Disclaimer: As a matter of fairness, I will publish articles, letters, and information from both parties when I receive them.
June 18, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As our supporters continue to come forward, we unite for world chess with, “One World. One Vision.”.
We are very grateful to all of the National Federations, who have openly declared their support for our campaign! Together we can achieve a better future for world chess.
In the past, this spirit of unity has resulted in not only a mobilized and productive chess community with full involvement of Federations, players, organizers, arbiters, and trainers but also a unified world title and an undisputed World Champion.
All that FIDE stands for, all that FIDE has achieved is now brutally attacked by our opponents who are trying to distort the true image of FIDE in a desperate attempt to secure some votes.
“I invite all national federations to join me and my team, not only in order to win the next elections but also to cure and restore, immediately afterwards, what Anatoly Karpov today is damaging with his campaign.” – FIDE President: Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
A wave of more federations supporting Kirsan is expected in the next few weeks and all electoral developments will be published on the official website of Kirsanʼs campaign: www.onefide.com.
1. Argentina
2. Bermuda
3. Bolivia
4. Brazil
5. Brunei
6. Cameroon
7. Colombia
8. Dominican Republic
9. Ecuador
10. Gabon
11. Ghana
12. Greece
13. Guatemala
14. Haiti
15. Honduras
16. Kenya
17. Kuwait
18. Kyrgyzstan
19. Libya
20. Madagascar
21. Mauritania
22. Mali
23. Malta
24. Mexico
25. Nepal
26. Panama
27. Paraguay
28. Qatar
29. Russia
30. Sierra Leone
31. Singapore
32. Sudan
33. Tajikistan
34. Tunisia
35. Turkey
36. Uruguay
37. US Virgin Islands
38. Venezuela
39. Yemen
40. Zambia
Gens Una Sumus!
“One World. One Vision.”
Thanks to the USCF and a totally corrupt and incompetent Executive Board, headed by Bill Goichberg, Karpov has zero chance to win this election.
The USCF is just a part of a big problem for him. But Kasparov and Short have no credibility running FIDE at all. They’re the one who destroyed FIDE and the world championship cycle. Short is also an obnoxious punk. Bringing them on board also is bad for Karpov.
About time to bury this myth that Ilyumzhinov is trying to create that it is to his credit that the world title was reunified.
In the first place, it took 11 years under his watch. Any REAL leader would have achieved it in a much shorter time.
But let’s look at Ilyumzhinov’s actual record on this issue:
[1] In 1997, Kasparov was quite willing to reunify the title under sensible conditions. But Ilyumzhinov’s insistence on his idiotic system of mini-match knockouts prevented this happening. So that was a 9-year delay due to him.
[2] The Prague agreement of 2002 was another attempt to reunify the title. Under this, the winner of Kramnik-Leko [or Kramnik if the match was drawn] was to play the winner of Kasparov-Ponomariov for the unified title. But as part of the agreement Ilyumzhinov also promised to carry out certain reforms in FIDE.
From day one, Ilyumzhinov reneged on his part of the agreement. This gave Kramnik an excuse (however inadequate this excuse was) to refuse to carry out his part of the agreement [as he indicated straight after his match with Leko when he implied it was very likely that he would refuse to play the winner of a Kasparov-Kasimdzhanov match.]
Also, FIDE’s bullying attitude to Ponomariov helped ensure that Pono refused to play his match with Kasparov, giving Kramnik a further excuse. Although the greater part of Pono’s refusal was his own fault, proper leadership and actions on Ilyumzhinov’s part would probably have seen Pono play.
[3] Topalov’s and FIDE’s agreement to hold a unification match with Kramnik in 2006 was scheming, not act of altruism on their part. They thought Topalov would win easily due to Kramnik’s illness at the time and thus be able to ‘dispose’ of him once and for all.
Kramnik’s dramatic return to form in the 2006 Olympiad, shortly before the match, must have given them a big shock. Thus they hatched ‘Plan B’.
Awarding a default point to Topalov was simply scandalous and Kramnik would have been perfectly justified in walking out of the match. It was only because he didn’t that the title was unified. Ilyumzhinov can take NO CREDIT AT ALL for the title being unified at this stage. It was unified DESPITE him.
[4] Even when unified, the Title was just a plaything for Ilyumzhinov.
He gave Kramnik a totally unjustified, free and unqualified for ‘rematch’ against Anand who won it fair and square at Mexico 2007. There was no such clause when Mexico 2007 was agreed. It was out of the blue.
Only Anand’s forbearance prevented the title being split again.
Then he gave Topalov a totally unjustified, free and unqualified for ‘Candidates Final’ match against a relatively weak opponent.
Ilyumzhinov’s record on this whole issue has been absolutely appalling. It is the utmost hypocrisy by him to claim credit for the unification.
On this issue alone (not to mention many others), he deserves to be voted out big time.
Russia?
lol
Kirsan is old school. His “emperor style” doesn’t belong in a democratic organisation like FIDE.
Kirsan has had his 15 years as FIDE President. Enough is enough.
The job is not his for life, as he seems to believe. Time to move on.
Seems Europe is largely missing in Kirsan’s world.
Long live Kirsan!!