Emil Sutovsky

FIDE CEO

“Bibisara is undeniably a world star. Three-time World Blitz Champion, silver medalist of the Candidates Tournament, No. 5 in the world rankings. This is the highest level, and Kazakhstan is rightfully proud of her. I’ve been following her career for a long time and have great respect for her as a player.

It is not my place to judge who is right in this dispute. I am not a party to the conflict, nor do I manage budgets in Kazakhstan. But I am convinced that in such matters, emotions are a bad advisor — you need to rely on facts. And the facts, as far as I know, are these: Bibisara receives the largest funding from her state and federation among all female chess players in the world. Honestly, I cannot recall a comparable example in the entire history of chess…

I will add another important, perhaps key, point. She is a professional athlete, and the main source of income for a chess professional is prize money. Our prize funds are very substantial, and FIDE has done much to ensure that the world’s strongest female chess players receive decent earnings.

Believe me, I know the conditions under which many elite players train. Against that backdrop, Bibisara’s conditions look more than decent. Of course, this may not be enough to pay eleven assistants at once — and Bibisara recently named that exact number. But I can say that the teams of the world’s leading players usually consist of two or three people.

During preparation for a World Championship Match, that number increases slightly, but then the question arises: where is the line between the role of the state and the role of the athlete and his or her sponsors? Although I admire the ambition of Bibisara and her family, I feel that balance has been lost.

In any case, funding issues must be resolved at the negotiating table, with numbers and concrete commitments in hand. When a dispute is taken to the media, especially in a negative light, chess itself loses above all. I very much hope this story ends constructively. Precisely in the name of chess.

Let’s not forget: a generation of very talented players is growing up in Kazakhstan, and it would be a pity if they, even indirectly, become victims of this whole story…”