What do you think of the FIDE president?

Definitely an interesting character.

He sure has done a lot for chess, and as president of Kalmykia (the only mainly Buddhist country in Europe), has helped out one of the poorest portions of Eurasia.

He has declined to recieve a salary as president of his country.

AND  he's been abducted by aliens!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8662822.stm

wow lol. This is for real? This has to be some sort of joke.

Its possible that Kirsan is joking--maybe to get some publicity.

Karpov is running against him in FIDE presidential elections, so maybe he needs the press.

I was suprised that all the major news outlets carried a story about alien abduction--but the guy is the president of a country and the FIDE president and yes, he's a bit eccentric.

Whats his chess rating?