Current Chess Happenings Intersecting with Important World Affairs

    Current chess happenings intersecting with important world affairs:

      1.) Cuban-born chess grandmaster Arian Gonzalez is believed to still be on a hunger strike following his imprisonment in Cuba for participating in the protests there earlier this month. Gonzalez had returned to Cuba to take care of his sick mother when the protests broke out. Long an outspoken opponent of the Castro regime, he was heard yelling, "Down with the dictatorship," Long live free Cuba," and, "We must support the brave people who are demonstrating today."

   Former world champion Garry Kasparov and the two strongest international players from Cuba, Lazaro Bruzon and Leinier Dominguez, have spoken out against his imprisonment. 

   2.) China's representation in the current Chess World Cup was limited due to the nation's Covid restrictions.

   3.) Iran phenom Amin Tabatabaei became one of the foremost Cinderella players, sailing deep into the tournament before finally being eliminated. Seeded only 86th, he knocked off the 43rd-, 22nd-, and 11th- seeded players before finally falling in the fifth round. Seeded only 86th, the 20-year-old Tabataei was easily the lowest seed left by that time. The next lowest seed surviving to the final eight was France's Etienne Bacrot at the 41st seed. Iran is in a dispute with the International Chess Federation, refusing to let its players play against those from Israel. That policy led to Iran's greatest phenom, 18-year-old Alizera Firouzja, competing under a neutral flag instead of that of Iran. Firouzja, the tournament's eighth seed, was upset by 15-year-old Uzbek chess prodigy Javokhir Sindarov, who as the 121st seed, knocked off another higher seed before being eliminated in the fourth round.