Kasparov vs Ilyumzhinov: the FIDE Presidency battle begins

[Paolo Casaschi]

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ckets.html

Both sides seem to have had last minute problems with their tickets.

What was the last minute problem with Kirsan's ticket?

[Roger de Coverly]

What was the last minute problem with Kirsan's ticket?

There's this story about the Philippines

http://www.fidexfiles.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... pines.html

[Paolo Casaschi]

What was the last minute problem with Kirsan's ticket?

There's this story about the Philippines

http://www.fidexfiles.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... pines.html

Thanks, I missed that one!

[NickFaulks]

The Philippines Chess Federation has for some time looked like an Asian version of the ECF - perhaps more accurately, the other way around. I felt that the FIDE leadership would have been well advised to stay clear of both, but the Campo legacy is still considered very important.

[Mick Norris]

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ckets.html

Both sides seem to have had last minute problems with their tickets.

Kirsan has 56 nominations - how many more votes is he likely to need?

[Angus French]

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ckets.html
Both sides seem to have had last minute problems with their tickets.

Kirsan has 56 nominations - how many more votes is he likely to need?

Nigel Short reckons many of the Federations which nominated Kirsan will vote for Garry. Does anyone understand the logic?

[Stewart Reuben]

Allegedly in 1994 Rupert Jones was offered by Campo $500 for his vote. He declined. We advised him to take the money and then vote as he wished as it was by secret ballot. That was the first time it was done by secret ballot. David Jarrett was the first person to post his vote by secret ballot.
Years later a polling booth was introduced.
Allegedly then people were expected to take their mobile phones into the booth and photo and send the image of their voting paper. This was in order to receive their agreed bribe.
This year electronic devices will not be allowed in the polling booth.

If you could extract valuable promises, or tangible benefits, for nominating Kirsan or Garry, might you not be tempted?

Also, of course Nigel would say that, which does not make him wrong.

Kirsan attaches a great deal of importance to being re-elected. Otherwise he would lose face. As a Buddhist, this would be deeply distressing.
If Kirsan is re-elected I am sure he will offer Garry a vice-presidency. Karpov refused this, but he holds some special post.

[Paolo Casaschi]

If Kirsan is re-elected I am sure he will offer Garry a vice-presidency.

How ironic: a VP offer to the guy that sued FIDE for creating too many VP seats!

[NickFaulks]

I'm sure that Kasparov will be offered some position. If any attempt were made to smuggle Leong back, I hope and believe there would be a palace revolt.

Betting would make this more interesting. The win/loss market is of course closed, but an over/under would work. My guess is that compared with 2010 Kasparov will gain about the ten he's bought in Asia and drop a similar number in Africa, so little net swing. Of course, voting is secret so the breakdown will never be known for sure. Another bet might be whether he will withdraw before the vote, as he did in Tallinn.

[Paolo Casaschi]

The win/loss market is of course closed

Could you explain that for those of us that do not have much of a clue at this point?

[NickFaulks]

The win/loss market is of course closed

Could you explain that for those of us that do not have much of a clue at this point?

Kasparov needs to change a lot of votes from the way they went in 2010, and apart from the Leong 10 they are hard to identify. African chess has come along quite well in the past four years and, rightly or wrongly, there is a widespread view that FIDE can take some credit for that.

[Stewart Reuben]

>If any attempt were made to smuggle Leong back, I hope and believe there would be a palace revolt.<

Presumably he would get a draw if back in a third time, counting 1996 as the first. Perhaps I should have a bet, taking the position that Leong will weasel his way back in. Then, if I win money, I will have hedged my bet.

Did Karpov get many votes in Africa? Everybody I met was openly contemptuous of the effort. Kasparov has been much more active this time, even if he isn't successful.

[Chris Rice]

I was reading on the Chessdom site that comparing the numbers to the 2010 elections, the Ilyumzhinov team had reached a similar level now, as back then three months before the voting 60 nations were supporting the current president. Given that currently 56 nations have endorsed Kirsan I guess we can expect a broadly similar result to 2010.

[JustinHorton]

Allegedly in 1994 Rupert Jones was offered by Campo $500 for his vote. He declined. We advised him to take the money and then vote as he wished as it was by secret ballot.

This is a joke, right?

[NickFaulks]

Allegedly in 1994 Rupert Jones was offered by Campo $500 for his vote. He declined. We advised him to take the money and then vote as he wished as it was by secret ballot.

This is a joke, right?

Which part would be the joke? I have always stated quite clearly that I would be happy to accept bribes from anyone, and they would not affect my behaviour in any way. For some reason, nobody has ever offered me a bribe.

There was a story in Khanty that a delegate had been sent home in disgrace after being caught taking bribes from both sides. I don't know whether any of it was true, but it amused me because

a) if you've been bribed by both sides, have you been bribed at all?, and

b) Kasparov's team was publicising this as proof positive that Kirsan's side was corrupt, and theirs wasn't.