Ilyumzhinov resigns as President of Kalmykia

[Sean Hewitt]

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is to step down as President of Kalmykia to focus solely on developing chess around the world as President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6659

Discuss!

[Simon Spivack]

There has been some talk of this before in the Russian press. Retaining the presidency of FIDE supposedly being a consolation prize. Let us hope that he does not remain the puppet master in Kalmykia.

[John Upham]

Hopefully, he will be out of two jobs rather than just one!

[Simon Spivack]

There is an online article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... areer.html .

The print edition of the paper has a slightly different version in which Kalmykia is compared to Scotland. Can one infer that Alex Salmond conspires with aliens and intends to become the President of FIDE?

[Paul McKeown]

Alex Salmond would be infinitely preferable to the current murderous bizarro. You may not agree with Salmond's politics at all, but, nevertheless, he
a) does not have his opponents run out of town or murdered
b) does not pay bribes to secure his re-election
c) does not believe in alien visitation
d) does not belief that Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Saddam Hussein were good leaders for their countries
e) does not pauperise his people to pay for his henchmen, yes men and hangers on or to fund ridiculous vanity projects
f) does not ignore every contract that he ever signed

There is nothing good to be said about Ilyumzhinov whatsoever. He is simply a clown, a brutal thug and an a**hole who has sucked the life out of international chess. The sooner he is gone the better.

As even the Kremlin is sick of the man's vanity, stupidity, delusion and incompetence, and he has been told to hop it pronto, I cannot see how he will have the funds to secure the FIDE presidency next time around, even if he does manage yet again to brown envelope his way in this time.

To Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, as we used to say in the school yard years ago in Northern Ireland, "up your hole with a big jam roll."

[Angus French]

There has been some talk of this before in the Russian press. Retaining the presidency of FIDE supposedly being a consolation prize. Let us hope that he does not remain the puppet master in Kalmykia.

Simon, you don't mean to imply that it's within someone's gift to award the post of FIDE President, do you?

[Simon Spivack]

There has been some talk of this before in the Russian press. Retaining the presidency of FIDE supposedly being a consolation prize. Let us hope that he does not remain the puppet master in Kalmykia.

Simon, you don't mean to imply that it's within someone's gift to award the post of FIDE President, do you?

The allegation has been made that the position has been purchased in the past. Many believe it to be true. So yes, in practice it can be gifted.