World Blitz Championship 2023: Dubov, Nepomniachtchi punished for pre-arranged match

Russian GMs Daniil Dubov and Ian Nepomniachtchi were penalised half a point each after match arbiter Ivan Syrovy found their 13-move draw in the FIDE World Blitz Championship on December 29, involving just knight moves, to be pre-arranged one.

In a document released by global chess body, Syrovy noted that the actions of Dubov and Nepomniachtchi were in violation of the 11.1 subsection of the FIDE Laws of Chess, according to which players are not supposed to take actions which will bring the game to disrepute.

In the same document, Syrovy mentions that after the pre-mentioned match, he had a word about the moves of the game to both players and added that they both had no issues with it.

The point deduction meant both players dropped from top of the table in competition. Nepomniachtchi and Dubov objected to the decision, prompting a referral to the Appeals Committee, which was duly rejected.

Nepomniachtchi later expresses his dissent through social media handle X, posting a video titled ‘Dance of the Knights’.