(1511) FIDE Presidential Board Ask Kirsan To Resign (TBN-April 16, 2018)

FIRST CANDIDATE TO DECLARE F.I.DE. PRESIDENT CANDIDACY

                  Georgios Makropoulos, sitting in the middle, is the first to announce his candidacy for FIDE President during the 1^st Quarter Presidential Board Meeting. Geoffrey Borg, standing 2^nd from left, and Toti Abundo, standing 4^th from left, has been to Palau in Jan. 2014 to campaign for incumbent FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, whose been asked to resign by the PB Board by 14 to 1 vote with no abstentions. According to Jamie Kenmure, Sheik Sultan of UAE will also run for FIDE President.                         (Photo from FIDE website www.fide.com)

      F. I. D. E. Presidential Board

          Ask Kirsan to Resign

           During the FIDE Presidential Board Meeting held in Minsk, Belarus, the Board was also able to persuade the Saudi authorities to grant visas to Iranian and Qatari players. Unfortunately, it became clear only at the last day that visas were not going to be granted to Israeli players. He advised that in January, he had had talks with the Israeli Chess Federation about the situation and had come to an agreement with them. FIDE was continuing to speak with the Organizers to ensure that all participants would be able to get visas in future. He advised the PB that FIDE was now in a sound financial position and had built up reserves by cutting unnecessary expenses. 

          He advised that the situation was becoming very nasty and personal and that, together with Prof. Adrian Siegel, Zurab Azmaiparashvili and Geoffrey Borg, he was referring Mr. Ilyumzhinov, Willy Icklicki, Lewis Ncube, Berik Balgabaev and Silvio Danailov to the Ethics Commission for spreading lies and defamatory statements.

          The PB then discussed the situation regarding the FIDE bank accounts. Prof. Adrian Siegel, the FIDE Treasurer and Nigel Freeman, the FIDE Executive Director brought the PB up to date on the severe problems caused by the request of FIDE’s bankers that they would close our accounts on 30th April, 2018 because of the fact that the FIDE President is on the US Sanctions list. They advised that despite meetings with senior management of the bank, whilst they extended the deadline from the original 28th February, 2018 to 30th April, 2018, they were unwilling to extend until the FIDE elections on 3rd October, 2018, when the matter would be solved. 

          They also advised that they had approached many other banks both in Switzerland and outside and had met with several they all said they were willing to have FIDE as client they were unable to do so whilst its President was on the US sanctions list. The PB recognized the dire operational situation FIDE was in because the President was under US Sanctions and passed the following resolution to ask the President to resign by 14 votes to 1 with no abstentions: Dear Kirsan ---The Presidential Board has resolved: In the light of:

 a) The imminent withdrawal of FIDE’s banking facilities by UBS, 

b) The inability of FIDE to obtain replacement banking facilities while you remain nominal President and 

c) subject to US Treasury Department sanctions, d) The consequent severe difficulties facing FIDE in funding its obligations and its commitments to the chess family, e) The adverse publicity that reflects badly on FIDE’s reputation and undermines the confidence of all those who are or would be involved in chess, that in the interests of the organization: 

You should resign with immediate effect. 

Signed: 

Makropoulos, Georgios Deputy President; 

Tolentino, Abraham General Secretary;
Fierro, Martha Vice President 

Siegel, Adrian Treasurer; 

Bastian, Herbert Vice President 

Kambuzia, Mohammed Vice President; 

Marinello, Beatriz Vice President;

 Sundar, D.V. Vice President
Al-Hitmi, Khalifa Vice President; 

Gelfer, Israel Vice President; 

Kutin, Boris Vice President
Tulay, Gulkiz Vice President; 

Ochoa, Javier Hon. Vice President;

 Ramirez, Mario Hon. Vice President
Vega, Jorge President of Americas;

 Azmaiparashvili, Zurab President of ECU

The PB discussed the various FIDE offices and resolved to close the Moscow Office as soon as possible.

The PB then discussed the various FIDE events and were brought up to date with the situation regarding the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, in September, the World Championship match in London in November and the Women’s World Championship match in China in May.

       During the meeting, Georgios Makropoulos, the Deputy President advised that he had been approached by the majority of the Presidential Board and many delegates asking him to run for President to sort out the present problems and ensure stability in FIDE. Therefore he announced his candidacy for FIDE President at the forthcoming elections in Batumi on 3rd October, 2018.

          Solution to last week’s puzzle No. 4378: 1. …Qxe3+!! 2. Kxe3 Bh6+ 3. Kd3 Rd2#

     This week’s puzzle No. 4435: Black to move and mates in 3 (Solution next issue)

Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez

               Tia Belau Newspaper

               Pages 9 & 11

               Volume 27

               Issue 28

               April 16, 2018

              Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)

              The Beginning of Chess in Palau

              By Roberto Hernandez

              Soon to be published as a book

             Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez

             Tia Belau Newspaper

             March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013

             http://palau-chess.blogspot.com

             April 25, 2013 -- April 16, 2018

             The History of Chess in Palau

             By Roberto Hernandez

             June 09, 2018