Ivanchuk Safe - For Now

Following the huge fuss surrounding Vassily Ivanchuk and the drugs test that never was, FIDE have issued the following rather terse announcement on their website...

Under the FIDE Anti Doping rules, the Ivanchuk case has been referred to the FIDE Medical Commission which has to meet within three months. No decision has yet been taken by any party, and GM Ivanchuk will be able to state his case to the Medical Commission.

...which effectively postpones the decision until the new year.  Chess Today reports that FIDE have suggested meeting Ivanchuk during the Wijk aan Zee tournament in January.  The president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, Viktor Petrov, has stated that he would wish FIDE to take into account Ivanchuk's past achievements and the psychological state he was in following his last-round loss to Gata Kamsky.

Given this delay of up to three months it seems increasingly unlikely (thank goodness) that the medal placings will ever be revised.

Meanwhile the man himself will be in action again at the Benidorm Chess Festival from tomorrow, where he will be taking on Alexei Shirov, Sergei Tiviakov, Kateryna Lahno and others.  Let's hope he has calmed down by then...