ANATOLY KARPOV CANDIDATE FOR FIDE PRESIDENT IN MAY 2010

TWELVE-TIME WORLD CHESS CHAMPION GM Anatoly Karpov will challenge incumbent World Chess Federation (FIDE) president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov for the highest post in this May 2010 FIDE election.

Also eyeing for the FIDE president post are Dutch businessman Bessel Kok and French organizer Leo Battesti.

“It is necessary to restore order,” Karpov said in an interview of Russian news agency SarInform over the weekend. “The problems with the World Championship, the calendar, changes of decisions, changes during a cycle, this didn’t happen before. Besides, the prestige of the World Champion should return to its old level.”

Ilyumzhinov, an ally and confidante of two Filipinos—FIDE emeritus Florencio “Pocamps” Campomanes and FIDE delegate Casto “Toti” Abundo, also the president of Kalmykia, Republic.

It shall be recalled, another ex-world champion Garry Kasparov, arch-rival of Karpov also seek higher post in Russian politics when the former challenge Prime Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in President post. In the end, the semi-retire Kasparov decided not to run few years ago. Kasparov, presently one of the coach/ trainer of world no.1 young chess wizard GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO