TEN YEARS LATER
I'm lucky in some degree. Maybe, this is such job…But nevertheless, for the last decade I spent together with “SE”, I any time appeared in that place of the globe and just in that time, when destinies of one of the most favorite plays of humankind were decided. I was in London and Amsterdam in 1993, when the chess world was divided in two parts and the equal matches in terms of a status (for the world crown) were conducted in two European capitals. Kasparov and Short played in London for the world champion title according to the “PCA version”, Karpov and Timman struggled in Amsterdam for the champion's crown according to the “FIDE version”. Then for the first time the diarchy was taken place in the chess kingdom. Then there was Moscow-94, the 31st World Olympiad, where Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, amiable, alive, full of incredible ideas and possessing by the colossal connections, the 32nd president of the prairie Republic, for the first time appeared and offered to conduct the 33rd chess Olympiad among prairie, in Elista during the Congress, held in Moscow! It was completely crazy idea! Somewhat earlier, in spring of 94, the championship of Russia was held in Elista, and the president of Kalmykia invited me to dinner at his mother's house. Then during our talking he as if casually said: “The Soviet chess school - is the leading in the world. But others control it. It is time the Russian to be in the head. How do you think?” I looked at my collocutor and…praised very tasteful Kalmyk tortellini, which his mother prepared. I thought inwardly: neither the Soviet, nor the former Soviet chess player will be elected. It may be the French, German, Arab, citizen of Philippines, Singapore, the Swiss, Dutch...but not Russian. We all are Russians abroad.
…Nine years later after that dinner, memorable for me, we sit with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov at his multy-room president apartments at the “Grand Hotel Toplitsa”, the most prestigious hotel of Bled. Such grandmasters as Alekhine, Tal, Fischer stopped there. At present - Kasparov. And Ilyumzhinov. The FIDE president Ilyumzhinov, who unanimously was reelected at the general FIDE assembly a day earlier, and the men's team of his country brilliantly won the World Olympiad, dinners with me. Great and luxurious apartments, as Louvre. Large round table, three meters in diameter. Silver ware. Dazzling white table-cloth. Tasteful food. We together with the FIDE president. We both remembered Elista-94. That dinner. That remark. “Did you know then?” - I asked. Ilyumzhinov mysteriously smiled: “Vanga said: See two Kirsans, two presidents”. But it was after our dinner…”
Only incomplete nine years passed from one dinner with Ilyumzhinov, dreaming about the Olympiad in prairie, about the post of the FIDE president, up to another one - with FIDE president, having worked at this post for two terms and reelected for the third term. Ilyumzhinov became by the president at difficult times. At the peak of split, made by Kasparov. So, 9 incompletely years later, Ilumzhinov removed this split. Kasparov himself came to him and offered a peace. Ilyumzhinov waited for a long time. “A man should be ready to the decision”, - he says. Kasparov was ready. But was the chess world ready? In due time the chess world didn't accept agreement between Campomanes and Kasparov. Today, in the sphere of the absolute unanimity, it not only accepted, but also gave the mandate of confidence to the FIDE president for the next four years.
SUBMARINE PART OF ICEBERG
Though I wrote, that choices were non-alternative, I knew not everything. As Ilyumzhinov told me, not everything appeared in the newspaper's pages and not everything was in the Internet sites. A few people know about business of Ilyumzhinov, about what, how he arrived to Paris in the deep night, where the president of the French chess federation Labotier waited for him at the “Novotel” at the Sharl de Goll air port, who was by one of the competitors during choices. They talked up to 4 hours in the morning in Paris. Ilyumzhinov came back to Moscow, and the French in the result removed his candidature. Only at present we know, how the FIDE president arrived to Malaysia, where met with his other competitor - Leong from Singapore. How it was turned out, Leong removed his candidature not because the posts at the new management were promised to him and to his team. Nobody promised something specific to Leong, but Dato Tan Chin, very famous and very rich Asian chess investor and sponsor was by the guarantor of the agreement of Leong and Ilyumzhinov. Just this was by the decisive factor. Some antagonisms between Leong and Ilyumzhinov there were before several hours up to election. But it was managed to redeem and regulate them.
The chess world step by step accustoms to the thought, that stability and calmness are the better than confrontation and non-understanding.
PEOPLE AND COMPUTERS
If you think, that the hungry reporter came to Ilyumzhinov to have dinner, you are mistaken. The FIDE president simply is pressed for time. Everything is filled, each minute. Up to the deep night. I was lucky to ask questions and receive answers during the dinner. I made not the first material about Ilyumzhinov. Every time I speak to him, I know something new. And not only about chess.
For example, we talk about religion. Ilyumzhinov told me, how he restored one temple in Moscow. When the patriarchy Aleksiy II knew, that Ilymzhinov made it secretly, he was surprised and was deeply touched. We speak about the matches “Man - computer”. Kirsan Nikolaevich is going to Jerusalem to know how is the project of the match Kasparov - “Deep Junior”. While there is no clarity - because of the governmental crisis in Israel. The FIDE president says, that FIDE will control any computer, playing chess. Because FIDE takes under it's control these FIDE matches. FIDE developed clear rules of such matches. In order there will be no negotiations concerning suspicious mistakes. Everything should be honest, without any fraud.
Ilyumzhinov knew from me, how hard and poorly lived one famous grandmaster, old man. He at once said to me: “Tell him, that I grant him a personal pension. When does he celebrate his birthday? Though, I'll try to the Christmas…”
So he behaves in everything. During the Olympiad in Bled I spoke to many people of chess sphere. From very different world countries. Rich and poor. They have different confessions. But the single chess confession - Ilyumzhinov. Surprising consensus. All of them are waiting from Kirsan something extraordinary. Kirsan will do, Kirsan will arrange, Kirsan will get money, Kirsan, Kirsan…
I'll open you one secret: absolutely all people in Bled - from the honorable FIDE president Florensio Campomanes up to any participant of any delegation - call Ilyumzhinov simply Kirsan. All of the chess players call him exactly so: Kirsan. Maia Chiburdanidze calls him “Kirsanchik”. By the way, the presentable attributes all the Congress delegates, participants and journalists received, includes such slogan: “KIRSAN TOGETHER WITH FIDE. FIDE TOGETHER WITH KIRSAN”.
DOPE AND OLYMPIC PROSPECTS
Ilyumzhinov conducts a dialogue with an easy smile, I target topic, he develops it. And everything, that seemed to me as a delirium before our meeting, becomes normal. I start understanding, that he “sees a position” further, that this man - is the grandmaster also in policy, including the chess one.
Fresh example. I many times derided many “FIDE leaders”, (of course, including Ilyumzhinov), who make the chess players to be tested on a dope, on the “SE” pages in my column and in my reportages. Ilyumzhinov knows about my journalist provocations very well, but is never offended. He sees benefit in this position. He told me, that chess is already accepted in the program of summer Panasian games of 2004, held in Qatar, in the program of African games, in the games of the Central America, the games of the Mediterranean Sea, games of small states…”As you see, work is going step by step. We don't tell about it everywhere. But step by step we introduce chess everywhere”, - the FIDE president said to me. But this is typical unannounced encroachment! Ilyumzhinov, slyly looking at me, informs some peculiar details, taken from the lobby of this “world chess expansion”. Knowing, that Jack Rogge headed the medical commission of the International Olympic committee before, and knowing how attentively this committee is referred to the dope problem, FIDE everywhere introduces the test on dope. Ilyumzhinov doesn't call the chess players' names, who were tested on a dope during the official FIDE competitions, but confirms, that the world champions were among them. The people from the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee are very delighted by the FIDE players. These medics tell to his former chief - Jack Rogge - about that, the chess players are good boys: they do not use dope (“We cannot discover anything at them!”), and properly to conduct testing. It is necessary simply to see the position, which you want to get at the game's end.
- What did the ancient Greeks, having found the Olympic games, say? They said, that sport - was the harmonic combination of a power and mind. I told to Samaranch earlier, and now speak to Jack Rogge: “The Olympic movement has power. The FIDE chess will give mind.”
In December the meeting with the president of the International Olympic committee, Jack Rogge, is planned for the FIDE president, and in the near future Ilyumzhinov flies to Barcelona to his friend Sanaranch. Everything is not casual. The chess expansion is continuing.
SINGLE RATING - NEW REVOLUTION
The delegates of the FIDE congress kept the revolution offer of their president, which radically changes the situation on professional chess. The speech goes about introduction of a single, unified rating. “Now the world champion title may be decided in the 25-minute rapid-games or even in blitz-game, - Ilyumzhinov says. - So, rating should be also changed with the alteration of the situation, occurred in the chess world! All the great volume of competitions, conducted in the FIDE limits, will be taken into account. By the way, even Kasparov, who has the highest rating, having earned by him mainly in the games with a 7-hour control, agrees, that it is necessary to introduce the unified rating. Though in this case he may also lose his absolute championship, as such chess players as Shirov, play in rapid chess much more than him.”
The favorite brainchild of Ilyumzhinov, as he himself admits, is the new, 3-hour control. In due time the majority of professionals - especially from the elite sphere - negatively perceived the innovation of Ilyumzhinov. Today he receives piles of letters from the chess players of different countries, who keep the 3-hour control. But the president himself sees another final position. Life requires continuing acceleration. The president step by step changes old stereotypes. Though he is not going to interfere, for example, in the regulations Ponomariov - Kasparov. Now Ilyumzhinov acquired the very capable assistant on the commercial part - grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, who possesses by the great diplomatic capabilities and good connections in the world of a big business. As the FIDE president likes to repeat, his main task is included in the fact, that the system may work without him. Though here he underestimates his contribution. Though today during the Congress, Campomanes said, that he achieved much, all of us remember very good, how the Russian chess federation headed by the Andrei Makarov, saved the World chess Olympiad of 1944. As Ilyumzhinov himself saved the match Karpov - Kamsky, which was unnecessary for anybody. No one was interested in chess, and no one wanted to give money…Much was changed with the coming of the new president. Today, as Ilyumzhinov told me, there is no shortage in offers to conduct the World Olympiad of 2006. The Americans compete with the Italians, Hindus want to conduct the Olympiad, Spaniards insist on their country - the choice is the great.
Almost nine years passed since the new president became by the FIDE president, and now there are new horizons all round the world. The fact, that there is the earnest struggle for the receiving of the World Olympiad of 2006, is the characteristic index of stability.
Information on the site: http://www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?58955
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