Kasparov vs Ilyumzhinov: the FIDE Presidency battle begins

[JustinHorton]

I'm prepared to believe the first part of that more than I am the second.

[Mike Truran]

Nothing back from our friends at 175 5th Avenue New York.

Accommodation address is a term to denote a location where mail can be delivered in the name of a person or business for retrieval. The service is similar to poste restante and Post office boxes, but is generally supplied by a private company, or even an individual. The degree of service can range from full secretarial and telephone answering, to a simple mail drop. Small businesses use accommodation addresses when they have no fixed place of business, and do not wish to use a post office box, a proper address giving an air of respectability. Accommodation addresses are occasionally used to have goods delivered that have been paid for through credit card fraud.

I haven't given chessnewsagency.com my credit card details.

[Matthew Turner]

On Kevin Spraggett's site he is saying that "confidential sources confirm that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov last night registered an unofficial 50-point lead over challenger Garry Kasparov [apparently 81-31]. Rumors are circulating that Kasparov will throw in the towel and offer to take over a secondary position within Ilyumzhinov’s cabinet. More news later."

http://kevinspraggettonchess.wordpress.com/

I just don't believe there would be all this acrimony if it was already game over. The fact that Kirsan is taking things to the Ethics Committee and trying to get his challenger banned suggests to me that Kirsan still thinks he can lose. This election is seeing much more 'comment' by Kirsan's supporters again that surely suggests the contest is still on.
I suspect that Kirsan will still win in the end, but I cannot believe Kasparov has as few as 31 votes in the bag.

[Nigel Short]

The Spraggett story is complete and utter bo**ocks.

[Chris Rice]

Vietnam has now apparently written a letter of open support for Kirsan Ilyumzhinov following Mongolia yesterday. I haven't seen the original letters but the wording given on KI's campaign site seems to be identical for both of these countries. If so, once can conclude that FIDE proposed the wording and asked them to declare their support before the election. Now call me Mr Cynical but why would they do that unless they had already been given something or at least promised something to motivate them to declare? Both of these countries were presumably targets for Leong who is otherwise distracted fighting off the numerous allegations clearly being driven by FIDE.

"Vietnam Chess Federation Declares Support for Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
12 Jun 2014

The Vietnam Chess Federation announced its intention to support Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in the upcoming FIDE elections in Norway this August, in a formal letter by the Federation leadership to incumbent FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov released on June 12, 2014.
“We express our deep respect and gratitude for supporting the Vietnam Chess Federation over the recent years,” the letter says. “With this letter, we want to confirm our full support for Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as the FIDE President and support his candidacy in the FIDE Presidential election at the FIDE Congress in Tromsø.
As a reminder, the chess federation of another country, Mongolia, expressed its gratitude to Mr. Ilyumzhinov, announcing its intention to support him in the election. This active support from national chess federations means that the chances of the incumbent FIDE President winning the election are steadily rising."

[NickFaulks]

On Kevin Spraggett's site he is saying that "confidential sources confirm that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov last night registered an unofficial 50-point lead over challenger Garry Kasparov [apparently 81-31]. Rumors are circulating that Kasparov will throw in the towel and offer to take over a secondary position within Ilyumzhinov’s cabinet. More news later."

http://kevinspraggettonchess.wordpress.com/

I just don't believe there would be all this acrimony if it was already game over. The fact that Kirsan is taking things to the Ethics Committee and trying to get his challenger banned suggests to me that Kirsan still thinks he can lose. This election is seeing much more 'comment' by Kirsan's supporters again that surely suggests the contest is still on.
I suspect that Kirsan will still win in the end, but I cannot believe Kasparov has as few as 31 votes in the bag.

It's over, to the extent that it was ever started. Of course, one doesn't mind other people having different views, particularly if they were to fancy a friendly bet - which for some reason they never do.

I doubt that Kirsan has much to do with most of the unpleasantness. This seems to emanate from overenthusiastic minions, particularly those who were hired away by Bessel Kok in 2006 and were subsequently brought back into the fold.

[Roger de Coverly]

It's over, to the extent that it was ever started.

Does that mean there's the rather depressing future of a Kirsan Life Presidency?

[Matthew Turner]

Nick,
If you fancy a bet, why not a spread bet on the number of nations supporting Kasparov. Why don't you propose a range?
Matt

[Stewart Reuben]

People from Kirsan's background are much more conscious of 'saving face' than most readers of this forum.
Thus, if the aim is for Kirsan to cease to be President in 2018, it may be best for nobody to challenge him until very late in the day. That would have been May this year. It has been said that Kirsan only made up his mind to stand, when Garry issued his challenge. He seemed reluctant to announce his candidature. He would not stand for election if he thought it unlikely he would be elected.
But this may be incorrect.

[Colm Daly]

The Spraggett story is complete and utter bo**ocks.

Ah Yes without doubt one of the best posts I have seen in quite a while. So succinctly put.
Fu** elegance, eloquence and sophistication, who needs that that sh** anyway.

{Hey can't beat them, might as well join them eh?]

Direct and to the point. Leaving no doubt whatsoever about one's true feelings about a proposition.

Levity aside, I have to admit the exasperation that Nigel must feel really does jump off the page. I can only admire his resolute commitment to the cause. I find the whole presidential campaign and politics simply astounding on so many levels. It is just surreal at times.

On this website earlier I seen some reference to, for example, the way the ICU may vote and some of the responses also to the announcement that Ireland will have three arbiters going to Norway!

I nearly fell off my chair laughing at some of the comments and responses, only for the reason that so many of the responses seemed so naive and had not connected the very obvious dots. Plenty of otherwise good points that had so little to do with the reality on the ground. Then again, it is quite understandable that so few would be expected to know what has been going on within Irish chess politics [and it ain't pretty]. and it's likely effect on the way the ICU vote might go- it will be decided this Sunday by the executive officially.

To put things as simple as I can, it seems to have escaped the attention of people that on the day as it was announced on the ICU website that the ICU would be hosting the Fide President it was also announced that Ireland would be sending no less than three arbiters to Norway! Say no more! A nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat?

Astounding does not even begin to describe this "good fortune", I dare say that any amount of comparing ratios of the number of arbiters per country and comparing it with Ireland is, to borrow from Nigel above,

utter bo**ocks..

and beside the point. None of these three arbiters have ever been an arbiter at any Olympiad ever, and they will be the first ever Irish arbiters at an Olympiad! None of these three arbiters have ever run or been even an assistant at an event outside Ireland!

It is in fact beggars belief! But guess what? The same time as this was announced, it was also announced that a new organization called "Irish Chess Arbiters Association" with it's own website http://www.icaa.ie/ had been set up by, guess who? Eh, that would be the very three arbiters going to Norway, and better still, they are offering courses for people on how to become, well, an arbiter like themselves! http://www.icu.ie/events/display.php?id=639 Charge being just 80 Euros per person for one of their courses http://www.icu.ie/events/forms/639.pdf

With great reluctance I have to say that I would have great problems asking any of these arbiters to teach me how to get out of a paper bag. I mean no doubt they have done their course work themselves and passed an exam that gives them their little badge, and title too, but frankly speaking they are very modest people with even more modest experience and ability in almost anything to do with chess. I mean they just about know how the pieces work and how to play the game. And I do not mean to say that in any mean spirited way, but just clinically accurate.

Having ratings of 1300 plus 1300 plus and 1500 plus, does not preclude people from being good or competent arbiters but it tends to mitigate a bit against it. At the international level anyway. That said, I also have to acknowledge, that on a purely human level, I can be happy that such guys are getting such a once in a life opportunity to be part of the biggest chess event there is. So I hope I can be forgiven for being so cynical and skeptical about the circumstances of this coming about and the timing then of this new organization being formed and announced.

It all reminds me of a pyramid sales scheme, but maybe I am a bit off on that analogy. In any case, it might be also worth pointing out that all these three arbiters live within about a 20 mile radius of each other and are part of the team that do the excellent Bunratty weekend tournament. But outside of that tournament I can't claim any of these arbiters have a reputation as arbiters worth getting excited about. I have been playing in events for more than 30 years in Ireland and when I think of Irish arbiters that have established themselves as either good or just competent not one of these would come to mind. Which is not to suggest they are bad, no, just sometimes a bit competent at best and very limited.

Still with a population of 5 million it is amusing to see three "mates" living within a 20 mile radius of each other all get to go to Norway as arbiters, with such little experience and modest credentials at their back. Is it really necessary that I draw a diagram?

When I actually asked in passing one of these arbiters [let's call him "The Ring Leader" and say the others are his side kicks] how come we got three arbiters going and England just got one, he told me it was political for England and they had some problems with Fide. Ah well, that explains it all then. Thank goodness for chess politics, otherwise sure England might have as many arbiters as Ireland going to an Olympiad, and we simply could not have that.

So what is the situation on the ground that I alluded to that is also so relevant to the Fide presidential elections? Well, since Kasparov came to Ireland [A mistake- he never needed to visit originally, and had he done nothing, then by default he would have for sure have got the ICU vote] the whole issue became political and wrapped up in some nutty internal Irish chess politics.

The result of which is that the ICU Fide delegate who was such an avid supporter of the Kasparov campaign resigned as the Fide delegate days after the Kasparov visit! That's one vote gone! Then his replacement [who ironically enough, was the correct person to be the ICU Fide delegate all along] is an open supporter of Kirsan, but has openly and publicly affirmed that he would vote whatever way the ICU wanted him to vote at the Fide congress.

Next thing we see another avid Kasparov supporter on the ICU executive expelled from the executive in a very contentious and nutty executive meeting in which after some very heated exchanges a pint of beer was thrown over the ICU Chairman! http://www.irishchesscogitations.com/bl ... executive/ Never a dull moment in the whacky and weird world of Irish chess it seems.

The upshot is that another avid Kasparov supporter is now apparently ready for the chop, or is going to resign either at the next ICU meeting or after having voted for Kasparov at the ICU meeting this Sunday. In any event, the long and short of things is that Ireland, and the ICU, are very much out of tune with the rest of the federations on these islands.

England is obviously totally in support of the Kasparov campaign [As I would guess are the vast majority of ICU members in Ireland] but in an ironic and tragically comic serious of developments Kasparov was unfortunate enough to have been badly advised with regard to Ireland and had the wrong people in Ireland supporting him so avidly and aggressively. Had he simply done nothing at all and been off the radar of Irish chess then he would have simply had the Irish vote without any effort at all. Three arbiters later for Ireland, and some opportunistic moves having been played behind the scenes as usual and it has all changed, changed utterly.

Poor Nigel even had the experience similar to banging his head against a brick wall when trying to engage with some discussion with an avid Kirsan supporter [and member of the ICU executive] about this whole Fide election topic on an Irish chess FB group. No doubt he got a taste of some of the despair and exasperation I have often felt myself, when trying to deal with people here in a rational and logical manner.

Too often, it just doesn't work like that here. And no doubt, in his own way has been effectively fed the line about him being a good chess player but! Blah blah blah. As a big fish here in the small pond that is Irish chess, I get it all the time, and never cease to be amazed and incredulous at how 30 plus years of active participation in all aspects of chess in Ireland is dismissed and or overlooked so willfully and easily. The bottom line is that the vast majority of players here have little or no meaningful interest in these Fide elections, which is a pity. Who knows how the elections will go on the day?

[Michael Farthing]

A terrible beauty is born.

[David Sedgwick]

None of these three arbiters have ever run or been even an assistant at an event outside Ireland!

In the terminology of the moment, that statement is utter bo**ocks.

Gerry Graham was an arbiter at the London Chess Classic Festival 2013. He did an excellent job, as I had anticipated.

In any case, one of the objectives in the selection of Olympiad arbiters is to give opportunities for people to officiate outside their own Federations.

I have more recent than most to be unhappy at the disparity between the number of Olympiad arbiters appointed from England and from Ireland. However, I'm not prepared to allow Mr Daly's attack on the competence of the three Irish arbiters to go unchallenged. I have every confidence that all of them will perform their duties admirably in Tromso.

I should state for the record that all of them passed the FIDE Arbiter Examination at the end of a seminar which I conducted.

Carl, I leave you to decide whether or not this Forum is the appropriate place for Mr Daly's rants about Irish chess.

[John Redmond]

Colm's post is obviously relevant to the FIDE Presidency battle - the topic in hand - and is not merely a reflection on Irish chess.
It seems useful to point out the timing of Ilyumzhinov's visit to Ireland with the announcement about the 3 arbiters going to Tromso - perhaps it is just a 'happy coincidence' but ...

[NickFaulks]

Colm's post is obviously relevant to the FIDE Presidency battle - the topic in hand - and is not merely a reflection on Irish chess.
It seems useful to point out the timing of Ilyumzhinov's visit to Ireland with the announcement about the 3 arbiters going to Tromso - perhaps it is just a 'happy coincidence' but ...

The announcement of the Tromso arbiters was made to a pre-arranged schedule, by the organisers. Are you saying that Kirsan's visit to Ireland was planned to coincide with that? I never mind a good conspiracy theory, but that's a bit of a stretch for me. Is Ireland really that important?

In any case, I would like to know more about which list included the Irish arbiters. The host federation may nominate a large number of its own, and it is known that Norway, lacking enough local arbiters, added many from the Nordic region - hence the Faroe Islands got four. I supposed that Ireland, as a fringe European nation, had crept in under this umbrella, although that is pure supposition.

FIDE had an allocation of its own, I think not very large ( the Continents, the next hosts and the ACP also get some ). I can understand that they might have brought in one Irish arbiter within this group, but three?

[MartinCarpenter]

Well, they did rule large fair chunks of it for a while

Scotland is I think even formally Nordic for a few things. Suppose Ireland might just be too.