FIDE 2022 election campaigns heat up!

“With all my personal respect to all the member federations and commitment to the idea of the global promotion of chess, I reckon that all the member federations should not have the same voting power in electing FIDE governing bodies. It is unfair that a federation comprising ten rated players total has the same one vote as a federation comprising thousands and having more than 100 players with ELO 2400+”

~ Andrii Baryshpolets

I read Andrii’s Facebook post. It is heavily politicized and I understand his sentiment, but the above statement will result in serious pushback. Yes, a nation of ten has the same vote, but not the same power and influence. What he is proposing is an undemocratic system where the rich and powerful nations will have most of the decision-making authority. There are brilliant people in these small federations who understand chess affairs keenly and are huge contributors. FIDE committees and commissions are full of them. One nation-one vote makes candidates pay attention to all federations, large and small. What Andrii is describing is a chess oligarchy which seems to be the opposite of what he is seeking. How can he honestly rally the support of all nations, but then disenfranchise the majority at the same time?

Statement by GM Andrii Barsyhpolets (26 April 2022)

Dear FIDE Council and the Global Chess Community,

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for all the support provided by FIDE to Ukrainian chess players and for efforts to preserve the unity of FIDE and respect basic human rights.

We all have different ratings, titles, playing styles, as well as knowledge and understanding of basic chess endgames. What unites us is love and passion for chess. By means of this letter, I would like to bring to your attention a broader perspective on the endgame that cannot be found in the Nalimov tablebase yet is very important for understanding the current situation around FIDE.

It is not clear when the tournament started, though the contours of this particular game can be delineated. The Cold War ended along with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 15 Soviet Republics became independent. The paths of purification from communism and building new societies have been noticeably different for all fifteen. Since the scoresheet cannot accommodate all the moves, I mostly focus on the milestones of the modern history of the biggest player – the Russian Federation, without compromising the transmission of the game’s essence and its relevance to FIDE.

The very first moves were tragic – the Transnistria War, the War in Abkhazia, the First Chechen War. Development of a democratic post-communist society was idiosyncratic: shelling of the Russian White House in 1993, the assassinations of journalists including Vladyslav Listyev (arguably the most popular of his time), the merging of gangs with local authorities, the rise of oligarchs, and the financial crisis in 1998. From the very beginning, Russia struggled to establish a democratic and progressive society and on the 9th of August 1999, the president of Russia Boris Yeltsin publicly announced a former KGB agent Vladimir Putin as his successor. What followed was also terrifying. War crimes in the Second Chechen War, Kursk, assassinations of Anna Politkovskaya and Alexander Lytvynenko in London, Munich Speech – all these events most clearly attested to the complete disregard for human life and human rights by the rising Putin’s regime.

Often coaches say a middlegame begins when most of the pieces are developed and the kings get less vulnerable. Short-sided castle putin-medvedev was followed by the invasion of Georgia. Inside Russia, rigging elections became a norm and the notion of “unsanctioned rally” became common and routine.

Feeling impunity, the regime extended its crimes on a larger international scale – annexation of Crimea, invasion of the Eastern part of Ukraine (“they are not there”), MH17, invasion and war crimes in Syria. Besides political homicides, assassinations attempts and imprisonments inside Russia (most notorious victims are Boris Nemtsov, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Kara-Murza), Putin’s regime continued launching spy attacks abroad: the explosion of the ammunition depot in the Czech Republic, interference in the US elections, chemical weapon poisonings of in Salisbury and Bulgaria, assassination in Berlin. All these crimes were generously backend with lies, domestic and abroad propaganda, bribing unscrupulous western politicians and journalists, and all-around supporting authoritarian regimes around the world.

It is worth mentioning that similar processes were unfolding in Belarus since the election of Lukashenka in 1994. The total terror has been persistent all through “Europe’s last dictator” reign – from uninvestigated disappearances of people in the 90s (Hanchar, Zakharenko, and many more) to the self-proclaimed presidency in August 2020. Over less than the past two years, we have witnessed imprisonments of Tikhanovsky, Babaryka, and Kalesnikava, tortures in Okrestina, inflicted asylum seekers crisis on the Belarus–European Union border, hijacking the Ryanair plane with Protasevich aboard, and many other crimes.

On February 24, 2022, Putin declared a “special military operation” to “denazify” Ukraine. Peter Svidler, eight-time Russian champion, wrote in Twitter: “Silence made today possible. #No war”. According to the United Nations, as of April 20, nearly 5.1 million refugees have fled Ukraine since February 24. Nearly 7.7 million people have been internally displaced. There are numerous reported and documented occasions of shelling of civil infrastructure (including hospitals, schools, residential buildings, etc.) execution of civilians, rapes, and looting by Russian soldiers. On March 2, 2022, FIDE arbiter and chess coach Oleksiy Druzhynets died after being seriously wounded by invaders. On April 6, In Kherson Russian occupiers kidnapped the father of International Master Ruslan Kurayan.

As Garry Kasparov mentioned in TED Talk: “The evil grows back at the cracks of our apathy”[1]. The evil has not been stopped in the opening nor in the middlegame. Only the heroic resistance of Ukrainian people in the beginning of the endgame drew the proper attention to the systematic crimes of Putin’s regime. The sanctions are being imposed on all the levels – from the governments and corporations to various organizations and individuals. No matter when the war in Ukraine ends, Putin’s regime is doomed for a steep collapse. Indeed, Putin chose the wrong side of history.

What does FIDE have to do with this game? Is there anything wrong that FIDE is still run by a high-ranked Russian politician? To remind, in 2008-2012, Arkady Dvorkovich was an Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and in 2012-2018 was Deputy Prime Minister in Dmitry Medvedev’s Cabinet.

Zurab Azmaiparashvili, president of the European Chess Union, in his interview to the Mother Jones[2] said: “Arkady not only loves chess very much…but he is also a very progressive and peaceful person”. Arkady might seem peaceful and progressive, but his longtime Kremlin patrons are not. Here are a few excerpts from Arkady’s statement from March 15: “I am sincerely proud of the courage of our soldiers, who at all times defended their Motherland and freedom… Today, Russia continues to live under harsh but senseless sanctions… I cannot respect foreign companies that have left the Russian market”[3]

In his comment to Chess.com, GM Nigel Short, FIDE vice president said: “I want to stress that Arkady is the best FIDE president we’ve had in decades.”[4] While it is difficult to disagree, it feels necessary to remind that, between 1995 and 2022, the second-best (and the only!) was Kirsan Illyumzhinov. Aside from being the FIDE president for 23 years, he is best known for being 1) the President of the Republic of Kalmykia in the Russian Federation from 1993 to 2010; 2) sanctioned in 2015 for his ties to the Syrian government; 3) according to himself, in 1997 was abducted by… the aliens. Let’s also mention a less remembered fact that an advisor to Ilyumzhinov, was convicted in the murder of Larisa Yudina, a publisher of an opposition newspaper. She was stabbed to death in Elista on June 8, 1998. Ilyumzhinov denied any involvement with the murder; the incident was investigated by the local and the Russian authorities.

Emil Sutovsky, FIDE Director General, tries to persuade his Facebook audience that “FIDE does not live on Russian money”. On contrary, the FIDE’s audited financial statements[5] and the list of partners of the major FIDE events suggest that FIDE DOES live on Russian money: Phosagro, Kaspersky, Gazprom, Sima-land, Gazprombank, Sberbank, Otkrytie Bank, ALRUD, Nornickel, Russian Railways, Rosatom, etc. (the list is too long). Only a handful of companies outside of Russia are eager to partner with FIDE. Apparently, FIDE’s reputation deters the corporate world from partnership. Given all the potential chess has (rapidly growing youth and collegiate, booming in online chess, increasing interest in mass culture), FIDE opportunities could have been many times larger.

On February 16, a week before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Arkady Dvorkovich presented trophies and medals to the winners and prize-winners of the tournament among Russian armed forces.[6] This occasion and the aforementioned statement from March 15, as well as maintaining FIDE Presidency by Arkady Dvorkovich in general, breaches the FIDE Code of Ethics articles 2.2.2 and 2.2.11.[7] Moreover, being a representative of an aggressor country, Dvorkovich cannot properly serve his functions stated in the FIDE Charter articles 18.2-18.3.[8]
Unfortunately, the cracks of apathy in the global chess community have been too wide for a long time. FIDE has been occupied by Kremlin for at least the past 27 years. It breaches FIDE Charter articles 4.1-4.2.[9] We all got used to seeing how Kirsan gets re-elected all over again. Now Arkady, despite all the damage to the FIDE reputation his presidency brings, declares to run for re-election. It seems his fear of the Kremlin is greater than his sympathy for chess.

This systematic error of re-election and the practical impossibility to elect a FIDE President that would serve the interests of the global chess community, not one single federation, became possible due to the FIDE electoral rules. With all my personal respect to all the member federations and commitment to the idea of the global promotion of chess, I reckon that all the member federations should not have the same voting power in electing FIDE governing bodies. It is unfair that a federation comprising ten rated players total has the same one vote as a federation comprising thousands and having more than 100 players with ELO 2400+.[10] Such a distortive electoral system has been leading to the election of a President that does not represent the will of the majority of chess players. Unlike chess, this is not a zero-sum game. A transparent and fair election of FIDE management would benefit all the member federations. A reputable and transparent FIDE is more attractive for partnerships, which ultimately brings more financial and reputational benefits to all.

FIDE has to change. FIDE will change. The necessary actions to remedy the reputation and mitigate risks to the current financial stability of FIDE are the following:

1) Arkady Dvorkovich has to be removed from the FIDE Presidency. The Deputy President, Bachar Kouatly shall assume the powers and responsibilities of the President until the new elections, according to the FIDE Charter articles 19.2-19.3.[11] Sign the petition to facilitate the process – https://www.change.org/RemoveDvorkovichFromFide
2) The Global Chess Community is united against the war[12] and FIDE shall support this position with the strongest means possible, according to the FIDE Charter 4.3.[13] The FIDE website should display “For peace – ?? ???”. The same writing should occur on the official websites and playing venues of the upcoming Candidates Tournament, the 44th Chess Olympiad, and other official FIDE events.
3) FIDE Council should initiate an open and comprehensive discussion with all the member federations regarding the changes in the electoral rules. A new electoral procedure that has the highest chances of being supported by the majority of the member federations shall be found and recommended for approval during the next General Assembly.[14]

Gens Una Sumus

GM Andrii Baryshpolets

[1] https://www.chess.com/…/kasparov-ted-talk-russia-war…
[2] https://www.motherjones.com/…/chess-grandmasters-putin…/
[3] https://sk.ru/…/zayavlenie-predsedatelya-fonda…/
[4] https://www.chess.com/…/dvorkovich-in-tight-spot-as…
[5] https://www.fide.com/financial
[6] https://ruchess.ru/…/v_tsdsh_zavershilsya_otkrytyy…/…
[7] FIDE Code of Ethics:
2.2.2 Office bearers who through their behavior no longer inspire the necessary confidence or have in other ways become unworthy of trust.
2.2.11 Any conduct likely to injure or discredit the reputation of FIDE, its events, organizers, participants, sponsors or that will enhance the goodwill which attaches to the same.
[8] FIDE Charter:
18.2 The President shall aim to foster a positive image of FIDE and to ensure that FIDE’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values, as defined by the General Assembly and by the Council, are protected and advanced.
18.3 The President shall seek to maintain and develop good relations between and among FIDE Member Federations, Affiliated Members, International Olympic Committee, other International Sports Federations, political bodies and international organisations.
[9] FIDE Charter:
4.1 FIDE is a democratically established and fully independent organisation, based on the principle of equal rights of its members.
4.2 FIDE preserves the autonomy of chess and sport.
[10] https://ratings.fide.com/top_federations.phtml
FIDE Electoral Rules effective from 29 December 2021:
3.1 Each Member Federation represented in the General Assembly and in the assemblies of FIDE Continents has one vote.
[11] FIDE Charter:
19.2 If the President is temporarily prevented from performing official functions, the Deputy President shall assume the powers and responsibilities of the President.
19.3 If the President is permanently incapacitated or has been temporarily substituted for a period longer than 6 months, the Council must convene new elections in the General Assembly that has to be organised in the year of next Chess Olympiad, and the mandate of all members of the Council is concluded after them.
Art. 20 The Council
20.1 The Council is the strategic and oversight body of FIDE, it has executive and legislative functions and exercises the powers listed below.
20.2 The Council:
d) defines FIDE’s mission, strategic direction and policies, in particular with regard to the organisation and development of chess at worldwide level and all related matters;
j) resolves on all matters not otherwise and explicitly reserved to another body by this Charter
[12] https://www.motherjones.com/…/chess-grandmasters-putin…/, https://www.chess.com/…/ukrainian-chess-players-to-ecu…, https://www.chess.com/…/stop-the-war-44-top-russian…
[13] FIDE Charter:
4.3 FIDE is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.
[14] FIDE Charter:
17.2 The General Assembly:
a) approves and modifies the FIDE Charter, with a majority of two thirds of valid votes of those Members Federations present, without considering abstentions;
b) approves and modifies By-laws, Ethics and Disciplinary Code, Electoral Rules, Financial Rules, Rules on Laws of Chess and Zonal Council Rules, by simple majority;