Schacksnack

Dear Presidents, Delegates, Federations,I welcome you to our new FIDE election campaign “One World. One Vision.”
2010 will prove to be another important year for FIDE as we look forward for the next four years and review our previous achievements.

On our web pages, you will find a comprehensive review of our achievements as well as our electoral program and direction for FIDE. This vision is part of a long term strategic thinking process and it has been fundamental for the success we have had these last fifteen years. The campaign management, as well as running FIDE, is a team effort not a one man mission.

We open our arms to anybody who wishes to contribute ideas, or volunteer their services. Over the next four months, we will openly discuss issues, criticism, suggestions and generally anything which can help the chess world and everybody inside it, become more professional.

We will continue to practice democracy and ensure that everybody has an equal voice in the development of FIDE.

Gens una sumus Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

De som läser Schacksnack regelbundet har kunnat läsa nyheter om den kommande valet till Ordförande i FIDE. Matchen står mellan Kirsan Ilyumzhinov och Anatoly Karpov. Den senare stöds bland annat av Garry Kasparov och Magnus Carlsen. Detta är en helt annan match än den som utspelades under förra Schack-OS i Turin då motståndaren var Besel Kok. Det är viktigt för fortsättningen vem som får det mäktiga Ryska schackförbundets stöd. Meningen var att ett besked skulle kommit därifrån den 20:e men ännu har inget meddelats. Orsaken är kanske det som redovisas i bifogad artikel från…

Kremlin seizes Russian Chess Federation offices; no pawn pun intended
By JULIA IOFFE

For those of you following the titillating chess scandal unfolding in Moscow, today brings new, exciting, dangerous developments.

As Carl Schrek reported in Foreign Policy this week, the Kremlin has been starting to meddle a bit in the nomination of Russia’s candidate for the presidency of the international press federation, or FIDE. Brief backstory: On May 14, the Russian Chess Federation narrowly nominated Soviet chess superstar Anatoly Karpov to be its candidate. Across town, another meeting, just shy of a quorum, renominated the zany incumbent, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

You may remember Kirsan Ilyumzhinov from such world events like running a tiny autonomous majority Buddhist Russian republic on the Caspian Sea; being friends with Saddam Hussein, Chuck Norris, and Muammar Qaddafi; being so inspired by his meeting with Pope John Paul II that he built a massive Catholic church for the republic’s one (1) Catholic; and being questioned in the Russian parliament over his 1997 tour of an alien spaceship during which Ilyumzhinov may or may not have shared sensitive state secrets with “humanoid aliens.”

Ilyumzhinov is a chess fanatic who has made chess mandatory in Kalmyk schools and, as president of FIDE for the last 15 years, and, with the introduction of “speed chess,” has revolutionized the organization to the popsy level of speed dating.

And now that he has a serious opponent for the Russian nomination, the Kremlin is stepping up to defend him. First, Arkady Dvorkovich, the Duke-educated president’s deputy, called the nominating votes illegitimate. Then he went and seized to the offices of the Russian Chess Federation.

Today, at around 2:15 Moscow time, black suited men from the private security firm “Peper” arrived at the Federation’s offices, and presented Federation president Aleksandr Bakh with a diktat signed by Dvorkovich saying that Peper was now in charge. They then kicked out the regular security guards and sealed off some rooms in the building as a helpless Bakh called the police.

Dvorkovich, whose father was a chess arbiter, has spent the last few days saying that Ilyumzhinov is the better, more experienced candidate, and the question is, why does the Kremlin even give a shit?

It might have something to do with the uncontested election of Russian politician Alexander Zhukov to head the Russian Olympic Committee. Zhukov, an avid chessman himself, has sworn that he will make chess an Olympic sport because it is a sport that is “advantageous for Russia.” That is, it might pad Russia’s future medal counts which flopped so mightily in Vancouver. To do that, the Kremlin apparently wants its own stooge on the FIDE throne. Karpov, backed by the toxic Kremlin critic and persona non grata Garry Kasparov, probably doesn’t seem like a safe gamble.

Second, Ilyumzhinov has kept Kalmykia firmly, calmly under his rule since 1993, which is nice in a region that is become more and more restive and dangerous. Third, Kalmykia has some nice oil and gas, and straddles a geostrategically precious corner of the Caspian sea, potentially perfect for building pipelines to, say, India. This could easily be a little reward for a strategically located and very loyal Ilyumzhinov.

I also can’t believe I just wrote 500 words about a chess scandal.

Men ack! Något har hänt (fortsätt att rösta i högerspalten). Det är inte längre klart om man får tro FOCUS Information Agency. De skriver bland annat att Karpov kommer att besöka den pågående VM-matchen i Bulgarien ett par dagar med början den 2:e maj och fortsätter med.

….In Sofia he will also lobby for his nomination for World Chess Federation (FIDE) President. At a press conference in Moscow Karpov revealed that the local federation did not give its support for his rival and current FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. At the same time the FIDE chief said he had been nominated by the Russian federation. The official position whom Russia will back up will be announced on May 14, the newspaper adds.

Vem kommer inte ihåg förra valet till Ordföranden i FIDE? Då hette utmanaren till Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Bessel Kok. Denna gång är det tidigare Världsmästaren Anatoly Karpov som utmanar. Både Kirsan Och Anatoly har stöd från federationer runt om i världen. Nu har det inflytelserika Ryska förbundet och Karpovs eget förbund sagt sitt. De kommer att stödja Kirsan i valet som sker under kommande Schack-OS till hösten. Karpov har reagerat kraftigt vilket går att läsa på Karpov 2010.

At a news conference on April 21 in Moscow, the Chairman of the Supervisory Council of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) and Adviser to the President of Russia, Arkady Dvorkovich, announced that the RCF has decided to support the 2010 FIDE presidential candidacy of the current head of the organization, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. A letter to this effect was sent to Mr. Ilyumzhinov to present at the FIDE Presidential Board occurring now in Sofia, Bulgaria.

I must state that the world chess community has been cheated in the most blatant manner. According to the RCF charter adopted on February 19, 2010, the Chairman of the Supervisory Council is not empowered to take decisions of such importance unilaterally. The argument proffered by Mr. Dvorkovich, that he consulted with some Council members by telephone, is ridiculous. Instead of telephone calls, the responsibility of the President is to organize meetings with all 32 elected members for a thorough debate followed by a vote.

The assertions of Mr. Dvorkovich to portray a clear advantage to Mr. Ilyumzhinov in the election race is a broad and malicious distortion of a campaign that has only just begun. What is more, Mr. Ilyumzhinov has yet to receive official support from any major chess federation, while several – Germany, France, Spain, and the US – have already endorsed my candidacy.

Though his actions are unprecedented, Mr. Dvorkovich has made no secret of his alliances in this matter. This entire charade does little more than demonstrate the desperate situation of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov after 15 years of his inglorious rule of FIDE. The many intrigues and scandals visited upon FIDE by the Kalmyk President have made it impossible to attract the financing of chess competitions by legitimate corporate sponsors. As I wrote in my campaign mission statement, “A Champion of Change,” chess today is in a grave crisis and the only solution is a complete replacement of the current leadership of FIDE and the rejection of their compromised methods.

I cannot refrain from employing some chess terminology. The unsound Dvorkovich-Ilyumzhinov Gambit is nothing but a way to exert psychological pressure on many hesitant chess federations, where awareness of the need for change in the chess world is paralyzed by belief in the political invulnerability of Ilyumzhinov. At the same time, two senior Russian officials are ready to sacrifice the prestige of our country to achieve their disreputable goals, displaying contempt for law and public opinion.

I can look back on 25 years of defending the honor of my country at the highest level. After waging a hard struggle for the presidency of FIDE I believe I can reform this organization by putting intellectual modernization and a cleansing of corruption at the forefront. This I will do in full agreement with the tasks placed before our nation by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.

Anatoly Karpov Moscow April 22, 2010

Nuvarande ordförande för FIDE – Kirsan Ilyumzhinov – har fått en utmanare om posten. Det är ingen mindre än tidigare Världsmästaren ryssen Anatoly Karpov. Valet för nästa mandatperiod kommer att ske under FIDE-kongressen i Khanty-Mansiysk där även Schack-OS spelas med start den 19 september. Bägge kandidaterna har redan erhållit stöd från federationer runt om i världen. Med anledning av att diskussionen redan kommit i gång och som ett tips till Sveriges SF har Schacksnack skapat en omröstning i frågan. Den finns som vanligt i högerspalten. Ännu så länge är det en överväldigande majoritet för Karpov 75 röster mot 12.

Tidigare Världsmästaren Anatoly Karpov kommer, som Schacksnack informerat om för några dagar sedan, att vid FIDE kongressen, som skall avhållas under kommande Schack-OS i Khanty-Mansiysk, utmana nuvarande ordföranden Kirsan Ilyumzhinov om posten. Bifogar Karpovs valmanifest.

ANATOLY KARPOV FOR FIDE PRESIDENT

• A new direction requires new leadership
  International chess needs a new direction and this can only happen under new leadership. Mr Karpov wants to lead a program of unity and positive change. His great experience as a chess champion and UNICEF Ambassador make him the ideal leader to return the sport to prominence on the global stage.
• International support at every level
  Mr Karpov’s status and dedication will allow him to be an agent for unity in the chess world. He has already attracted support worldwide as well as a leadership team and advisory panel of unmatched experience and international character.
• Ending the crisis with a return to FIDE’s roots
  Chess is in crisis today because FIDE has become disconnected from its foundations: the federations and the players. Mr Karpov believes that support for our new direction must come from below, to benefit the many, not from above to benefit the few.
• Turn chess into a modern, professional sport
  Chess has great potential as a commercially viable sport. It has lagged in this development because the current FIDE administration has harmed the reputation of the sport and shown no interest or aptitude for modernization and professionalization. Mr Karpov believes chess requires leadership that understands why professionalization is essential and how to build a team to achieve it.
• The ability to unite and mobilize the community
  Chess has limitless potential and great resources among its millions of supporters and players around the world. Mr Karpov has the unique capacity to attract and lead these human resources for the benefit of chess federations and players throughout the world.

GOALS FOR A NEW FIDE

• UNITY. The FIDE motto Gens Una Sumus, “We are one family” must be taken seriously. This can be done by providing channels of communication and community among federations and players using modern technology and by keeping the FIDE leadership’s doors wide open to feedback and new ideas. FIDE cannot afford to once again ignore the needs of its members the day after the election.
• TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY. Without these elements there is no trust from potential business partners or from member federations and players. These crucial relationships cannot be built without new leadership at the top in FIDE.
• RESPONSIVENESS. This campaign and Mr Karpov’s administration will emphasize communication and responsiveness with the global chess community we serve. We want to know what the federations and their members want and need from FIDE and to create a continuous and open dialogue.
• COMMERCIALIZATION AND SPONSORSHIP. Art, science, and sport, chess is also a hugely marketable commodity. FIDE’s current administration has failed to exploit this to the benefit of member federations and players. No one knows better than Mr Karpov the great potential for chess as a professional sport. For nearly three decades he battled for the world championship in many of the world’s great capitals. FIDE must professionalize its operations in order to develop mutually beneficial ties with commercial sponsors around the world.
• GRASSROOTS GROWTH AND CONNECTIVITY. The elite events we all enjoy cannot be sustained without growth and support from the grassroots in every corner of the globe. That worldwide involvement is our most precious resource and it has been squandered for too long by FIDE’s administration. The international federation’s resources should be put to work bringing member organizations and members together to better promote the game.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

• We have an ambitious agenda and we need your help to make it happen. Get involved! Individuals do not vote in the election, but you can make your voice heard to your federation to let them know why you think Anatoly Karpov should be the next FIDE President. Our official campaign website will launch in a few days and it is a great place to start:
  • See the directory to get in touch with your federation.
  • Contact our offices to share your thoughts on how we are doing and what you would like to see happen once Mr Karpov is President.

We welcome your letters and support and encourage you to share our positive message as widely as you can with other players and organizers.