Kasparaov announces team for FIDE presidency

The column presents the final part of Kasparov’s announcement of his candidacy for President of the World Chess Federation, FIDE. At this month’s launch of his candidacy, Kasparov introduced the rest of his ticket which represents every continent with a mix of business and investment expertise, organisational backgrounds and chess experience.

– Ignatius Leong of Singapore, the current General Secretary in the Ilyumzhinov administration, is practically synonymous with chess in Asia. He is a renowned international arbiter, organiser and chess trainer with immense knowledge and relationships throughout the chess world.

– Jan Callewaert is a Belgian businessman and entrepreneur with extensive management experience. His passion for chess and its many educational benefits led him to join forces with Kasparov to co-found the Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe of which he is president.

20130922chess – Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Hamed of the United Arab Emirates moved from a long military education and career to becoming a prominent businessman in trade and transport, among other sectors. He owns several five-star hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He has a long-standing passion for chess as a player and patron. His educational foundation promotes chess in education in Abu Dhabi schools.

–  Afrika Msimang of South Africa is the president of the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa and has a remarkable career record of policy, social activism, and teaching. She has been involved in the successful Moves for Life programme, a chess education organisation that enjoys the patronage of South African President Jacob Zuma.

Ignatius Leong
Ignatius Leong

– Rex Sinquefield of the United States has turned his home city of St Louis in Missouri into a global chess capital. An investor, whose Dimension Fund Advisors oversees more than $300 billion, his Chess Club and Scholastic Centre of St Louis has hosted the US Championship and other elite events while developing programmes for scholastic chess.

The smiling and happy faces of the children of Soweto, South Africa, as they hold giant chess pieces aloft! Last month, a delegation of German chess teachers and sponsors travelled to South Africa, as part of the FIDE Chess in Schools programme and the Kasparov Chess Foundation, which are engaged in introducing chess to schools all over the world. The advantages of introducing chess in schools have become clear to many countries of the world, and South Africa is one of them. The general goal of the German project is to educate teachers and adults on how to teach chess in schools, with the primary aim of spreading the beneficial virus of the royal game to various communities through the school system.
The smiling and happy faces of the children of Soweto, South Africa, as they hold giant chess pieces aloft! Last month, a delegation of German chess teachers and sponsors travelled to South Africa, as part of the FIDE Chess in Schools programme and the Kasparov Chess Foundation, which are engaged in introducing chess to schools all over the world. The advantages of introducing chess in schools have become clear to many countries of the world, and South Africa is one of them. The general goal of the German project is to educate teachers and adults on how to teach chess in schools, with the primary aim of spreading the beneficial virus of the royal game to various communities through the school system.
Rex Sinquefield
Rex Sinquefield
Jan Callewaert
Jan Callewaert
Afrika Msimang
Afrika Msimang
Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed  Al Hamed
Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed
Al Hamed