Election 06: Ilyumzhinov, Makropoulos reply

FIDE President reacts to Open Letter in ChessBase by GM Kouatly

My attention has been drawn to the publication on the Chessbase website www.chessbase.com under the caption Election 06: Can FIDE be reformed? Open Letter by Bachar Kouatly of 26 May 2006.

I would never have bothered to respond to this article especially because as we have an election before us all sorts of rumors are in the air. But I am forced to respond because in my over 10 years in FIDE, I have never had to face such very low and false allegation against a principal official of FIDE who enjoys my personal trust and respect at all times. It is a well known fact in FIDE that Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos since the inception of my administration, chose not to be involved in handling any financial matters of FIDE. At no time did Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos personally receive USD 1,000,000 as being alleged in Mr. Kouatly's Open Letter for the organization of the 1999 World Chess Championship in Las Vegas. At no time did any single dollar disappear.

Mr. Makropoulos has shown his outstanding ability through the years of organizing dozens of World class chess events that have put his native Greece as one of the fastest developing federations in the World. At the same time, and unlike most new found critics, he never put his personal interest above that of FIDE. He is the one person in FIDE who is very active and always canvassing for unity in our organization. At all times, he is always consulting with me and not making personal decisions in FIDE matters.

I would like to restate for the avoidance of doubt, that there has never been any single incidence of corruption during my tenure as FIDE President. No one member of our team has ever been found guilty of corruption neither has any dollar disappeared from the accounts of FIDE. I therefore wish to sound this note of warning to all those who may want to engage in using these unfounded rumours to score an unfair political point to desist from these acts.

In the light of the above, Deputy President Makropoulos as well as other members of my ticket, enjoy my implicit confidence and respect of not only people in our camp in this year's elections but also of members of the opposing ticket. The Chessfidelity ticket, representing all the Continents, enjoys the full support of the great majority of our delegates. It is for this reason that our ticket expects a landslide victory come 2nd June 2006.

Gens Una Sumus.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
FIDE President

Turin, Italy
27 May 2006

Deputy President G. Makropoulos' reaction

Concerning the libellous open letter of Bachar Kouatly on the chessbase website of 26 May 2006 I would like to say the following:

1. I am not surprised that Bachar has chosen to attack me and the Chessfidelity ticket by using a dirty lie when he says that I actually stole USD 1,000,000 from Kirsan. This man has used similar methods to attack the FIDE President in the FIDE elections in 1996 as well as insulting him in front of his people in Elista in 1998.

2. Kouatly's tenure as Deputy President in the period 1995 to 1996 succeeded in turning the great majority of the chess world against him and FIDE, because it was soon realised that most of his actions were for his own interest and not for FIDE. This was the very reason, in addition to his lies, that led to his being dropped by the President from his team and in the end he had to withdraw his candidacy from the elections in 1996.

3. I do not need to add anything more as the chess world has decided to consign him and his methods to history.

4. All those people that are flirting with the ideas of corruption in FIDE can only submit lies and shameful arguments as being used by Mr. Kouatly in his open letter. This is a desperate effort to obtain some more votes for the opposition. The greater majority of the delegates will definitely vote for the truth.

Gens Una Sumus

Georgios Makropoulos
FIDE Deputy President