New Guinness chess record stirs mess in Israel (correction)

Nov 10, 2010, 15:03 GMT

Tel Aviv/London - The Guinness World Records company said Tuesday it was reviewing its rules for breaking a chess record, after questions were raised over the way in which an Israeli became the new record holder.

Israel's Alik Gershon, 30, took the record for the most simultaneous opponents less than three weeks ago - when the chess grandmaster played against 525 at once on Tel Aviv's central Rabin Square. He beat 454 of them, tied with 58 and lost against 11, while two were disqualified for moving pieces out of turn.

By beating over 80 per cent of more than 501 players, he snatched the record from Israel's arch rival, Iran - in a much publicized effort that lasted from 11:30 am October 21 to after sunrise October 22.

The record, initiated by the Israel Chess Federation (ICF) and the Jewish Agency, was supervised, and approved, by a referee brought over from London on behalf of Guinness World Records, Jack Brockbank.

But Israel's biggest-selling daily ran a large story on Friday, alleging the record was 'bluff.'

The Yediot Ahronot article alleged the ICF failed to meet the requirement that all opponents be registered as chess federation members and have collected a minimum of 1,200 points.

It said many of the opponents were pupils from a Tel Aviv junior high school, bussed to Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, and quoted some of them as saying they knew little or close to nothing of chess. One, who was not named, was said to have been at a loss as to how move the knight.

ICF General Manager Yigal Lotan said his federation chose the junior high school because it had a chess academy, which taught the game to most pupils.

He admitted an estimated 100 were registered with the ICF only 72 hours before the event, and that the youngest opponent was around six years old, but said most were junior high pupils, aged at least 12.

He added 1,200 points are handed out automatically to everyone on signing up with the chess federation - so there was no need to have won or tied a certain amount of games in the federation's leagues.

The Israeli federation did not follow lower standards than previous record holders in Iran, Bulgaria or the United States, and even exceeded the Guinness requirements because at least 20 players had a rating of more than 1,800 points, he insisted.

Guinness World Records International Marketing Manager Justine Bourdariat confirmed the record was authentic, saying her company's guidelines were followed.

But, answering a German Press Agency dpa query, she added that Guinness was now reviewing its guidelines and looking into opening a professional category.

'The (current) record category for 'the most simultaneous games of chess by an individual different opponents' is based on the number of participants playing against one individual and is not a professional category,' she said.

Lotan charged Yediot had published the article without having read the agreement he had signed with Guinness, and was quoting unnamed sources whose purpose was to defame the Israel Chess Federation, the Jewish Agency or the participating school.

'We are standing behind each one of our deeds. We met all the instructions of Guinness and even more,' he told dpa.