FIDE Presidential Election: Hmm

You say you haven't given a thought about the upcoming FIDE presidential elections?  You think Karpov and Ilyumzhinov are both poor choices?  Whatever your view of the importance of the election, allow yourself a moment to be entertained by some loosely related happenings.  See this article at ChessVibes; you can follow up with your favorite search engine if you're inclined.

FIDE Elections: Russia Reported to Support Ilyumzhinov

ChessVibes reports that Russia will support incumbent Ilyumzhinov for President of the FIDE in the upcoming election.  Russian support is of great importance in any given year, but particularly so when both of the candidates are Russian.  The other candidate is of course former World Champion Karpov, whom the USCF has endorsed.

USCF Endorses Karpov

The USCF has endorsed the ticket of Karpov and Conn for FIDE leadership in the upcoming election.  The U.S. is one of, at last count, 158 voting member countries. 

Karpov is a former World Champion, and Russian, dominating the game between Fischer and Kasparov.  Conn is a U.S. citizen and an international lawyer with strong ties to Moscow.  He is fluent in Russian.


They face off against Ilyumzhinov, the current FIDE President, who is also President of the Republic of Kalmykia of the Russian Federation, and his deputy, Makropoulos, who runs the day-to-day affairs of the FIDE.