Association of Chess Professionals
Encyclopedia
The Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) is a not-for-profit organisation, the closest thing in existence to a trade union
for professional chess
players. According to Article 2 of its terms:
Joël Lautier
. Its secretary is Bartłomiej Macieja, its Treasurer Almira Skripchenko
, and its Deputy Treasurer Pavel Tregubov
. Also on the ACP board are Igor Glek
, Anna Hahn
, Vladimir Kramnik
, Peter Heine Nielsen
and Yannick Pelletier
. It has over two hundred other members, including such prominent players as Viswanathan Anand
, Péter Lékó
, and Judit Polgár
, but not including Garry Kasparov
. Ruslan Ponomariov
and Veselin Topalov
were once members, but withdrew in December 2004 saying "we disagree with the politics and most of the decisions of the ACP Board."http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic528.html#24
The organisation was founded in 2003, the catalyst for its foundation being disagreement with the European Chess Union
over the choice of hotel that all participants in the 2003 European Individual Chess Championship were required to stay in. It has since been involved in a number of matters relating to professional play.
The organisation has been compared by some to the Professional Chess Association
, the body established by Garry Kasparov
and Nigel Short
as an organisation under which to play their 1993 World Championship
having broken away from FIDE
, the official governing body of chess. However, unlike the PCA, which was in competition with FIDE over the running of the world championship, the ACP initially stated that they "hope to work together with FIDE, as well as other international and national chess bodies" http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=1. In March 2005, however, Lautier commented that "at present FIDE avoids any contact with us, does not respond to our mails, and we don't expect any positive changes of the situation." http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=293
The ACP has been extremely critical of FIDE on a number of issues, including its selection of Libya
as the site for the 2004 Championships
(thus putting the ability of Israel
i players to take part under question) and aspects relating to the contracts with players in that championship.
As well as these political activities, the ACP has organised a number of online chess tournaments (open only to its members) on the Playchess
server (run by Chessbase
). On July 31, 2004, at a press conference held during the Dortmund tournament, Lautier announced plans for the inaugural ACP tour in which the eight ACP members who perform best in tournaments over the course of a year (as determined by a points scoring system) will play in a final event (the ACP Masters) to determine the best player of the season http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=185.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for professional chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
players. According to Article 2 of its terms:
- The association's purpose is the protection of professional chess players' rights, the practice and promotion of chess worldwide, in particular through the organisation of chess tournaments and other chess events.
History
As of March 2005, the ACP's President is French GrandmasterInternational Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Joël Lautier
Joel Lautier
Joël Lautier is a French chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .Born in Canada, of French father and Japanese mother, Lautier is one of the strongest grandmasters from France. He won the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship on tiebreak at Adelaide, and the French Chess Championships in 2004...
. Its secretary is Bartłomiej Macieja, its Treasurer Almira Skripchenko
Almira Skripchenko
Almira Skripchenko is a French chess player who has achieved the FIDE International Master and Woman Grandmaster titles...
, and its Deputy Treasurer Pavel Tregubov
Pavel Tregubov
Pavel Tregubov is a Russian chess Grandmaster and Deputy Treasurer of the Association of Chess Professionals.He won the European Individual Chess Championship 2005 in Saint-Vincent with 8 points out of 11 games. He is also the winner of the 4th Pivdenny Bank Chess Cup...
. Also on the ACP board are Igor Glek
Igor Glek
Igor Vladimirovich Glek , is a Russian chess master, coach, theorist, writer and organiser. He now lives in Essen, Germany and has mainly resided there since 1994....
, Anna Hahn
Anna Hahn (chess player)
Anna Hahn is an American chess player with the title of Woman International Master.In her native Latvia, she took the women's championship of 1992 and then moved to the U.S., where in 1994 she won the New York City High School Championship, and helped lead Edward R. Murrow to three consecutive...
, Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
, Peter Heine Nielsen
Peter Heine Nielsen
Peter Heine Nielsen is a Danish chess Grandmaster.-Chess career:Nielsen became an International Grandmaster in 1994. He won the Danish Chess Championship five times: in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2008. He played for Denmark in seven Chess Olympiads, three times on top board, with an overall...
and Yannick Pelletier
Yannick Pelletier
Yannick Pelletier is a Swiss chess player. He has been a Grandmaster since 2001, and won the Swiss Chess Championship in 1995, 2000, and 2002....
. It has over two hundred other members, including such prominent players as Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
, Péter Lékó
Péter Lékó
On the way to winning the prestigious Corus chess tournament in 2005, Lékó defeated Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand with the black pieces. The moves were:...
, and Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest person ever to do so at that time.Polgár was ranked No...
, but not including Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
. Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
and Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
were once members, but withdrew in December 2004 saying "we disagree with the politics and most of the decisions of the ACP Board."http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic528.html#24
The organisation was founded in 2003, the catalyst for its foundation being disagreement with the European Chess Union
European Chess Union
The European Chess Union is an independent association for the interests of European chess. It is based in Lausanne Switzerland.-Member Federations:* Albania - Federates Shgiptare te Shahul* Andorra - Federació d'Escacs Valls d'Andorra...
over the choice of hotel that all participants in the 2003 European Individual Chess Championship were required to stay in. It has since been involved in a number of matters relating to professional play.
The organisation has been compared by some to the Professional Chess Association
Professional Chess Association
The Professional Chess Association , which existed between 1993 and 1996, was a rival organisation to FIDE, the international chess organization...
, the body established by Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
and Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
as an organisation under which to play their 1993 World Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
having broken away from FIDE
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE , its French acronym.FIDE...
, the official governing body of chess. However, unlike the PCA, which was in competition with FIDE over the running of the world championship, the ACP initially stated that they "hope to work together with FIDE, as well as other international and national chess bodies" http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=1. In March 2005, however, Lautier commented that "at present FIDE avoids any contact with us, does not respond to our mails, and we don't expect any positive changes of the situation." http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=293
The ACP has been extremely critical of FIDE on a number of issues, including its selection of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
as the site for the 2004 Championships
FIDE World Chess Championship 2004
The FIDE World Chess Championship, 2004 was held at the Almahary Hotel in Tripoli, Libya, from June 18 to July 13.It was won by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who beat Michael Adams in the final by a score of 4½-3½...
(thus putting the ability of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i players to take part under question) and aspects relating to the contracts with players in that championship.
As well as these political activities, the ACP has organised a number of online chess tournaments (open only to its members) on the Playchess
Playchess
Playchess is a commercial Internet chess server edited by ChessBase devoted to the play and discussion of chess and chess variants. As of February 2011, Playchess has over 31,000 players online, including many internationally titled players who remain pseudo-anonymous and other masters whose...
server (run by Chessbase
ChessBase
ChessBase GmbH is a German company that markets chess software, maintains a chess news site, and operates a server for online chess. Set up in 1998, it maintains and sells massive databases, containing most historic games, that permit analysis that had not been possible prior to computing...
). On July 31, 2004, at a press conference held during the Dortmund tournament, Lautier announced plans for the inaugural ACP tour in which the eight ACP members who perform best in tournaments over the course of a year (as determined by a points scoring system) will play in a final event (the ACP Masters) to determine the best player of the season http://www.chess-players.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=185.