TWIC is 30. First issue 17th September 1994.
FIDE Presidential Elections 2010 (Russian Nomination)
Bitter fight over the Russian Nomination for FIDE elections
Mark Crowther - Wednesday 28th April 2010
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov at the opening ceremony. | http://www.theweekinchess.com
Is the Russian Federation's nomination still unclear?
Anatoly Karpov has stepped up his fight to be nominated by the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) as their candidate in the FIDE Presidential elections in late September early October alongside the Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk.
Just a week ago the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Russian Chess Federation, Arkady Dvorkovich announced that a decision had already been taken and that they would support the current president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Almost immediately Anatoly Karpov disputed the right of Dvorkovich to make such an announcement.
Karpov claims that Ilyumzhinov is trying to get the Russian nomination by "hook or by crook". and also pretty confident that the letter supporting Ilyumzhinov is not legal. (Press Release 23rd April 2010 on Karpov's campaign site). This same press release raises the possibility that Ilyumzhinov may be ousted as Kalmykian President in October too.
Karpov believed he had been promised (or even has the right) that the formal decision will be taken at a meeting of the RCF Supervisory Board on May 14th where there would be a vote of all 32 members of the Russian Regions. It seems now that this meeting will be the moment we know for certain who will get the nomination.
Karpov has raised the possibility (http://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article/2010/04/23/232292) that the Russian Chess Federation could nominate no-one, or, if the regulations allow (which as a matter of fact they don't) both.
Dresden clarification of the rules: "A Federation is entitled to nominate only one candidate for one position."
Last week I called Karpov's chances virtually over. This was on the basis that the nomination of the Russian Chess Federation for Ilyumzhinov might actually prevent Karpov standing, or at the very least seriously inconvenience him. At the same time Dvorkovich said that he had concluded that Ilyumzhinov already had the support to win. If instead, the RCF nomination isn't settled, and Dvorkovich is openly partisan in favour of Ilyumzhinov then these conclusions don't stand.
Karpov claims that Ilyumzhinov rushed back to Moscow after the opening ceremony of the FIDE World Championship in Sofia in order to try and help the Russian Federation's "decision" stand. All this reflects just how important this nomination is.
Karpov is apparently to be hauled in front of a FIDE Presidential Council on July 22nd in Norway in order to explain comments that Ilyumzhinov's record in Kalmykia brings a trail of corruption to FIDE. Although quite why they'd want to give him the opportunity to list the huge number of allegations that have appeared in the Russian media is anyone's guess.
FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs), or World Chess Federation is the governing body of chess. It is an organisation of 158 national chess federations. The statutes of the organisation reflect this structure. Players represent their national federations in international competition, delegates vote on behalf of their federations and FIDE officials take their office, at least nominally, through their own national federations. At least this is how the statutes have been written. This also is why there is such a disparity between what most individual figures want in chess, and what is actually decided. The only votes that count are those of individual FIDE delegates.
This battle over the RCF nomination is important. FIDE statutes state that a Presidential Candidate shall be nominated by "his Federation". Both Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Anatoly Karpov are from the Russian Chess Federation, so at first sight only one of them can stand in the forthcoming election. In FIDE politics things are never quite as clear as they seem, especially when it comes to Presidential Elections.
Both Karpov (nomination by Germany on the grounds that he is a member of a German Chess Club) and Ilyumzhinov (nomination by the FIDE Presidential Board) are said to have back-up positions. I think both must know that these plans at least have some prospect of failure. The loser of the battle for the RCF nomination will, at the very least, suffer some inconvenience (and that isn't even considering the idea that neither will be nominated).
The absolutely key FIDE Regulation that has brought about this bitter battle.
"1.2 Nominations for the Presidential ticket and Continental Presidents must reach the FIDE Secretariat at least three months before the opening of the General Assembly. To be elected, each candidate shall be nominated by his federation. He/She should have been a member of their federation at least one year before the General Assembly."
My reading of the statutes concludes that only one of the Candidates will be officially in the race after the Russian nomination is settled. All sorts of things seem to be possible at the FIDE Congress itself, and it may take a vote there to get the second candidate on the ballot.
I only have vague recollections of FIDE shenanigans of the past. I think one way to get on the ballot would be to have a proxy candidate for President, have Karpov or Ilyumzhinov on your ticket as Vice President and then at the FIDE congress go, whoops, we've changed out minds, and we want the real guy as president now. They would be past the nominations stage by then so the bit about being nominated by your national federation would be bypassed. It would only be important to have a ticket to do this with. Of course this is completely against the spirit of the regulations.
FIDE fought hard for membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Chess hasn't made it to the Olympic games yet. However IOC membership is often extremely helpful to individual federations, in getting state money for the support of their game. Membership also brought in the use of the "Court of Arbitration for Sport" (CAS) in Lausanne for the resolution of sporting disputes. In the past all sorts of funky things happened on the floor of the FIDE Congress, because who was going to stop them? This court may prevent things that were allowed in the past by providing a way for them to be challenged.
I'm sure we're in for further developments in this bitter public fight, possibly to the (political) death over the Russian nomination and the winner will have a huge advantage. Ironically if Karpov loses this battle now it may be that he gains at least some political capital if it is perceived that the FIDE President is using dirty tricks to kill his campaign at birth.
On April 29th there will be a VIP Chess event in the Marusya bar and restaurant in Moscow. Anatoly Karpov is to give a simultaneous exhibition and Arkady Dvorkovich and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov are invited!
