In society

Return of the Champions

May 13, 2010 Denis Bilunov

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov met with aliens or not is unknown, but he has at least one incredible achievement. In support of Anatoly Karpov, who intends to shift Ilyumzhinov from the post of President Fide, Harry Kasparov and Viktor Korchny performed. Both are not just perennial rivals of Karpov for the board. Karpov against Korchny in the 70s and Kasparov against Karpov in the 80s is dramatic confrontations with a tough personal conflict and obvious political connotation.

How could it turn out that Kasparov and Korchnye performed on the side of Karpov? Obviously, the reason is in the protracted series of troubles, which struck the chess world. Leading grandmasters - from titled grads like Ananda and Kramnik to young talents like Karyakin and Karlsen - publicly criticize Ilyumzhinov. Chess marginalization, constant confusion with the rules of the World Cup, dominance in the FIDE of business dealers, preoccupied, mainly by mass commercial tournaments, whose participants fill hotels in Mediterranean resorts-all this causes irritation of many leading players and pushes potential corporate sponsors that are accustomed to dealing with the case. Sports management of a more respectable level.

The main reason that forces part of the chess players to occupy a restrained position is unbelief in the possibility of a successful struggle with Ilyumzhinov. The main argument of the FIDE President is millions of personal pockets that he spends on chess. True, according to the tax returns submitted this year, the head of the Republic of Kalmykia is the poorest of all governors, and the few Kalmyk oppositionists do not tire of accusing their president of abuse of budget money. But who will understand this? Kirsan Nikolaevich kept chess afloat in the “skinny” 90s, some kind of funding continues, so the tit in his hands is better ...

In the past elections, the call Ilyumzhinov tried to quit the quite successful European businessman Counted Cock, but he was supported only by the federation of the “First World”, and he lost with a score of 54:92. It is believed that the voices of most countries of the CIS, Asia, Africa and Latin America in Ilyumzhinov’s pocket - therefore, resistance is useless.

However, Karpov managed to create a new situation. Having secured the support of the largest Western federations from the very beginning - Germany, the USA, Spain and France, he found unexpected supporters even before the beginning of a large campaign. Ukraine, Egypt, Syria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nicaragua, Salvador, Tajikistan, Mozambique - this is the incomplete list of those who previously voted for Ilyumzhinov, but are now ready to change their position.

Obviously, the struggle is serious. Of course, the official position of the Russian Chess Federation will be of great importance for the campaign, and because both candidates are Russians, and because the elections themselves will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, where the World Chess Olympiad will be held in September of this year.

After Vancouver’s shocks, most of our sports federations fever, and RShF is no exception. Fulfilling the decision of the country's leadership, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government Alexander Zhukov left the post of President of the RShF. To the place of the new Russian chess leader, the Kalmykia Federation nominated the famous businessman Ziyavudin Magomedov, but he withdrew his candidacy-most likely, due to uncertainty in an unconditional victory.

Since February, the leadership of the RShF has been carried out by the Supervisory Board, which is headed by the assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Arkady Dvorkovich. However, it is not possible for him to speak single -handedly speak on behalf of the federation. In April, he stated that the RShF supports Ilyumzhinov, but Anatoly Karpov immediately demanded that this issue solve, as established, the Supervisory Board of the RShF. The meeting of the Council will be held on May 14, and judging by the fact that Dvorkovich proposes not to discuss the issue of supporting candidates for President FIDE, most are inclined in favor of Karpov.

The intrigues and the struggle for power within the chess world are not too fascinating, which, alas, can be judged by the experience of several years of leadership of information chess projects on the Internet. However, the circumstances in which Kasparov and Korchnye sides Karpov allow us to say that the case acquires a scale that goes beyond the limits of the chess itself. The confrontation of Karpov and Ilyumzhinov acquires a symbolic character, because of which in former times people who barely know the rules of the game were fiercely fought for Karpov or Kasparov. By the apt expression of Andrei Piontkovsky, “ the choice between Karpov and Ilyumzhinov is a choice between the person of the late Soviet system with all its costs and shortcomings and one of the most evil representatives of today's gangster and thieves' authorities .”

The modern indicator of public life - Blogosphere - clearly recorded this statement. More than 300 people entered the community of Karpov supporters organized on Facebook. I am sure that the number of people who want to support the Soviet and Russian champion will only increase, and in the chess world there will be a tense struggle - regardless of who the RShF will support.