Plenty has been said about two-time World Chess Championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi’s criticism for the conditions at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. Nepo had changed hotels twice before getting eliminated by Indian GM Diptayan Ghosh at the tournament where he played just one round. The Russian had then left the country immediately with a parting shot of a post on his Telegram handle saying India was ‘one of those places that you won’t be sad to leave’. The defeat had essentially shut the door on Nepo’s chances of qualifying for the prestigious Candidates tournament, which will shortlist a contender to challenge D Gukesh at the next World Chess Championship.
Now Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely, who was in Goa as the coach of Max Warmerdam and has coached the Triveni Continental Kings to back-to-back titles at the Global Chess League, has also weighed in on Nepomniachtchi’s comments.
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When asked in an episode of the New In Chess podcast by host Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam whether van Wely thought that Nepo’s comments had any merit to them or it was just a ‘loser talking’, the straight-talking Dutchman said: “It was a loser talking. He really came (to Goa) in the wrong state of mind that he was not going to like India or Goa. Okay, I mean, maybe the hotel was not what you consider a five-star hotel. But come one! We will live! We were there to play chess. You don’t get ill. You get your sleep. There’s always something to complain about.”
Van Wely then pointed out that there were some issues at the start, like spotty internet, but they were sorted quickly.
“I guess the biggest complaint was that the internet was not working so well. At least not in the beginning. A chess player without internet means a chess player without cloud engines. And a chess player without cloud engines means a chess player without preparation.”
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Nepo also did not speak to any of the journalists at the Resort Rio after his defeat. Or clarify what had irked him. (Picture Credit: Michal Walusza/FIDE)
What had Ian Nepomniachtchi said about India
Among the litany of complaints that Nepomniachtchi had about the conditions at the FIDE World Cup in Goa, food was a central woe. One of the more funny complaints that Nepo had was having to eat too many pineapples.
“The big problem for me—and probably for many others—is the food. The food is very specific. Meat isn’t really available—basically just chicken. I remember in Kolkata the restaurant was good, more European-style, but this time in Goa, not so much,” Nepomniachtchi had said in Russian in a video.
Nepo had neither put his grouse in a written complaint to FIDE, nor had he spoken to journalists at the venue about his complaints.
“There were only a few European-style dishes—some vegetables, and occasionally pasta that was almost edible, with minimal spices. So I mostly lived on rice and flatbreads. Fruits were available, but how many pineapples can you eat to meet your daily calories? Breakfast was okay—you could order an omelet, which felt like a luxury by hotel standards,” Nepomniachtchi added.
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“The hotel itself… well, let’s just say I wasn’t the first and won’t be the last to complain. Even other chess players posted about it—Maxim Chigaev, for instance, showed that his “five-star” hotel view was of a construction site,” he said.
