So much for Filipino hospitality.
Vidit Gujrathi, an Indian chess grandmaster said to be the 31st highest ranked player in the world, posted on his Facebook account on Sunday to say that he and his compatriots were allegedly attacked on a street in Makati City by unidentified men.
Gujrathi said he was attacked along with two other Indian grandmasters, Abhijit Kunte and M.R. Lalith Babu.
All three players are in Manila to compete at the 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships, a regional competition part of the World Championship cycle organized under the watch of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE or the World Chess Federation).
The top 5 players to finish the tournament will compete at the Chess World Cup, according to Rappler.
According to the Philippine Star, the event was sponsored by Senator Manny Pacquiao.
Gujrathi wrote on Facebook: “Me and my colleagues Abhijit Kunte and Lalith Babu went outside to buy water, but then the most unexpected incident happened. We were attacked by local goons who possesed (sic) weapons.
“We were cornered and then attacked. We tried to flee but we were chased and finally marginally escaped. We are still trying to recover from this horrible incident.”
He said that they informed the organizers of the local competition but “they remained aloof and ignored the seriousness of the issue.”
An update yesterday on an article by Chess Base India shows the three Indian players with Senior Superintendent Rogelio Simon, the chief of police of Makati, and one of the event organizers.
Simon was said to have assured the players that the police will keep them safe during the duration of the tournament which will end on Dec. 19.
In his Facebook post, Gujrathi also complained that the organizers allegedly charged them US$150 per room in their hotel, higher than the advertised rate of US$35 – US$50.
He wrote: “What kind of an event is this? Players are charged five times more and forced to stay in this place, where basic necessities like cleanliness, proper food, and water are not provided. This is sheer exploitation of players.”
The chess player also added screenshots of the rates of RedDoorz Premium and Tiara Oriental Hotel, presumably the hotels in which he and his co-players stayed in.
Emil Sutovsky, the director general of FIDE, told Chess Base that they have gotten in touch with the local organizers to ask for an explanation regarding the expensive accommodations.
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