The World Chess Federation elected its first new president in more than two decades in the coastal resort of Batumi in Georgia. The former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovichis the newly elected head as he takes over the post from Kirsan Ilyumzhinov who was holding the position since 1995.
Ilyumzhinov, who once claimed that he was abducted by the aliens was not popular among some senior FIDE figures and his opaque leadership style was always the target of critics. Last year he even accused of an attempted plot to defame his designation and was sure of completing his terms or might even contest in a re-election.
As the delegates from 182 nations voted for the new head, the unexpected twist occurred by the dramatic last-minute withdrawal of candidacy by the British Grandmaster Nigel Short who declared his support for the Russian candidate in his final speech. Dvorkovichis defeated the only other standing candidate, FIDE’s deputy president Georgios Makropoulos by a margin of 103 votes to 78 with one vote invalid.
Dvorkovichis, after being elected assured that FIDE is his permanent job now and assured full accountability. He has served as the deputy prime minister in Russia and 2018 FIFA World Cup organizer.
After a long period of turmoil, global chess got its new commander who assures to transform FIDE into a substantial and severe international organization.
