7-year-old chess champ can’t compete in Tunisia tourney because she’s Israeli
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
7-year-old chess champ can’t compete in Tunisia tourney because she’s Israeli
Liel Levitan is invited instead to play in alternative competition in Israel
By The Times of Israel Staff, Times of Israel, July 21 2018
Liel Levitan (Screenshot via Hadashot TV)
Schoolgirl Liel Levitan from Haifa is unable to accept an invitation to play in the World Chess Championship because host nation Tunisia will not allow Israelis to compete, it was reported Thursday.
This is not the first time Israeli chess players have been denied the opportunity to participate in international tournaments due to their nationality.
Israeli athletes often face difficulties when competing in the Middle East or against Middle Eastern countries, due to hostility toward the Jewish state.
“Just a few months ago, a World Chess Championship was due to take place in Saudi Arabia,” chess player Lior Aizenberg told Hadashot news. “It was clear to everyone that outstanding Israeli chess players would not be able to participate .”
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LOL. They're actually afraid of the humiliation of getting their ass kicked by a 7 year old Jewish girl.
Ha! I was thinking that as well.
Further examples of the religion of peace, love, and tolerance. If she were non Israeli and/or non Jewish she would have been welcomed with open arms! Totally disgusting. Would have been kind of fun to see her embarrass the bigots in Tunisia....
LOL
To be beat at anything by a Israeli would be unspeakable. but to be beat by a Israeli GIRL and I don't know how they'd take that.
I'd like to see all the players that were invited to refuse to participate. No participants, no games.
On another note The Lacrosse World Championships was just completed in Israel. The largest tournament ever with 45 countries participating. The medal winners were as usual, Gold US, Silver, Canada and Bronze Iroquois Nationals...
Congratulations to all the teams that participated and host Israel for a great World Championship.
BTW, Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the US.
Lacrosse is a big sport at my daughters HS. It's considered spring football around here. The football games still pull in the biggest crowds, but lacrosse games in the spring are pretty big as well.
A couple of schools around here have dropped soccer and replaced it with Lacrosse...
Where I grew up there were two sports that counted, Lacrosse and Hockey...
We still have soccer, which in my from my observations are the #3 sport at our HS. I don't even think we have a hockey team, as we are in Ga, so probably not. I don't even think we have a girls field hockey team. I think that is more up north.
My kids Alma Mater, Johns Hopkins is a division 1 school in Lacrosse as was my high school. On Long Island, because of the big indian influence, most of the schools participate in Lacrosse.
YAY!
As I mentioned above, my local HS that my girls attend is big on lacrosse, It's really an exciting game to watch! My cousin went to college in NC on a lacrosse and soccer scholarship. He said lacrosse was his favorite sport to play. He's from Jersey
Well, my daughters were friends with a lot of lax girls who got full rides of Hopkins, so that could be a real help for you paying for college!
I hope your son's talents on the field got you some relief from his college bill.
Fantastic school! My daughter would like to attend there but she will need to get a scholarship because it's a private school.
They are very generous with their scholarships. If your daughter excels at something, I would apply early decision. They take more of those. But look at the school first and listen to the parents and students talks. I have to tell you, it is not a fun school, but it will open a lot of doors in the future.
Thank you! I just assumed the scholarships would be hard to get. She wants to be an OB. I think she's going to get her NP first and then apply to Emory for med school.
Any chess players here at Newstalkers? Just wondering. I play on line regularly.
My dad taught me to play when I was a kid. I know the basic moves but I haven't played in years and I don't think I'm very good at it LOL! I may have to brush up on some skills and try out an app on the kindle.
Like I said, it's been years since I have played. It's all about strategy, if you can get the gist of how all the pieces move and such, it's just a strategy game after that. I'm not very good LOL. I always played my sister or friends when I was younger. I heard some games can go on for hours or even days
I think in some of the tournaments they use a timer - a player has to make a move within a limited time.
I didn't know that, thanks!
I'll teach you, if you teach me...other things!
Correct Buzz, pure chess has no time at all, but they use a timer now, even at the top level. In real, chess federation rated tournaments, you get about 2 hours to make your moves. You can set whatever time you want to in online chess, but a lot of players play these weird games of one or two minutes. It's not even chess really, mouse racing is more like it, and these guys get extremely high ratings but they're just a joke. Online ratings are meaningless anyway, you have to play in real, sanctioned tournaments to get a real world chess rating. I usually play 30 minute games. I have won open tournaments in the 30/0 and 15/10 [15 minutes with 10 seconds added each time you move] online events. I can beat the top players once in awhile, but I'm pretty middle of the road. You have to beat two or three very good players in the same tournament to win, so I've only done it three times. I'll never be a top player, only started playing in my early forties, but I'm competitive, and I enjoy it.
Played up until my mid 30's, even won a couple local tournaments. But then life got in the way and I honestly grew a little bored of it so probably haven't played in 20ish years.
Played up until my mid 30's, even won a couple local tournaments. But then life got in the way and I honestly grew a little bored of it so probably haven't played in 20ish years.
Athletics is supposed to be above politics.
Athletes get that.
Why cannot governments?
E.
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Pretty sure if there was a Muslim kid that was good at chess who applied to an Israeli tournament, he/she would be denied as well.
Very smart girl and I applaud her, but rules are rules.
Integration of Arab citizens in sports (Wikipedia)
I'm unable to find a game contest held in Israel on the internet, but I am quite certain that Muslims and Arabs would not be treated any differently than Israeli Jews, same as with respect to sports. If anyone boycotts Jews and Israelis, it is the Muslims and Muslim nations, and there are MULTIPLE examples of that.
In the World Lacrosse championships held the past two weeks in Israel, Turkey was a competitor and I'm quite sure that they are some Muslims on the Turkish team.
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My nephew had a full ride to Bellermine University in Kentucky for Lacrosse. He is now coaching and training a travelling team for the company he works for.
Pretty much showed his true colors.
I missed it, but I am assuming it was hateful or not in the fun context of this seed. I, myself, have been enjoying it. And I have to thank Buzz for letting us wander a little off topic. It has been fun! I enjoy getting to know peeps a little more
I rarely call a comment off-topic if it's civil - we all need to get to know each other better. But I will not tolerate intentional disrailing or anti-Semitic comments.
Yes it did, and I note that a few members agreed with me before my comment was deleted. I consider what I wrote the truth, and worth my getting a very rare CoC violation. The fact that I got a violation made me regret that I didn't say what I really felt, which would have been a lot more serious.
Israel Hails Judo Federation’s Cancellation of Tournaments in Arab Nations Over Discrimination
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-welcome-international-judo-federations-decision-to-cancel-tournaments-in-arab-countries-over-discrimination/?
It's good to see that there are some organizations that have the morality and the balls to do the right thng.
In my own opinion I think it is unfair to disqualify the young girl from participating in the chess competition merely because she is Israeli by birth. She did not get to pick were she was born, or the people she was born to. It's totally wrong to punish a child simply because of her nationality and her ethnic background. If this is the way that group wants to conduct their competitions, they should be censored and banned from further competitions for discrimination and anti-Semitism.
Tunisia is not the only Arab/Muslim state that has banned Israeli athletes or competitors, or treated them unfairly contrary to the rules of the tournaments when they DID allow them to participate - and never forget Munich.
Then those countries should not be allowed to hold competitions for anyone other than those in their own country. Either all or nothing should be the rule. If they want to make their own rules discriminate against certain competitors, then their competitions should be limited to those competitors in their own country with no international competitions allowed.
For one, at least the International Judo Federation did what you rightly pointed out is the right thing - ban those nations from holding recognized international competitions. (see my comment above).
You are not World Champ unless all the world gets to compete