David Llada to skip Chess Olympiad 2024
David Llada, the author of the best seller “The Thinkers”, is one of those people you will always count on seeing at the Chess Olympiad. He has worked in every edition (“except Khanty-Mansiysk”) for the past 22 years. Since Istanbul 2012, he has been head photographer, Chief Marketing and Communications officer for FIDE, and head of the media team. David Llada’s iconic photos and work are an essential part of the image the world of chess has today.
This year’s edition of the Chess Olympiad is starting this September, and one would expect him to be again on the front row of photographers. But David shocked the world and said, “Things don’t work logically in this weird chess world”. There will be no David Llada at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Chessdom.com reached out to David and here is what he had to say.
David, thank you for agreeing to this interview for Chessdom. Can you tell us more about the situation and your decision to skip the 2024 Chess Olympiad?
When this year’s Olympiad approached, I wasn’t invited to be part of the team in any capacity, not even as a mere photographer. This saddened me for many reasons. After having worked in 10 Olympiads, 5 of them in an official capacity, I can claim I have very valuable experience. It is reasonable to state that I could have contributed. But I didn’t give it much thought. I am working on other projects now, that would have brought me there, one way or another.
A few weeks ago, I received a proposal from a world’s leading publication to do a pictorial report for them about the event. The first thing I did was to contact FIDE to ensure I would be allowed to take photos for the duration of the round. The answer was disappointing: they would allow me to take photos during the initial minutes. After that, I would have to leave the playing hall “like everybody else, except the official photographers.” They were “generous” enough to offer me work without limitations for one of the rounds.
That’s just not enough to justify the expense of traveling there for one day of work. It would not be enough to deliver the quality pictures I am known for. I wanted to be honest with my employers and told them I preferred to call it off.
How do you feel about the situation?
If we talk about feelings, I won’t deny I am disappointed, as I would have expected a warmer welcome from my former colleagues. But to me, this is first and foremost a professional affair. I fully understand there must be restrictions. When I worked with FIDE, I helped develop media policies, and you could say I was myself relatively “protective.”
A first priority is to avoid having an excess of photographers or cameramen without enough experience in chess, who could distract the players. A second priority is to ensure fair play. And the third goal is to ensure the official team can do their work without disturbance, without having to get into an “elbows fight” to get the shot they need.
This is the baseline; but then, exceptions are granted. If some important media makes a request to film or photograph for entire rounds, it should be granted. At the World Rapid and Blitz in Almary 2022, for instance, a film crew by the New York Times was given permission to be there the entire time – under my supervision and guidance. Regulars like Lennart Ootes or Maria Emelianova are usually given permission, too, given their invaluable contribution and track record in the field. However, top FIDE officials also grated exceptions, with dubious justification, not based on merit, the media you represent, or your audience. I had to witness how photographers for a news agency were asked to leave while, for example, an arbiter would issue a special accreditation for her daughter to have full access… and she ended up walking around and taking pictures with a flash, which is strictly forbidden, and triggered multiple complaints. I can tell you that requests made in the Russian language are usually granted, immediately.
FIDE’s CEO, Emil Sutvsky, responded to your post on social media, arguing that you were proposed to have some minutes at the beginning of every round “like every media apart of official Olympiad photographers”.
Indeed. Fair enough.
But given how lightly exceptions are granted, turning down a request that is backed by the most prestigious chess publication, does feel like a reprisal. I got the message. So, I have decided not to go.
During my time at FIDE, I learned how deeply rooted the Russian/Soviet culture was in everything. In most regimes, there are strict rules for everything. Then, exceptions are granted systematically to reward submission. If you fell into disgrace, you would just be left out of the exceptions. You couldn’t claim to be punished. “It is just the rules”.
Having this request turned down is not only inconsiderate towards a professional with my track record and body of work, but also towards two very important media I was going to be working for at the event, to their readers and their audiences.
Is this your final decision?
Yes. It saddens me. But it is their loss… They could have earned very nice coverage and good PR, and instead, not only are they missing out on that opportunity, but they aggravate an important publication, and a relevant media person with a relatively high profile. That is sheer incompetence, self-inflicted damage. A total lack of PR instincts.
Context
David Llada has been the official photographer, or “head photographer”, for the Olympiads in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. In 2022, working for FIDE as Chief Marketing and Communications officer, he was “head of the media team”. As such, and during most of his period working for FIDE, he barely took photos himself, but photographers, broadcast and media teams were under his supervision. Last November, he announced he was leaving FIDE with the following words: “This will be my last month working with the International Chess Federation. On November 10, after the Grand Swiss, I will part ways with the organization. I joined 5 years ago with the ambition of changing the way FIDE did many things. I failed big time, but it was worth trying.”