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>In 'New in Chess' (2006/1), Geurt Gijssen has written a letter
>in order to set the record straight about how the 1993 match
>between Nana Alexandria and Susan Polgar came to an end.
>Geurt Gijssen was the match director.
>
>The 1993 match was scheduled for eight games, not
>including the tie-breaking games. After a total of twelve
>games, Nana Alexandria and Susan Polgar were still tied.
>According to FIDE regulations, this tie then was broken
>by the drawing of lots. Nana Alexandria advanced to
>challenge and to lose to Xie Jun in the FIDE Women's
>World Championship match.
>
>(I do not have any of the next mentioned books at hand.
>What I write next is based on Geurt Gijssen's letter.)
>
>In the 1997 book, "Queen of the Kings Game", Susan Polgar
>and Jacob Shutzman (Susan Polgar's husband at that time)
>wrote that Susan Polgar had preferred that the tie should have
>been broken by playing rather than by the drawing of lots
>but that Nana Alexandria had preferred the drawing of lots.
>Nana Alexandria was denounced for cowardice and poor
>sportsmanship.
>
>In the 2005 book, 'Breaking Through', Susan Polgar and
>Paul Truong did not reiterate the earlier accusation against
>Nana Alexandria. But Susan Polgar (Paul Truong was not
>responsible for the earlier accusation) also did not retract that
>accusation when writing about her match with Nana Alexandria.
>
>In the 2005 book, 'Chess XXXXX', Jennifer Shahade reiterated the
>"Queen of the Kings Game" accusation that Nana Alexandria
>preferred the drawing of lots and showed her cowardice and
>poor sportsmanship in doing so. Jennifer Shahade also
>denounced Nana Alexandria as 'shameless'.
>
>Geurt Gijssen has written that there's no truth whatsoever
>in these accusations against Nana Alexandria. In fact,
>Geurt Gijssen met both Susan Polgar and Nana Alexandria
>before the match, and both players agreed that any tie
>after twelve games should be broken by playing rather
>than by the drawing of lots. But the FIDE President
>declined to consent to this change on the grounds that first
>it would have to be approved by the FIDE General Assembly.
>
>It's clear that Nana Alexandria should not be held responsible
>for the fact that the match was resolved by the drawing of lots.
>Nana Alexandria did not show cowardice or poor sportsmanship.
>Since 1997 (when "Queen of the King's Game was published),
>however, Nana Alexandria's sporting reputation has been
>unfairly maligned. In retrospect, Geurt Gijssen apparently
>believes that he should have spoken out sooner about this.
>
>(What I write next is not based on Geurt Gijssen's letter.)
>
>"Queen of the Kings Game" by Susan Polgar and Jacob Shutzman
>also has many false statements about Xie Jun and other Chinese
>players. Xie Jun wrote an open letter to Susan Polgar, in which
>she expressed her sense of offence on account of these falsehoods.
>
>In 'Chess XXXXX', Jennifer Shahade wrote much about Susan Polgar
>and quite a bit about Xie Jun. Jennifer Shahade also commented
>explicitly on "Queen of the Kings Game". But Jennifer Shahade
>did not make any mention (as far as I can recall) of Xie Jun's open
>letter denouncing the falsehoods in "Queen of the Kings Game"
>about herself and other Chinese players. I do not know why
>Jennifer Shahade did not mention this fact.
>
>As I understand it, Susan Polgar today has become embarrassed
>by some parts of "Queen of the Kings Game", for which she prefers
>to blame Jacob Shutzman, and does not intend to have it reprinted.
>
>That's better than nothing, I suppose, but it's not an adequate
>substitute, in my opinion, for a public retraction and an apology
>to Nana Alexandria. I suspect that much damage already
>has been done to Nana Alexandria's sporting reputation.
>Guert Gijssen seems displeased that Jennifer Shahade has
>propagated the false "Nana Alexandria preferred the drawing
>of lots" accusation without apparently making any effort to
>check the facts further, apparently relying instead on the
>extremely dubious book "Queen of the Kings Game".
>
>Given that Guert Gijssen's letter in 'New in Chess' may be
>expected not to draw much attention--I am making an effort
>to draw more attention to it--how many more writers, in addition
>to Jennifer Shahade, will propagate this false accusation against
>Nana Alexandria as though it were fact? Will, after reading
>'Chess XXXXX', some journalists who never read 'New in Chess'
>then propgate this false accusation, trusting Jennifer Shahade
>as their source?
>
>As I recall, Mark Twain once wrote something about
>the truth having a hard time catching up to falsehoods.
>
>--Nick