Head office Global Chess at the Max Euwe Center - interview with Bessel Kok

Yesterday a contract was signed between the Max Euwe Center and Global Chess BV, the new company what will be responsible for many FIDE tournaments and matches as well as the marketing of the game of chess in general. It means Global Chess BV will have their head office in the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ChessVibes had interviews with Bessel Kok and with Geoffrey Borg, about the cooperation with the Max Euwe Center and especially about the plans of Global Chess BV.

Here the interview with Bessel Kok:

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Some excerpts from the interview with Bessel Kok:

"The agreement with the Max Euwe Center means 'hitting two flies with one stroke'. Global Chess has found the ideal location for their main office and simultaneuosly the MEC will benefit financially."

"Global Chess will be a separate arm under separate leadership that will in the future organize the world championship cycle and that will try to market chess, to attract sponsors, and to be involved in a numer of chess projects."

"Our responsibility will start as from the moment we sign the licence agreement with FIDE. The FIDE President has already approved but we need approval from the FIDE Presidential Board and they're going to vote on it in mid-June. We have good hope. It means we will take over a number of the activities of FIDE and we will pay FIDE royalties."

"There is an already commited match, a kind of rematch, already scheduled. This is part of the legacy of FIDE. We don't wanna discuss if a rematch is correct; it's decided and we will get a roll there and from there on we have to create a new cycle and have to convince FIDE that there are better was to organize the cycle, than the way it's planned until 2009."

"The way to go is to go back to a real Grand Prix. The Grand Prix will be a series which will lead to qualification. We will keep the match as the ultimate way to decide the world championship."

In the interview Bessel Kok also tells about the plans of Global Chess for chess to attract commercial sponsorhip and explains how the former opponents Kirsan and Bessel got into working together.

FIDE Vice President Geoffrey Borg will be the CEO of Global Chess BV. He speaks in more detail about the way Global Chess will try to work together work with FIDE as well as big companies worldwide.

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Finally, the chairman of the Max Euwe Center Foundation Mr Jan Nagel comments on the cooperation with Global Chess BV. The video starts with images from the museum part of the MEC.

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