Dear friends,
Another exciting chess year is approaching its end, and it is a good time to summarize the ACP activity in 2016.
The new ACP Board started its work on January 1 , and we were trying to build on the previous experience and fresh minds as well.
As usual, we tried to help chess professionals in every regard. We vigorously fought for the proper sportive World Championship Cycle and managed to remove the highly unpopular Zero Tolerance rule from the Olympiad. We helped chess veterans and launched an important global project of cooperation with the Open events. Our wild card program expanded,
and our involvement helped a number of our members to stand for their professional rights. We kept conducting important surveys and polls, and their results influenced heavily the rules and regulations approved by FIDE and ECU. All this became possible thanks to the hard work of the Board members, but also thanks to every one of you - ACP keeps breaking membership records year after year.
Recounting all our successes and achievements I do not forget about some of the plans that were not fulfilled this year. We can't claim reaching all the objectives, but we will keep doing our utmost, and we are always there to protect our members, and to make the professional chess environment better. I have a feeling that ACP becomes more and more of a real chess trade union - caring not only about the very top players, but doing a lot for all the stakeholders of the professional chess world. Throughout this year we got dozens of enquiries and requests - all of them were taken care of, and in the vast majority of cases ACP's firm stand for its members was instrumental in resolving the issue. Together - we are indeed stronger!
Finally, I'd like to thank you all again for your trust in our ideals and our work.
Good luck in the new year,
Always yours,
Emil Sutovsky
ACP President