RCF President Andrei Filatov elected as FIDE VP

Filatov, 42, ran for the seat of the vice president as an independent candidate and was the first Russian to make a bid for the post since the democratic voting procedure was announced at FIDE.

In an interview with ChessDom chess news website late last month, Filatov said that his main goal, if elected for the post of FIDE vice president, would be to promote the global role of chess and to create the so-called ‘Chess Diplomacy.’

“The language of chess is universal and is understood on all the continents. It contributes to fostering stronger relations between nations and can teach tolerance, fair play and respect for one’s opponent. Chess is an important part of the world’s culture. I have no doubt that together we can achieve outstanding success in developing the game and even in creating so-called ‘chess diplomacy’, which would promote mutual understanding among people and countries,” he was quoted by the website as saying at that time.

Filatov was elected the president opf the Russian Chess Federation on February 1, 2014, replacing Arkady Dvorkovich, who currently occupies the post of the Russian vice prime minister.

Three month later the Russian Chess Federation unanimously voted to nominate Filatov as its candidate for the post of FIDE’s vice president.

Filatov’s compatriot Kirsan Ilyumzhinov holds the post of FIDE president. Russian businessman and longtime FIDE President Ilyumzhinov was reelected to this post on Monday beating former world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

Ilyumzhinov won 110 votes while Grandmaster Kasparov was supported by 61 FIDE members.

The 52-year-old FIDE president, who headed the federation since 1995, promised to seek the introduction of chess in the program of Winter Olympics.

In 2010, Ilyumzhinov faced a similar challenge by another former world champion, Anatoly Karpov, Kasparov’s long-time rival.

Source: http://en.itar-tass.com