D-day for FIDE…
Someone will celebrate this evening. But who?
I have written enough of the 2018 FIDE election campaign here on this blog for my liking, and fortunately we have arrived at D-day. To be sure, none of the candidates will have slept this evening…
I remember the night before the final vote at the Moscow Olympiad in 1994, as I was returning from a party out in the city at about 3 a.m., encountering Campomanes in the hotel elevator as I headed up to my room on the 16th floor. He was still busy at work ‘negotiating’ votes and proxies, a habit he had no doubt grown accustomed to since becoming FIDE president some dozen years before.
He thanked me in advance for Phil Haley’s support (Phil was the Canadian proxy) but I had to confess to Campo (as we affectionately called him) that Phil intended to support another candidate.
Ofcourse, Campo already knew this. A long time before as Phil was a vocal critic of the FIDE legend. Campo, who was aware of my great respect for his dedication to FIDE, was just trying to introduce a moment of levity.
FIDE elections are hard fought, dirty and expensive. Hypocrisy reigns supreme at times. Humour and sarcasm help to keep things into perspective.
The big question today is whether there will be any DIGNITY left in FIDE after the vote today…I hope so. Because, for better or for worse, FIDE will not go away any time soon, and like all marriages, appearances are important.