Paris 1924: Pierre Vincent, the general secretary of the French Chess Federation, had the idea of creating an international chess federation.
1924-1940 – The FIDE century begins. On July 19th and 20th fifteen federation representatives met for the first formal meeting, at which the decision to create the International Chess Federation. Alexander Rueb was elected president for one year. Rueb (1882–1959) was a Dutch lawyer and diplomat, president of the Dutch Chess Federation (1923–1929). He played for the national team at the first unofficial Olympiad 1924.
Additionally, the decisions were made to have the FIDE headquarters opened in The Hague and for French to become the official language.
The administration agreed that the main goals of FIDE were to include chess in the 9th Olympic Games of 1928, organize the World Chess Championship, and develop chess worldwide. The delegates began meeting yearly, and in 1925 twelve federations approved the FIDE statutes, and the Central Committee members were re-elected for three years.
The draft of the FIDE Statutes as sent
to its members for discussion. Initially it was called Federation Internationale Echecs, FIE, then a year later Federation Internationale des Echecs, FIDE. Here are the founders who signed the first protocol.
Click both images to enlarge.
From 1925 to 1939, FIDE congresses met annually. The rules for holding international competitions were systematized. The Olympiads and Women’s World Chess Championships became permanent events. And FIDE started growing. From the twelve members attending the 1925 Zurich congress to 23 at the 1936 congress in Lucerne. And important decisions were made.
In 1927 the world champion, Jose Raul Capablanca, played against Alexander Alekhine in Buenos Aires. Alekhine won and became the 4th world champion.
Here's Capablanca’s letter [click to enlarge], in French, in which he resigned the game and congratulated Alekhine for winning the world championship title.
Capablanca repeatedly made repeated offers to Alekhine for a challenge for the world title, but Alekhine rejected all of them. Instead, the world champion chose Efim Bogoljubow as his opponent.
The match opened on September 5, 1929 in Germany, where Alekhine achieved the 15½ points needed to keep his title.
Alekhine and Bogoljubow on the cover of the French Magazine La Russie Illustrée, 1929
In 1934 with no concrete challenge from Capablanca, Alekhine accepted the offer from Bogoljubow (now a German citizen) to play a match for the world title in Germany with the same technical and financial conditions as the one they played in 1929. Like in their previous encounter, Alexander Alekhine had no difficulty winning the contest, with the score 10½:5½, and kept his title.
Further excerpts from 100 Years of FIDE to follow soon.
How to get the book: The easiest way to purchase the book is at Schach Niggemann, where it is available for €60.00.
Description: The book features images, many rarely seen before, along with details of events, organizers, players, arbiters, and key dates in the modern history of chess, all meticulously compiled by Willy Iclicki and Dmitry Oleynikov.
As you go through the pages, remember that behind every story or event described in this book are thousands of hours of work, on and off the chessboard, by enthusiasts from different eras, cultures, and backgrounds, all united by their love of chess. The chess world is deeply indebted to all of these people who have enriched the beauty and history of our game and elevated chess to new heights of global appreciation and respect. This book is also a celebration of them.
Also read the ChessBase report: Congratulations: FIDE turns 100!
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