14th May, 2003

LAST month in Copenhagen, the governing bodies of triathlon, amateur
boxing and chess were the first to formally adopt a new global
anti-doping code.

The World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines are designed to establish a
uniform set of banned substances in sports ranging from amphetamines to
steroids. Although they accept to adhere to the guidelines, FIDE plans
to lobby the WADA for an exception to the drug-testing rules, claiming
that chess, as a sport, "has a different perspective than other physical
sports."

Under the new rules, competitive chess players, playing in major events
such as the World Championships and Olympiads, would have to be wary of
how much coffee they drink during the duration of a game, as caffeine is
one of the stimulants banned by the WADA. The agency says "normal
investigation" won't cause a positive test, but warns that results can
vary based on a person's size and metabolism.

Dick Pound, an IOC member from Canada and chairman of the WADA, said he
isn't considering exceptions for mind sports such as chess and bridge.
"If they want to be treated as sports and not just as games, then they
should accept the same rules as sports," said Pound. However, the
chairman of the WADA did have some good news for chess players - he's
now seriously looking at taking caffeine off the banned list.

Although chess isn't an Olympic sport, it's recognized by the IOC and
hopes to be included in the Games in the future. For FIDE, the
connection is important to the organization's 168 member federations,
many of which receive crucial funding from their government through
national Olympic committees or sports ministries.

Despite the intransigence of the IOC, the move to full acceptance as a
sport may not be that far off. Last month it was also announced that
chess would be included in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, as one
of the 33 disciplines - where no doubt India and China will do battle
for the gold medal.

Hot favourite for gold should he compete, would be India's Vishy Anand,
the world number three, who along with Alexey Shirov, took part in an
exhibition chess match during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Last week
Indian sports journalists voted Anand the inaugural "Hero of Indian
Sports" award winner ahead of a star-studded field that included revered
cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

V Anand - J Garcia Fernandez
Basque Match, (blindfold)
Alekhine's Defence
1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 Bg4 5 Be2 c6 6 0-0 Bxf3 7 Bxf3 dxe5 8
dxe5 e6 9 Nd2 Nd7 10 Re1 Be7 11 g3 Qc7 12 Qe2 0-0 13 Bg2 Rfd8 14 Nf3 a5
15 h4 a4 16 a3 b5 17 Qe4 b4 18 Ng5 Nf8 19 axb4 Nxb4 20 Bf1 Rd4 21 Qe2 h6
22 Nxf7 Kxf7 23 c3 Rd5 24 Qe4 Na6 25 Qxa4 Ng6 26 Bxa6 Nxe5 27 Qe4 Nd3 28
Bxd3 Rxa1 29 Qxe6+ 1-0

JOHN B HENDERSON