"Is there a drug out there that can make me play better?" - Chess GM Nihal Sarin questions FIDE after three urine sample tests for anti-doping 

Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin raised questions about the International Chess Federation's (FIDE) objective to conduct anti-doping tests on chess players after his final game of the World Rapid Championship in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This came after the Thrissur-born youngster gave three urine samples to the organisers in the space of three hours on Thursday, December 28.

After the first two samples returned diluted, Nihal consumed food and water to provide his third urine sample, which was deemed normal. But the teenager was worn out past midnight.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, the 19-year-old showed his bemusement after the anti-doping tests. He wrote in one of his tweets:

"Is there a drug out there that can make me play better than the top seed consistently by providing me an unfair advantage? If yes then I think a drug test makes sense but I don’t think such a thing exists."

Nihal's other tweet read:

"Has @FIDE_chess ever caught anyone doping in the history of anti doping tests by using urine samples?"

Nihal Sarin finished in 36th position in the championship event with 8.0 points from 13 rounds. He will next participate in the World Blitz championship, which started on Friday, December 29.

---

Dutch female player rebuts on dress code fine

Dutch chess player and Twitch streamer Anna-Maja Kazarian made a rebuttal after she was sanctioned with 100 euros by FIDE for violating the dress code during the event in Uzbekistan.

A judge approached Kazarian and asked her to change her Burberry sneakers as they were considered sports sneakers. Just within an hour after she posted the rebuttal on X, the Dutch player was slapped with a hefty fine.

As per the official guidelines set by FIDE, participants need to wear business casuals. However, the rules particularly mention that sneakers with socks are allowed for female players.