Iran's grandmaster snubs Israeli opponent

Iranian Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami refused to take on an Israeli rival in the international chess tournament in Corsica on Tuesday.Scheduled to face Ehud Sachar in the fourth round of the Corsica Masters in the French island's city of Bastia, Ghaem Maghami told organizers he would not play the Israeli for political reasons.The tournament's organizer and head of the Corsican Chess League, Leo Battesti, said there had then been no choice but to expel Maghami. More than 800 players from 30 countries gathered in Corsica for the tournament, including about 40 Grandmasters and International Masters, including the current World Chess Champion, India's Viswanathan Anand. The fourth round continues until Saturday. In February, Maghami set a Guinness record for simultaneous chess games after facing more than 600 players for over 25 hours.