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Chessville
Plays
20 Questions with
Mr.
Bessel Kok
Interviewed by
Phil Innes |
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In consulting half-a-dozen Grandmasters and additional
commentators to generate questions for this interview, numerous issues were
raised. The overwhelmingly most important concerns are set first in
this series of questions below, and relate to the election process itself.
1.
You are currently
engaged in a very close race in direct competition with the incumbent Mr.
Ilyumzhinov for the Presidency of FIDE. The excellent chess website
www.chessbase.com
features a world map of countries committed to yourself and to your
opponent, and also which countries are not yet committed. Almost all the
Western democracies have declared for you, but ‘opinion’ is that while
things are currently in balance, primarily African states will tip the
balance to your opponent – is this also your own assessment?
Actually no ! If this was
the case then we would have already won the election since we are doing
great in Africa !
There is a general
misconception that this is some struggle between developed countries and
less developed countries. On our ticket we have a number of small
Federations e.g. Paraguay, Malta and Thailand but they are great workers
in their respective countries and regions. They are also working
very hard on the team to achieve results across all continents. You
will have started to see our position papers which are intended to cover
the broad spectrum of chess and focused on developing chess as a mass
sport.
2.
The overwhelmingly strong concern
about this election from senior observers consulted for this interview is of
the fairness of the election process itself. Are you aware of unfair
influences or practices – proposed as future promises for votes obtained, or
more direct and immediate rewards – that have so far influenced this
election, and will continue to do so?
We receive claims from time
to time of people stating that a vote has been bought with a promise to
waive outstanding debts or chess clocks or other similar short term
promises. We have reacted by stating clearly that we would prefer to
lose than in any way offer some form of financial incentives to
Federations to vote for us. This goes against the grain of the Right
Move.
Clearly, our campaign has
been going from strength to strength as many Federations understand that
we are serious on this policy. If we want FIDE to be clean, then we
need to set the example. We will however not tolerate any form of
abuse of the FIDE electoral system and we will have a panel of legal and
statutory experts on hand during the elections to check that the process
is running correctly.
3.
What strategy will you adopt for
as yet undeclared countries in the election?
As we meet up with
Federations, we note that there is no shortage of positive energy if one
only knew how to tap it. FIDE has to learn how to listen to its
members, to introduce a new culture of management based on a new passion
to deliver an efficient and revenue generating structure for the 21st
century.
4.
Some voting countries contain no
grandmaster players, and may not even contain an expert! Yet the
current Fide Administration offers equal votes to them as to countries with
20 grandmasters. You are obliged to accept these conditions in order
to take part in the election – but do these conditions fairly represent the
world chess playing community? To what degree does this imbalance of
player-representation influence your current task?
Our task is based on a
strategy which comprehends that for chess to develop into a mass sport, we
need to build the foundations across the world and in every Federation.
Grandmasters can help in this task but we have an imperative duty to help
the developing nations to build a sustainable base of chess players.
At the same time this base of players in a global perspective makes chess
a sponsorable alternative. We are not after votes for the sake of
votes; what we are after is changing FIDE to become an organization
belonging to everybody once again.
5.
On April 24th 2006,
the New Yorker magazine featured a 8–page article written by Michael Specter
on your opponent, named “Planet Kirsan”. Have you had an opportunity
to read it, and do you think it is a fair appraisal?
Obviously I appreciate that
Kirsan loves chess and has done a lot for the game. The article
epitomizes the biggest weakness of Kirsan, which many people around him,
have had a tendency to exploit. Like the fable “the emperor’s new
clothes”, his advisors fail to point out the wrong paths or ideas he
sometimes comes up with. All of us are human and make mistakes, but
this is why we have a Board of Directors or a Cabinet; so that the amount
of these mistakes are reduced or eliminated by proper discussion and
evaluation of any ideas put on a table.
6.
Your opponent admits to having
actually been in a space-ship, whereas you have never referenced any such
experience. How much of your campaign do you base on comparing your
opponent’s exotic attitudes to your own more business-like demeanor?
This is an experience I
have never shared with Kirsan. Actually I have rarely been on a
normal ship because one of my weaknesses is a tendency for sea sickness.
We do not base any part of our campaign on the personalities of our
opposition. We have decided from day one, that our campaign will be
based on a strategy of being positive about what the chess world really
needs, rather than what our good friends have been doing wrongly these
last eleven years. I leave our delegates to review the past and draw
their own conclusions.
7.
Your opponent was also cited in
the New Yorker article as being dismissive of such modern fads as democracy
– and in fact being an admirer of the style of Genghis Khan. What
difference would your own attitude to Executive Management of Fide have for
chess around the world?
My management style is
based on team building. My contribution is to lead towards a
decision process and not to dictate it. It could also be termed
simple and honest. By following a principle of being honest with the
truth, I aim at building a culture of trust. I also look for the
competence of the particular person and encourage him or her to develop
that competence for the good of the team. I also believe strongly
that positions in the Executive Management of FIDE need to be filled by
the right motivated persons if we want to move forward.
8.
If you are defeated in this
election – and in the process you feel the result was because of unfair
electoral practice – will you consider setting up an alternative world chess
organization to Fide?
9.
To avert the current scenario of
countries with 100 rated players having the same voting power as countries
with millions of players, what reform do you propose to review the electoral
system? Do you advocate something like a UN Security Council for
chess?
10.
In the event of any break-away organization led by, for example, a solid
block of EEC countries and supported by USA, Canada and Australia, we would
witness what has happened to other world games and sports. Can you say
first what would be the result if there are no changes? What would be
the benefit of a breakaway group of wealthy countries containing many of the
world’s strongest players? Would it essentially benefit themselves –
or is there also a world benefit?
[These
questions are in principle similar and imply the same issue]
I prefer to look at this
problem in a different way. Whatever the result of the outcome of
the election, FIDE has to undergo major surgery in its management team.
I think Kirsan already has started to understand this. It is not a
matter of developing countries being exploited and we have to make
everybody realize that this is not sustainable. People have
attempted to do electoral reform but a change to statutes requires 2/3
majority and although attempts to change this were put forward, they never
got off the ground. We cannot afford to have the same people running
our organization the way they have been doing so these last few years.
11.
In looking forward
to the C21st which are the top five functions you consider most important to
deploy as a foundation for chess?
Well I would classify the
following as being of equal importance:
(a) chess in schools
and development of more educators;
(b) mass development
through extension of tournaments and ratings;
(c) information
technology;
(d) professional
marketing of the game and improved public relations with the media;
(e) a world
championship cycle which is participative and brings back the recognition
of the world title as a worthy title.
12.
If elected will you abolish
drug-testing in chess, since its raison d’etre, the Olympics, no longer
exists?
A number of reports have
been submitted where it was made clear that there are no known drugs on
the WADA list which can be of benefit to chess players. There are
some other drugs which have been claimed help improve memory or alertness
during a game. FIDE subscribed to the IOC principles (at great cost
to the organization may I add) and if we wish to continue to participate
in regional Olympic games, then we should also observe all the rules of
the ‘club’ however irrelevant they may appear.
13.
Will you change the current time
control for top-level play, and return to a longer game classical format?
You may have noted in one
of our position papers that we quote a survey that was carried out by ACP.
We definitely need a proper position on the time controls used in world
class tournaments and we will undertake discussions with the various
stakeholders to identify a balance between the playing level and the
interest in the game by spectators.
14.
The World Championship process
has been ‘complicated’ for a decade, and essentially no longer exists as a
viable system as it did 35 years ago. If elected, will you reinstate
something along its previous lines, culminating in a testing one-on-one
match-play final?
Yes. Without
revealing too much, this has been the subject of much discussion within
the team, and we are sure, of much more discussion when we launch our
position paper on the World Championship cycle. I must thank GM
Yasser Seirawan for leading a hard working team to come up with this
proposal which will culminate in a one-on-one match final.
15.
Is the chess media adequately
covering the issues and the implications of the current election? [I
note in passing that recently GM Nigel Short commentated that it was
critically important in this election to find the right foundation in going
forward.]
Unfortunately, chess
politics may sometimes be less exciting than a chess tournament, and also
the audience is much more restrictive since the target audience is
Presidents, delegates and Federation councils. Also the lack of
communication or past errors of judgment only served to attract negative
publicity, so FIDE management are very wary today.
16.
Apart from the New Yorker
article, is the election achieving media coverage in the general press
around the world? Why are they interested in it?
I am aware that in some
countries we have been in the non-chess media for either the challenge
facing us or the clashes that invariably happen as the team square up.
I hope that in the near future, the press will be interested in the plans
and results that the new FIDE achieves.
 17.
Another British GM,
Ray Keene, in
a recent interview,
commented that FIDE’s HQ would be better in Paris, London, Berlin or
Madrid. On visiting Chess City the New Yorker journalist mentioned it
was actually empty of visitors, and made it seem like an abandoned
museum than a true world center for chess activity. Would you move FIDE
HQ, where, and what activities would you conduct in it for the general
chess public?
We have made a ‘pleasant’
commitment to move the FIDE bureau to Paris. The French Federation did
not need to twist our arm very much since we have been offered a great
building (see the Right Move website for pictures of the premises)
in the middle of one of the top capitals of Europe at a great value
since the French government wish to encourage international Federations
to France. The logistical advantages of Paris over the current FIDE
offices needs little amplification. |
18.
China is currently an undeclared
country in the election – it is also perhaps the biggest growth state of
chess players – even unto the highest levels of play. What influence
do you think China will have on world chess in the next 5 to 10 years?
Massive ! The Chinese Chess
Federation has witnessed some great results as in the World Championships
were they nearly got the gold medals ahead of a much more quoted Russian
team. The potential of this country is great and the dedication and
discipline they put behind all sports obviously gives the results desired.
They have been dominating women’s chess for some time now both at
individual and at team level. On the men side it is more difficult
but nevertheless we have much more to expect from this strong nation.
(Innes: It is interesting to note that currently Bessel Kok is in
Asia as part of his campaign plan visiting Federations and Chess Clubs.)
19.
In all the above, are there
critical issues you perceive necessary for the foundation of chess in the
C21st that remain unidentified, but which are not covered here?
We need a new breed of
managers in the chess world who are judged on delivering results,
listening to Federations, taking an active interest and finally being
accountable. The main aim of FIDE is to generate an environment
where all stakeholders (players, arbiters, organizers, parents, sponsors
etc…) have a chance to grow. I have a lot of faith in the goodwill of the
people leading their Federations that we will make this change in Torino.
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20.
Question 20 addresses the
approximately 20 remaining days until the election. How will you
spend them?
Campaigning,
campaigning and campaigning... for
The Right Move
for a Bona FIDE
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Index of Other 20-Questions Interviews
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