Chess elections, as a rule, have little to do with chess. So it’s fitting that the only resonating issue in the upcoming vote for the presidency of the world chess federation (FIDE) is whether the incumbent has flown in a UFO.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov triggered the controversy in an interview with Russian TV host Vladimir Pozner — Moscow’s version of Larry King — when he recalled how ETs in yellow spacesuits appeared on his balcony in 1997.
Ilyumzhinov said his visitors spoke to him telepathically and took him on a trip in their tube-like spacecraft for several hours before returning him to Moscow. He claimed three aides are witnesses.
This energized a campaign that so far has been all about image and not about substance. Supporters of former world champion Anatoly Karpov, Ilyumzhinov’s opponent, used the interview to portray the incumbent as, well, spacey.
Ilyumzhinov admitted last week to the Web site gazeta.ru that he was surprised by the reaction. But, he said, “The good news is that man is beginning to realize that he is not alone in the universe.”
How this plays out with the 172 voting federations of FIDE is unclear. So far, Ilyumzhinov claims 35 will vote for him. Karpov claims 21 for himself.