'Karpov candidate for FIDE President'

Anatoly Karpov will put forward his candidacy to become FIDE President, according to reporters of Russian news agency SarInform. "It is necessary to restore order," the 12th World Champion reportedly said yesterday.

Sunday night Anatoli Karpov landed at the airport of Saratov, Russia for a simul and a meeting with the local governor. There, according to local news agency SarInform, Karpov announced that he has the ambition to become FIDE President.

"It is necessary to restore order," Karpov was quoted. "The problems with the World Championship, the calendar, changes of decisions, changes during a cycle, this didn't happen before. Besides, the prestige of the World Champion should return to its old level."

The new Presidential elections which will take place during the General Assembly of the FIDE Congress, held during the 39th Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk in September this year. Nominations for the office of President must reach the FIDE Secretariat at least three months before the opening of the General Assembly. To be elected, each candidate must first be nominated by his federation. The Russian Chess Federation hasn't yet officially nominated Anatoli Karpov as their candidate.

After Bessel Kok's failed attempt to win the FIDE Presidential elections during the Turin Olympiad in May 2006, Karpov would be another big name fighting against current FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. The 12th World Champion never concealed that he's unhappy with Ilyumzhinov's policy. During the opening press conference of their rapid and blitz match in Valencia last year, he and his old rival Garry Kasparov took the opportunity to heavily criticize FIDE.

In recent times, Karpov has been occupied mainly as a business man and politician. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. These days he only plays a few tournaments a year.

Links

• The SarInform article
• FIDE Handbook on Electoral Regulations