29 March 2017

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: I Am Not Planning To Leave Until The 2018 Elections

The press-conference of FIDE and RCF Presidents took place in Moscow.

The press-conference of FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and RCF President Andrey Filatov took place in the Central House of Chess Player, Moscow, on March 28. The speakers answered numerous questions about the alleged resignation of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

“I continue to work and will run in the 2018 elections”, said Ilyumzhinov. “My opponents are trying to force me to quit by myself, as this is their only chance. However, at the recent FIDE Presidential Board in Athens, I did not sign anything and am not going to. I will not quit voluntarily and will continue acting as FIDE President until the 2018 elections.”

“I think this happened because of me being included into the US sanctions list – certain members of the Presidential Board decided that I am obliged to resign. They want to play this card, but in my opinion it does not affect my capacity as FIDE President. The only consequence of me being under sanctions was that I was unable to come to the World Championship match in New York”, stressed the FIDE President. “However, I have many more tasks and many issues to deal with. This is business as usual.”

RCF President Andrey Filatov declared his support to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and stated his satisfaction with the results of FIDE work.

“I think the 2018 election campaign has already started. Some members of the Presidential Board want to force Ilyumzhinov to resign with this maneuver”, said Mr. Filatov. “This is the only real chance to stripe him of the presidency, so some of his colleagues are putting pressure on him to force a voluntary resignation.”

On March 28, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov sent official letters to all national federations and FIDE Executive Director Nigel Freeman, saying he sees no necessity in holding of an extraordinary board meeting in April.

“I see no reason in wasting money on the extraordinary Presidential Board, throwing away tens of thousands Euro”, said Mr. Ilyumzhinov. “This will not affect anything. The next elections will be held in September, 2018, and I am not planning to leave until that time. This money is better spent in junior chess. Since FIDE President did not sign a resignation letter, the extraordinary Board and its decisions have no legal force.”

Photos by Eteri Kublashvili



Letter to All National Chess Federations

Letter to Mr. Nigel Freeman