26-05-2006 chess
From Malaysia Encyclopedia
Highly-awaited event
By QUAH SENG SUN
WITH the World Chess Federation (Fide)’s Congress starting tomorrow in Turin, Italy, the countdown has already begun for the Fide elections.
It will be an electrically charged occasion at the Chess Congress, with emotions running high. A fortnight ago, I mentioned that for the first time in more than two decades, there is a serious challenger to the incumbent Fide president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
Bessel Kok, a highly respected corporate figure in Europe, is heading the Right Move team which is challenging Ilyumzhinov’s Chess Fidelity team in the elections.
Earlier this week, an update from the Right Move website, www.rightmove06.org, mentioned that there are 41 national chess federations that have openly declared their support for Kok’s team but the Chess Fidelity website, www.chessfidelity.com, claimed that the Ilyumzhinov ticket has the public support of 78 national federations.
Anything can still happen between now and the elections but, going by the numbers so far, the Chess Fidelity team is expected to romp home easily.
Readers will remember that about two weeks ago, Malaysian Chess Federation president Datuk Tan Chin Nam had issued an open letter on the Internet urging both sides to put aside their differences and form a joint presidency in the interest of chess unity.
After Tan’s letter appeared, Fide general secretary Ignatius Leong, in his capacity as delegate from Singapore, also issued an open letter, urging both Ilyumzhinov and Kok to work together.
Fide general secretary Ignatius Leong. – Filepic Recognising that both men have their respective strengths and weaknesses, Leong proposed a solution whereby Ilyumzhinov, who is also the Head of State of the Russian republic of Kalmyk, would become the Fide chairman, and Kok, the Fide president.
“They are eminent persons – the incumbent president is charismatic and controversial while the challenger is a professional corporate leader with impeccable credentials,” Leong said.
In urging both presidential candidates to consider Fide’s overriding needs, Leong said a unification ticket would provide Fide with a unique opportunity to morph into a modern, professional, dynamic, transparent and sustainable organisation.
In a reply from Ilyumzhinov, the Fide president declared that he would be prepared to discuss Leong’s proposal and he was always ready to work towards chess unity.
However, the suggestion was rejected outright by Kok who said that such a solution would be illegal and contrary to the Fide statutes. More importantly, said Kok, he would not misplace the trust placed in his team by the chess federations who supported him.
Subsequently, Leong declared that since his overture to Kok had been rebuffed, he had no choice but to throw his whole unreserved support behind the Ilyumzhinov ticket.
The outcome of the Fide elections will be keenly awaited around the chess world but until it takes place, there are still opportunities that both tickets may yet accept a compromise.
In the meantime, with a record 146 teams in the open division and 108 teams in the Women’s Olympiad, you can watch games live at the Chess Olympiad’s official site at www.chessolympiad-torino2006.org/
A Google search on Turin Chess Olympiad will also uncover many other chess websites around the world that are also reporting daily on the results.
