"When FIDE first announced that the 2004 world championship would be held in Tripoli, Libya, under the auspices of Khaddafi one of the first concerns was that Israelis were not allowed to enter the Arab nation. FIDE then said that anyone who couldn't play in Libya would be able to play at the alternative venue of Malta. One Israeli qualifier, GM Emil Sutovsky, posted to Mig's Daily Dirt that he signed and sent in his player contract after writing "only if I can play all my matches in Malta" on it." Full article: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1630 Even in a simple pleasure such as chess, politics rule. nitro