"Delhi is Not like Chennai" Says kazakhstan Grand Master who withdrawn from Grandprix Tournament

Kazakhstan Grand Master Zhansaya Abdumalik was upset about the arrangements done by @ChessbaseIndia and withdrew herself from the FIDE Gransprix chess tournament.

She mentioned about chennai chess Olympiad.She had very nice memories there unlike Delhi.

Full statement:

Statement by GM Zhansaya Abdumalik to @ChessbaseIndia regarding the poor playing conditions and why she withdrew:

“I left the tournament because the preparation for the event was not adequate. I arrived at the airport at 1.30 a.m. and they forgot to meet me. I tried to contact the person who was supposed to wait for me. He didn’t check his messages for one and a half hour. I did everything they said in our email before we arrived but there was nothing at the airport.

I don’t think it was hard to organize transfers for only 12 players when there was a huge Olympiad organized last year for thousands of people. I can’t imagine if a top male player was arriving to the tournament and no one is there to pick him up. That was not a good start.

The location of the hotel was not great. FIDE knew that unfortunately Delhi has some problems with the air because of pollution. I could see a big landfill from my window where they were putting on a fire or something of that sort. Leaving the hotel is difficult because of its location. The hotel staff told me not to go out because it could be dangerous.

I love India. We had a great Olympiad in Chennai and I have very nice memories from it, but this time something went wrong and I couldn’t imagine myself playing there for two weeks. It’s one of the best tournaments in the world and I just want FIDE to put more attention on women’s chess.

It was too much for me and that’s why I decided to leave. We deserve to play in good conditions. Everyone knows that I am a fighter and I would never withdraw from such a tournament without reason.” @FIDE_chess #Women #Equality #WomensChess #Professionalism

Statement by GM Zhansaya Abdumalik to @ChessbaseIndia regarding the poor playing conditions and why she withdrew:

"I left the tournament because the preparation for the event was not adequate. I arrived at the airport at 1.30 a.m. and they forgot to meet me. I tried to contact… pic.twitter.com/XeULbD78KT
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) March 26, 2023