The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Firouzja claims arbiter told him to change shoes for next game
THERE WAS massive controversy in Toronto during Round 9 of the Candidates chess tournament after one of the contenders, Alireza Firouzja, claimed he was told by the arbiter to stop walking during games because“his shoes were making a lot of noise.”
The Iran-born, French grandmaster posted a series of tweets right after his game against the open category leader Ian Nepomniachtchi ended in a draw on Monday morning.
Firouzja also claimed the arbiter instructed him to wear a different pair of shoes in the next round. He claimed that the arbiter’s words made him lose focus during a crucial juncture of the match.
What happened during the game?
Nepo was in trouble during their game at the Candidates, but escaped to hold on to a draw. The result kept him in the joint lead along with Indian teenager Gukesh after nine rounds.
“Shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game.
Middle of the game, in the most intense moment when I was walking during Ian’s move, the chief arbiter came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor. He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but I have the formal shoe that is approved and I have been wearing it for more than 1 year. This was a big distraction for me during the game and I completely lost my focus. I told one of the organisers that this arbiter needs to be punished,” Firouzja tweeted.
He went on to claim that he was being targeted. “Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament and it’s really taking me to the point of exhaustion,” he added.
The chief arbiter for the event IA Aris Marghetis told Chess.com that since the venue is an old building, the floors are "a bit creaky" and that he had received a complaint from Nijat Abasov that he was getting disturbed by Alireza’s footsteps.
"Most players walk around during the tournament. But you don't hear them walking, you hear the floorboard creaking. After about 60 minutes in, when Alireza was pacing around in the refreshment area, he had a very heavy footfall. It was 'stompish' if you will. That's when one of the players, who was closest to the refreshment area, complained to me about the noise. As a chief arbiter I have a few responsibilities. One of them is to protect all of the players. So I had to make a decision, whether he was disturbing another player more than I would disturb him (by talking to him)," he said.
Marghetis said he made eye contact with the French GM and only spoke to him when Alireza had thrown him a look that suggested 'what do you want?' He added that he had merely suggested -- rather than confronted or threatened -- that Alireza walk around a bigger area in the hall rather than just in the refreshment area and that he consider wearing a different pair of shoes.