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Free the Henderson One

Protest against John Henderson's expulsion

to "The Scotsman" chess column


Letters about John Henderson's expulsion should go to chesscentre@easynet.co.uk, with the header "Free The Henderson One". Here is a sample letter for one protesting person, you can copy'n'paste it to the e-mail:

To the organisers of the Braingames World Chess Championship:

After careful reflection those listed below wish to react to the fact that our most honourable colleague John Henderson has been excluded from the Braingames World Chess Championship. As I know John's competent work as a chess journalist, and I'm therefore fully aware of his Scottish sense of humour which is nevertheless always in harmony with expert and responsible coverage of outstanding chess meetings. His loyalty to the game and to his readers is beyond all doubt.

In contrast to some British newspapers which choose to place chess articles next to death notices, his lively reporting has seldom thrown a favourable light on critical situations in the chess world. Brainy, informed analysis of the chess scene is becoming increasingly rare, and should therefore be respected as a welcome contribution to the sustainable development of our game.

With all due respect to the organisers' rights to ensure that staging the Kasparov vs. Kramnik chess match runs smoothly I regard the integrity of human rights and freedom of access to journalist as basic elements in a public sport event. If allegations of abusive action are made, there should be proof in the form of official complaint. If this is not the case I urge that John Henderson's accreditation should be reinstated immediately. This is imperative not only to protect his individual rights but also to ensure the best possible standards in chess journalism for the chess world in the future.

Names


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