As a chessplayer I find it hard to see a more important event than the Chess World Championship. Today I was cruising chessblogland and I found on Susan's Blog a letter from FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

The letter issued by his office and translated very poorly is in essence one big excuse for his not showing up to the Championship. He managed financially to make it to the Women's World Championship but now when the best in the World is being decided he's nowhere to be seen. GENS UNA SUMUS indeed.

No doubt he's skipping on the Championship for other reasons. Why couldn't he just state those? Why does he have to lie and say 'FIDE can't afford a coach plane ticket'. It's a pointless lie that's a symptom of a bigger disease that plagues FIDE. I'm disappointed but I'll go play some chess and get over it.