Europe Echecs interview with Anatoly Karpov
1st part
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"I visited twelve countries in fifteen days – not going from
one Caribbean island or one European country to another; it started from
China, going to Malaysia, Europe, Faeroe Islands, Israel and Palestine, etc.
A trip with long distances."
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"We have close to 70 countries supporting us, but we have stopped
announcing countries, because Ilyumzhinov is applying psychological pressure.
When we started to publish names we realised we had opened targets for the
other team. They contacted the countries that were on our list and offered
something to change their position. Nowadays when we don't publish Kirsan
has to follow me to every country I visit. For the last one-and-a-half months
he has been following me and offering anything he can – official deals,
unofficial deals, promises, promises, promises. The people do not remember
promises from the past, they believe only in future promises."
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"In many countries we have a situation of financial slavery, on the
American continent, in some Asian countries..."
2nd part
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"They say that Kirsan spent millions and millions of dollars for chess,
but then I don't understand why they charge for titles, for instance. That
brings them 120-130 thousand Euros per year. Payments for the titles of FIDE
Masters, International Master, International Grandmaster are one time, but
for FIDE Arbiters you have to pay many times, like a licence fee."
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"At the beginning of the campaign [Ignatius] Leong and [Jorge] Vega
were threatening people and trying to prevent them from meeting with me."
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"I visited Khanty-Mansiysk, which is a province where I have a lot
of chess contacts. People there are very nice, very open. So the atmosphere
of the Olympiad will be good. But people must realise that there are two
organisers: the local people and FIDE. FIDE must give full information to
the local organisers, who must then provide charter flights to come to Khanty-Mansiysk.
They must provide accommodation, according to information which FIDE gave
them. The initial information was that there would be one and a half thousand
participants. At the moment we have around 1,900 people. FIDE forgot about
spectators, so this will be an Olympiad without spectators, because they
have no place to stay. Probably they even forgot countries and delegates.
I don't know if they remembered journalists – I don't see where journalists
can stay."
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Has a Wonderful Visit in Ramallah, Palestine!
On August 10, Head of Republic of Kalmykia, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
arrived on a working visit to Ramallah, Palestine, where he met with the leadership
of this country, as well as with the Chairman of the National Olympic Committee
of Palestine Dzhabrail Rajoub to discuss the development of chess in Palestine.
As Mr. Rajoub said, NOC of Palestine is interested in developing and strengthening
the closest ties with FIDE. He noted that chess is one of the most popular sports
in Palestine. At the press conference Mr. Rajoub said that Palestine supports
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in the upcoming Presidential elections and noted that he
intends to express the position of Palestine’s NOC on introduction of
chess into the Olympic Games at the meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge,
who plans to visit Palestine in this October.
The same day Kirsan ILyumzhinov met with the President of the Palestinian National
Authority, Chairman of Fatah movement Mahmoud Abbas. At the beginning of the
meeting the leaders discussed the development of chess in Palestine. The Palestinian
leader noted that he is a big fan of this royal game and is interested in Kalmykia’s
experience on the introduction of chess into the school curriculum, on this
occasion he expressed his intention to send a delegation to Kalmykia, as well
as to invite Kalmyk specialists to Palestine. After all these preparations the
President of the Palestinian National Authority will sign a decree on the introduction
of chess into the school curriculum.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov proposed to the Palestinian leader to hold the world chess
match between the Palestinian and Israeli children on a hundred boards. As was
noted by FIDE President, this match may be a symbol of solving the contradictions
with the help of sports and at the peace table.”In this case, it is a
chess table can become a table of peace and friendship,” said Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
Mahmoud Abbas has endorsed this proposal and suggested to hold the match in
the place of the separation wall, which is currently being constructed in accordance
with previous decisions. Mahmoud Abbas stressed that the Palestinian leadership
will do everything possible to organize this match, which will become a truly
international event. It is planned to hold the world chess match during the
IOC President Jacques Rogge’s visit to Palestine.
Danailov on the campaign trail
"Are we going to murder ECU with political dependence?"
...asks Silvio Danailov , Candidate for ECU President. On his campaign site
"I know..." the Bulgarian says
"What I see are two of the candidates becoming victims of political games,
tying themselves and the future of European chess with the choice of one or
another personality for FIDE President. As to clarify, Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici
does not keep his relationship with Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov secret and neither
does Mr.Robert von Weizsacker with the other candidate for FIDE Presidency –
Mr. Anatoly Karpov.
Is this what we want – political equilibrists, puppets on strings, whose
decisions and actions will follow third party interests, remaining deaf to the
actual needs of the European federations? Is this what we want – the faith
of the ECU to be decided not by the European federations, but by FIDE clerks?
Apart from being contrary to common sense, an eventual choice of one of the
two politically dependent candidates is in full dissonance with the characteristic
of the EU geopolitical emancipation – Europe to solve its problems not
under the command of, but with the cooperation of the other world factors."
Yazici: All Flags raised in the European Championships
Rival candidate for the ECU Presidency, Ali-Nihat Yazici, says that his campaign
"We R Europe" will bring a new approach to the European Championships.
"In the European Individual Chess Championship (both Open and Women), one
free entry with accommodation will be offered to each national chess federation.
The aim of this move is to have all 54 flags present for the top European individual
event and to increase its prestige.
‘We R Europe’ Team takes as an example football's UEFA Cup. The
same goal will be achieved for our European Individual Championships. Each national
federation will be invited to send their reigning national individual champions
(both male and female) for these events. The champions of those who accept,
and we hope it will be all, will stay, in single rooms, as the guest of the
organizers. Considering the cost of accommodation for these events, we are effectively
looking at a grant of around €1200 for each federation."
All ChessBase
report on the FIDE Elections 2010
