The FIDE / UEP public dispute

Josef Resch: “I am ready to resume negotiations with FIDE”

The UEP President Josef Resch is a successful businessman, who without a doubt can take four million Euros out of his pocket as a guarantee for the World Championship cycle. Not only does Resch passionately love chess, but he is most probably the only chess patron and philanthropist left in the world. In Mukachevo in Western Ukraine, where his parents come from, he uses his money to create a chess school for children. He finances matches with leading players, and has organized tournaments in Moscow.

However, our talk with the UEP President was not about his achievements in chess, but the “failure” in his company’s negations with FIDE in the matter of the organisation of the World Championship cycle 2010-2011.

You can read the full interview with UEP President Josef Resch here.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: “It is not the size of the logo, it’s the principle”

Before speaking to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on the fate of the World Championship cycle 2010-2011, I would like to know – is it true that during the negotiations with UEP such grave controversies came into play that new partners had to be sought as well as other venues, in order to accommodate the candidates tournament 2010, and the World Championship match 2011?

In his response to my question the FIDE President hinted that what is important for him is not to have brilliant conditions for the organization of the world championship, as witnessed in Bonn, and not a very big prize fund. It is the principle that is important – which is that when FIDE gives the right to organize the most important chess calendar events to someone, it is not going to stay in the shadow, and intends to remain an equal partner and to supervise in details the important, from its point of view, moments of the tournament organization.

Here is the response from FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.