From: helios!intercal.com!hwr@tssi.com (Hanon W. Russell)
Subject: Croatian Chess Federation Letter
Organization: Chessnews list (chessnews-request@tssi.com)
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1992 19:39:19 GMT


The following letter, having been obtained just last month on 
our European trip, is one of the most recent additions to the 
Russell Collection. It was originally written in English and we 
have not edited it, except to correct spelling errors.

As most people are aware, the tragic civil war in the former 
country of Yugoslavia has significantly impacted on all aspects 
of life in that area. Chess has not been immune...

From: The Croatian Chess Federation, Zagreb
To: FIDE, General Secretariat, Lucerne
Date: September 12, 1991

                     HRVATSKI SAHOVSKI SAVEZ
                    Croatian Chess Federation
                              Zagreb

Dear Sirs,

We wish to inform you that the Republic of Croatia, having 
proclaimed the Constitution in December 1990, has been 
established as a sovereign, democratic and social state. The 
parliament of Croatia proclaimed independence and sovereignty of 
Croatia following the referendum of our citizens held recently. 
Unfortunately, a part of Serbian minority in Croatia, instigated 
openly by the Serbian communist government and led by extreme 
elements, took to arms against the legal and democratically 
elected government of Croatia. At first secretly and today 
openly the high command of our federal army, led by Serbian 
generals, took the side of the terrorists, supplying them with 
arms and taking part in horrifying destruction of our towns and 
villages, killing indiscriminately, burning houses and farms, 
destroying or plundering the property of our citizens. More than 
100,000 people have been forced to flee in front of this 
barbarian terror. The aim of the Serbian government which 
directs this dirty war is to force Croatia and other republics 
to stay in the great prison called Yugoslavia or to seize large 
regions of Croatia, which have belonged to Croatia all this 
millennium, have never made part of Serbia and in which Serbs 
are clear minority.

In such circumstances the Croatian Sports Federation have 
decided to cease any participation in the Yugoslav Sports 
Federation and the Yugoslav Olympic Committee. Following this 
decision all our sports federations, our Croatian Chess 
Federation included, have stopped all activities on the Yugoslav 
level. We have decided to take steps in order to apply for 
membership of the respective international sports federations.

By admission to the membership of FIDE and ECU the Croatian 
Chess Federation wish:

    -To protect Croatian chess players from segregation and 
    neglect;
    -To ensure the right of our chess players to take part in 
    

         chess competitions;
    -To preserve the reputation of the Croatian chess, already 
    gained in the world, and to reaffirm it in the future; and
    -To earn the right to be a member of the world chess family, 
    which has always promoted peace, friendship and 
    understanding among nations.

Accepting Croatia to your membership you do not receive an 
unknown newcomer. The first clubs were opened in Croatia in the 
middle of the last century, while today we have 320 clubs with 
more than 20,000 organized chess players. Among them are 14 
grandmasters, 28 international masters and 46 FIDE masters. 
Innumerable are international tournaments organized in Croatia 
in this century, topped by the FIDE competitions like candidates 
tournament in Zagreb 1959, interzonal tournament also in Zagreb, 
or the first post-war olympiad in Dubrovnik 1950.

Zagreb was and has remained the main chess publishing center in 
this part of Europe. It is to the successful work of the 
publishing firm "Sahovska naklada" that we owe the quick 
development of chess culture in Yugoslavia. Our chess magazine, 
"Sahovski glasnik" has been part of our daily chess life since 
1925.

Sirs, since after the war against Croatia no participation of 
Croatian chess players under Yugoslav flag comes into 
consideration, we ask you kindly to admit our Federation to the 
membership of FIDE. Any delay would just cause harm to our chess 
players, it would change nothing: Yugoslavia is dead and the 
Yugoslav chess federation along with it. We do hope that our 
application will meet with your support and understanding.

Sincerely,

PRESIDENT
Anton Samovojska

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