Cracks appearing in Dvorkovich’s FIDE ?
FIDE Czar Arkady I
Arguably the most autocratic FIDE president ever, Arkady Dvorkovich seems to have run up against some unexpected resistance in his efforts to shape FIDE in his own image.
The Continental Chess Associations are refusing to be pushed around or become un-questioning vassals.
Why the Continental Associations?
The problem from Dvorkovich’s perspective is that the 4 Continental Chess Associations (representing the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia) are completely INDEPENDENT of FIDE’s jurisdiction, yet have the right to be included on the FIDE Presidential Board.
Elected by the FIDE member nations of each corresponding continent, these associations are not answerable to FIDE. This was done deliberately to prevent FIDE’s elected elite from trespassing into affairs none of their concern.
Probably Dvorkovich did not fully realize this when, almost immediately after he was elected President in October of 2018, he moved to force all Presidential Board members to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
(Dvorkovich simultaneously moved to eliminate the practices of both allowing journalists attend the Presidential Meetings and of making the minutes of the meetings public.)
Clearly the Continental Presidents can not be stopped to disclose relevant information to their respective member nations, infact they have an obligation to do so.
As such, the Continental Associations represent an impediment to Dvorkovich’s efforts to get absolute control of FIDE, who is now trying to RUSH thru new FIDE STATUTES, some of which are very controversial and potentially erode much of the democratic nature of FIDE’s operations up to now.
Warning from the Americas
Documents published recently on the site of the Confederación de Ajedrez de América CCA – FIDE America (LINK) give some sobering insight into what Dvorkovich has in mind for the future of these independent continental associations.
Jorge Vega – the President of this association – speaking at its annual meeting in Rio de Janeiro (September 27 to 30, 2019), revealed that earlier this year at a FIDE Presidential meeting in Astana the 4 Continental Presidents requested a private meeting with Dvorkovich.
There these Presidents let Dvorkovich know that they unanimously refused to accept proposed changes whereby Dvorkovich’s personally appointed Continental representatives Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand and two others (called ‘Continental Assistants‘) would have any influence, let alone executive power, in the management of any Continental monies granted by FIDE’s new Development Fund.
It was further revealed that at the latest FIDE Presidential Board meeting in Budapest another private meeting was called. This time the 4 Presidents expressed concern that Dvorkovich’s proposed statutes planned to ELIMINATE the right of the Continental Presidents from attending future Presidential Board meetings!
Clearly the Continental Presidents might be justified in feeling that they are being deliberately targetted by Dvorkovich. In any case, the Continental Associations will not go down without a fight:
“En la reunión se reforzó el espiritu democrático y participativo del Continente Americano donde se rechazó por una mayoría abrumadora a la intervención en los asuntos internos de las federaciones de parte de funcionários u oficiales de FIDE.”
Of course, none of this information would have ever been made public to the chess world if Dvorkovich had his way with his draconian non-disclosure agreements. There is absolutely no transparency in FIDE today!
Finally
This weekend in Batumi there will be held a meeting of the ECU (European Chess Union) where some explosive issues regarding FIDE will be discussed.
Hopefully something positive will come from this meeting. It is very unfortunate that there is so little information available on what is REALLY going on since Dvorkovich took over the FIDE presidency. And of his ambitions to take absolute personal control of one of the biggest democratic international sporting organizations in the world.
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