The Supervisory Council of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) met today in Moscow and nominated Anatoly Karpov to stand for FIDE president in the election that takes place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, in September. Karpov's nomination received 17 votes from the 32-member Council.The meeting, covered and reported by all major Russian news services, resulted in an irrefutable majority decision in a crucial battle for the FIDE presidency. Karpov's main rival, 15-year incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, is also Russian and the Federation can nominate only one person. Hence this effectively ends Ilyumzhinov's bid to extend his term. This vote for change by chess powerhouse Russia will also be noted closely by other federations.
Ilyumzhinov's supporters on the Council realized they lacked the votes to overcome Karpov and attempted first to postpone the meeting and then to move it behind closed doors. Failing that, they chose to boycott the proceedings entirely, but even with a few Council members absent from Moscow and several others abstaining, a quorum was reached and the vote proceeded. Karpov received the unanimous and enthusiastic support of all attending members, providing a 17-vote majority in full view of the media. The statements of the regional representatives made it clear there was nationwide support for Karpov's nomination.
Anatoly Karpov expressed his appreciation to the members of the Council for their courage and their support for positive change in FIDE. "It was a remarkable moment not only for me, but for Russian chess and FIDE. The open dialogue and open vote were examples of the transparency that will mark our campaign and administration. My thanks and congratulations to the Council members.
Karpov added this personal note for CLO:"I would like to thank the US Chess Federation and its leadership for theirvaluable early support. I look forward to seeing some of them personally atour campaign launch event in New York City on May 17. I would also like tothank Rex Sinquefield, an essential member of our campaign Advisory Board.Mr. Sinquefield has already transformed chess in the USA and he is nowplaying an important role in doing the same one the world stage. My bestwishes to the players and organizers of the US Championship, which I willfollow with interest."
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Karpov added this personal note for CLO:"I would like to thank the US Chess Federation and its leadership for theirvaluable early support. I look forward to seeing some of them personally atour campaign launch event in New York City on May 17. I would also like tothank Rex Sinquefield, an essential member of our campaign Advisory Board.Mr. Sinquefield has already transformed chess in the USA and he is nowplaying an important role in doing the same one the world stage. My bestwishes to the players and organizers of the US Championship, which I willfollow with interest."
WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED
The Karpov 2010 campaign now shifts into high gear with fresh letters of support already arriving. The New York City gala kickoff event on May 17 at the Trump Soho is next on our calendar, with Anatoly Karpov joined by Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, along with many other celebrities from inside and outside the chess world.
We are continuing to work harder than ever on contacting federations to share our vision for change and to understand their views and needs. As important as this Moscow decision is, every vote counts equally and we take nothing for granted. Our goal is to work hard to earn every vote and to use this campaign to unite and re-energize the chess world.Karpov said he also wanted to personally thank the 21 federations whose early support provided critical momentum in the fight in Moscow: Germany, Syria, USA, Spain, England, Iceland, Switzerland, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Egypt, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Turkmenistan, Serbia, Luxembourg, France, Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Guernsey, Monaco, Tajikistan, Faroe Islands.
"They showed leadership," said Karpov, "and I could not have done it without them. I appeared at the meeting with their letters of endorsement in hand. But I'm not going to celebrate this victory for long. There are many federations to contact and I'm traveling soon. We are just getting started."
The 17 Karpov votes from the elected members of the Supervisory Council: Andrei Selivanov (Acting Vice-President of FIDE, honorary president of the Russian Federation, Deputy President of the Supervisory Council), Alexander Bakh (Chairman of Executive Board of the Supervisory Council), Krjukov, Beshukov, Ertel, Afromeev, Titov, Giljazov, Khasin, Zinder, Kazakov, Goncharov, Razuvaev, Fedorova, Sapfirov, Shaidullin, Ivakhin.In other votes, the Council nominated Selivanov for the position of FIDE Vice-President and appointed him the FIDE Delegate from Russia. Alexander Krjukov was appointed to be the Director of the Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad, which begins September 19.May 14, 2010 - Moscow
REFERENCES
Reuters: "Russian Chess Federation (RCF) has nominated the 12th world chess champion Anatoly Karpov for the presidency of the International Chess Federation (FIDE)."
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