25 July 2007

Dual Qualification Paths

The ACP is against maintaining the dual qualification to the next stage of the World Championship via both zonals and continental championships.
  • 2005-05-24: FIDE - ACP Meeting • 'Zonal tournaments : ACP suggests to abolish Zonals as the players taking part there get two chances to qualify whereas the others have only one – through Continental Championships. FIDE will carefully examine this idea.'

  • 2006-03-25: 3rd ACP - FIDE Meeting • 'Zonal Tournaments: Abolishment of Zonal Tournaments helped to make the European Championship an important and strong event. It also equalized chances of all European players to qualify to the World Cup, regardless of their citizenship. The ACP thinks this model should be extended to other continents as well. It is out of any logic that the winners of national championships in relatively weak chess countries qualify directly to the World Cup, while the winners of national championships in the strongest countries, like Russia or Ukraine have no rights at all. Moreover, some players have 2 chances to qualify to the World Cup (from the Zonal Tournament and the Continental Championship), while all others only 1. FIDE agrees that this is an important, but sensitive problem, and proposes to include it into the agenda of the FIDE General Assembly in Turin. The ACP agrees.'

Re 'FIDE agrees that this is an important, but sensitive problem', that means there are politics involved. I have never seen any specifics on this.

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