Chess "cheaters" can play in a match for the world title. A real shame for FIDE!

What is happening now in world chess is a scam that the whole world is watching. In order to get into the Candidates Tournament, grandmasters take part in “fake” tournaments just to gain a rating. None of this could have happened if not for the FIDE selection rules .
A tournament with “bags” was organized for the grandmaster Alireza Firouzja representing France in Chartres. Well, what else can you call opponents whose average rating does not even reach 2500, while the rating of 20-year-old Firouzja is 2763. This was done so that Alireza could improve his rating and get ahead of the American Wesley So in the race for a ticket to the Candidates Tournament.

Of course, he will crush his opponents and score maximum points. Firouzja has already played two of the six games. Both – oh my God, sensational! – won. And you can argue as much as you like that the chess players are not violating anything, they are simply using absolutely every opportunity to get the maximum rating and get into the Candidates Tournament in Toronto.

Formally, no, they don’t violate it. But agreeing to participate in such “fake” tournaments, where the opponents are already “charged” for the desired result, is cheating. It's pure scam. This is even worse than advanced gadgets. There is at least a chance that the violation may be discovered and a punishment will be imposed. There is no chance here.

Firouzja is now beating fake “bags” and is approaching Wesley So in the live rankings . The American gave all his strength in the fight at prestigious tournaments, and the Frenchman, who scattered his energy on everything except chess, kicks the back door with his feet. He needs to win six out of six games, and the problem will be solved.

The same thing is happening in Chennai, India, where Gukesh Dommaraju and Arjun Erigaisi are trying to boost the ratings . But at least the participants there are strong, although the tournament was also organized urgently to give Indian chess players a chance to make it to Toronto.

You can remember how Ding Liren , who got into the Candidates tournament thanks to the disqualification of Sergei Karjakin, scored not the rating, but the number of games. The Chinese did not have enough games to fulfill the FIDE criteria , and then several tournaments in a row were organized for him in his homeland.

What happened next - everyone remembers perfectly. Second place in the Candidates Tournament after Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen's refusal to play the championship match with the Russian, a magically freed place in the main match, victory in the last game of the tiebreaker, championship and mysterious disappearance from the chess horizon.

None of this would have happened if FIDE had not decided to change the selection system. Places in the Candidates Tournament by rating are an evil that led to cheating. Since this all started. A terrible decision that needs to be corrected for the next applicant cycle. Yes, now FIDE has even issued a press release in which it promised to “closely monitor the tournament in Chartres” and reserved the right not to shortchange the ratings of games involving Firouzja. But this is already a belated decision. Making changes to the rules of the game as it progresses is no less a scam than using such loopholes.

It would not be surprising if a cheater who did everything according to the rules ended up taking part in the match for the championship title.