not, as it has happened, let Ivanov continue to play.....All I am saying is that unless something is done to force the situation then the whole thing is just going to get sillier and sillier....

Two rounds per day, up to ten hours' play for three and a half days straight, and if you attempt to play a low-tension variation in a game occurring one hour after an exhausting struggle you are forfeited based on some TD's judgment that the game produced was insufficiently exciting or lengthly. 

Furthermore, you have to calculate to avoid variations that could lead to forced repetitions--and a player with no hope for a prize even gets a kind of repetition odds as a result.

No, it can't be that - "doctors on call included".

Suspect they just didn't read it very carefully

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 12/14/13 at 06:31:19:


Hmm, if the phone you're not allowed to bring rings, you only lose ten minutes...?

Did you notice the entry fees?  One thousand dollars rising to two thousand for late entry. They don't say, but given that it's in America, I expect the players are still expected to supply the equipment even at those prices.

Not a tournament for fans of the Exchange French or even players who grind in drawish openings.

The TD can deem that players are not making a serious effort to play a real game. For example, some unacceptable situations would be:

    If two players on the top boards make a quick draw using some well known theoretical opening that forces a three-fold repetition.
    If the two players play an intentionally lifeless opening with the object of steering the game towards a dead draw as soon as possible. For example, playing the exchange French defense and immediately trading off all the pieces is not acceptable.
    Continuous repetitions in order to get to the time control will be considered an infraction of the rules.

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 12/14/13 at 06:31:19:


Really?...HAW HAW HAW HAW...given what you have reiterated above, don't you think a new level of absurdity has been reached? Whether or not Invanov is actually cheat is a moot point but really what can't be argued is the level of paranoid fueled idiocy that has swept into chess thanks to the level of inaction surrounding Ivanov...and now spectators are in the cross hairs?? Good lord....

Maybe he is not only using Houdini, maybe he is Houdini. Couldn't resist that one, but seriously, this guy must be suffering from mental illness or defect.

Makes for entertaining reading for the public, not so much fun to be paired against him in a tournament.

Actually I don't think Borislav (Houdini) Ivanov is the big problem anymore, but more so the subtle cheaters that are hard to detect. I think some young German IM was caught fairly recently, his name was something Katainy or Katainy something, I will have to google it to confirm.   

Sad state of affairs for professional players, annoying for amateur players, and inevitable for online players.