– That’s not how I like to be treated, says Christiansen after the chess tour. After what he describes as glorious days in Puerto Rico, the journey on to Guatemala and El Salvador was filled with conflicts and accusations. In Guatemala, he himself interrupted his stay a few days early after he felt taken advantage of. In El Salvador, everything was cancelled. He only got that message after arriving in the country. The Norwegian told news that he had then been told that the union in Guatemala had intervened to destroy his stay in El Salvador. Christiansen further claims that he was accused of bringing diseases into El Salvador by the country’s chess president. His actions were also referred to as racist, in a message news has seen. – I was very unsure how to react to it. I called the situation tragicomic. The way they initially treated me, by first canceling everything and then stopping answering me… It was tragic treatment from the official side, says Christiansen and continues: – Then suddenly there is a long, long slaughter of me with everything possible of charges. There were such beyond accusations that I did not understand where they came from. Reports poured in that he (the chess president of El Salvador) had demanded to see my health card before arrival and that I now carry many diseases and am a risk to the citizens of El Salvador. I just thought, “What the hell is this”? WAS HEALTHY: Christiansen emphasizes that he was healthy during his stay in Central America. He says that he was not told which diseases he might have brought with him to El Salvador. Photo: CHRISTIAN KRÅKENES / news Felt exploited Christiansen’s purpose for the trip was to gain new chess experience and at the same time promote the sport. Christiansen claims that he several times requested a timetable for what his stay in Guatemala would be like. He says that he only received a timetable on January 31, the day he arrived in the country. – It was nowhere near any of what we had discussed. All my suggestions were removed. The calendar was crammed full of activities I had to do for them. They had seen the chance to exploit a grandmaster, says the Norwegian. Christiansen says that he initially joined the activities, but “with a very bad taste”. On February 5, he cut short his stay and went to El Salvador. Then there were still several days until the agreed scheme in El Salvador was to start. There he was scheduled to play a tournament with the five best players in the country from 12 to 19 February. – I thought that this can’t get any worse. Everything was good. Until I opened my phone and saw that I had received a message from the guy I had been in contact with in El Salvador. According to Christiansen, it was the secretary of the national chess association who then made contact. He advised that all planned activities had been canceled due to financial problems. Chess president rejects the accusations news has asked a number of questions to both the chess federation in Guatemala and the chess federation in El Salvador. Chess President of El Salvador, David Blanco, denies the accusations. – No one accuses him of anything whatsoever. I had contact with him after he suddenly appeared in El Salvador. I just asked him if his health was good, and in a post he indicated for some reason that we did not develop like the Europeans. We had no contact before that, he writes to news. Blanco probably refers to these Twitter messages from Christiansen: Christiansen thinks Blanco is lying. – He didn’t ask me if I was healthy at all. Suddenly he wrote that he had asked for a health card before entry and that I brought diseases into the country, which put the health of the population at risk. Something that is just a lie, says the Norwegian chess player. Christiansen says he is provoked by the chess president’s claims. – I didn’t write anything on Twitter that suggested anything that could be perceived as racist, says Christiansen. Blanco forwarded to news a screenshot of a Facebook post, which is said to have been published by the Guatemalan chess federation. It says that Christiansen traveled from Guatemala due to health problems. The post can no longer be found on the association’s Facebook page. The Norwegian himself denies that he had health problems or in any way told the Guatemalan association about it. Chess Federation in Guatemala: – Regrettable The Guatemalan federation writes to news that Christiansen’s trip was not coordinated by them, but that they were willing to help with equipment and premises. Christiansen claims that he was told by Blanco that the Guatemalan association would sue him for fraud and trickery. – The Chess Federation in Guatemala has not communicated with Grandmaster Christiansen in any official channels. That is the reason why we emphasize that there is no (financial) demand directed at Christiansen in any way whatsoever, the union writes in a letter, signed by general secretary Erick René Muralles Salguero. When asked about Christiansen’s sabotage accusations, they reply: – We want to inform you that Guatemala is internationally known for its good treatment of people who visit us from abroad. We therefore think it is regrettable that Grandmaster Christiansen has had a bad experience during his stay. Christiansen shakes his head at the answer. – The association was the organizer of the entire trip. So here they are lying, he says. Hevder Fide will investigate the Chess Profile, which is ranked as Norway’s sixth best player, estimates that he lost close to NOK 20,000 in El Salvador. – It’s money I’d like to have myself and not waste on anything. It’s really annoying, he says. Christiansen has written on Twitter that he had many bad observations on the trip. He says to news that he experienced that the management of the federations put their own interests ahead of the development of the sport of chess. The Norwegian claims that he has received messages from people in the International Chess Federation (FIDE), who say they will investigate the situation. The press manager at Fide, David Llada, writes in an e-mail to news that he has not yet been informed about the incident. He adds that they will probably investigate the matter, but that they have not received any information so far.
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Claims he was told he was racist and a health risk
