Karpov America and Caribbean tour

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KARPOV2010 Campaign for Presidency of the World Chess Federation Kicks Off World Tour
First Stop in Central America to Promote and Popularize Chess, Raise Visibility for the Campaign
2010-06-21 16:57:08

NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwire) — 06/21/10 — The Karpov2010 Campaign : today announced it is kicking off a world tour designed to promote and popularize the game of chess throughout the world. The tour, which kicked off June 17, 2010 with stops throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean, will also raise visibility for the Karpov campaign for the presidency of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

The candidates, Anatoly Karpov and Richard Conn, Jr., will be joined on the tour by thirteenth world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. The group will make stops throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, Peru, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, and Honduras to meet with regional FIDE representatives.

• The tour schedule is as follows:
  • June 17, 2010 — San Juan, Puerto Rico to meet with representatives of the local and Caribbean Chess Federation
  • June 21, 2010 — Lima, Peru
  • June 23, 2010 — Costa Rica
  • June 24, 2010 — Nassau, Bahamas and Tegucigalpa, Honduras to meet with the leaders of many Central American and Caribbean federations.
• The twelfth world chess champion, Anatoly Karpov, is running for President of the FIDE with Richard A. Conn Jr. as his Deputy President. If they win, it will be the first time an American has held such a high position in FIDE. The vote will take place during the biennial chess Olympiad in September 2010.
• To date, the Karpov2010 campaign has attracted great support worldwide, including the endorsement of two dozen chess federations, including Russia, USA, Germany, Spain, France, England, Egypt, Angola, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. For more information, or to get involved in the campaign, go to www.karpov2010.org.
• The campaign has attracted global media attention beyond the chess community due to complex political dimensions, especially in Russia. This report in the New York Times has more details on what has become a proxy battle between the old methods and reformers pushing for increased transparency and democracy.

“We encourage all the presidents, delegates and representatives of chess federations to join us to discuss how we can further the advancement of chess throughout the Latin American region,” said Anatoly Karpov. “We are committed to furthering unity and open communication between all the chess federations and this tour is an important step in promoting and popularizing chess throughout the world.”

The Candidates:

Anatoly Karpov is a multiple former World Chess Champion. He was classical world champion from 1975 to 1985, played three more matches for the title from 1986 to 1990, then was FIDE World Champion from 1993 to 1999. For his decades-long standing among the world’s elite, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time. His tournament successes include over 160 first-place finishes.

Richard A. Conn Jr. is an international lawyer, formerly an equity partner at Latham & Watkins, who now serves as Strategic Advisor to DLA Piper, the world’s leading international law firm. As Managing Director of Conn International Group LLC, a financial and legal advisory firm, Mr. Conn is also active in private equity.

DISCLAIMER: Pegasystems is a corporate sponsor of the KARPOV2010 campaign.