Ilyumzhinov on the London Candidates and Grand Prix
In an interview with Sport Express, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has explained the decision to hold the next Candidates Tournament later this year in London. He also talks about plans for a new Men’s Grand Prix and the sale of the rights to the World Championship and other major events.
Ilya Levitov: “For me, classical chess is opera”
And he isn’t an opera buff. If you’re wondering why that matters, it’s because Levitov is one of the most influential men in chess: President of the Russian Chess Federation Board, a FIDE Vice President and part of the new Foundation for Modernisation. He gave his verdict on the current state of chess.
Ilyumzhinov: Gaddafi “an amateur who knows how the pieces move”
This morning, while being driven through Libya, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov gave a live interview to the Echo of Moscow radio station. He expressed no regret over yesterday’s meeting with Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, saying “it’s nonsense when people demand he goes”.
Ilyumzhinov plays chess with Gaddafi
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has just announced he held a two-hour meeting today in Tripoli with the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Libya is currently in a state of civil war, with NATO and allies engaged in bombing raids, and Gaddafi himself accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Levitov on the collapse of the London match
In an interview published today, Ilya Levitov, a FIDE Vice President and the man in charge of the Russian Chess Federation, explains why he believes the plans to hold a World Championship match in London broke down, and also reveals details of the next World Championship cycle.
Vassily Ivanchuk: I can still become World Champion
Vassily Ivanchuk’s stunning win in Gibraltar reminded us all of his enormous chess talent, while his recent long interview with the Ukrainian Zaxid.net addressed the missing piece of the jigsaw – why is it that a genius like Ivanchuk has failed to mount a serious World Championship challenge?
Voices from Kalmykia
For all the attention devoted to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as FIDE President, his role as Head of the Republic of Kalmykia remains more of a mystery. Daria Aslamova’s recent two-part report offered a fascinating glimpse into everyday life in the small steppe republic.
Making a drama out of a crisis
Worries over the state of preparations for the World Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk have recently made the headlines, but surely the strangest report appeared on the local Ugra Inform website. Their decision to transcribe the conversation during FIDE Vice President Israel Gelfer’s inspection quite literally made a drama out of a crisis.
Karjakin on Nakamura (Crestbook interview)
Karjakin’s Q&A session at Crestbook was fairly unremarkable apart from his outspoken description of Nakamura’s behaviour at the ICC.
Gelfand on computers and FIDE
After his win in the FIDE World Cup Gelfand gave a long and fascinating interview to Yury Yakovich at Chesspro.
