Ukrainian GM Andrii Baryshpolets is a candidate for the FIDE presidency

During the next Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the FIDE Congress also takes place and the delegates of the federations elect the new presidium. Arkady Dvorkovich has been president of FIDE since 2018. The former economic adviser to the Russian president and acting deputy prime minister of Russia is considered to have done a good job. During his four years in office he made FIDE more transparent and with the help of many experts in the different departments he did a lot for chess.

Dvorkovich is up for re-election and recently presented his ticket”. Besides former women’s world champion Zhu Chen as treasurer, Norwegian Jøran Aulin-Jansson and Azeri Mahir Mammedov as vice-presidents, he recruited a high-profile assistant vice-president, the 15th champion of the world Viswanathan Anand.

Given Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has led to death and destruction in Ukraine, FIDE, like other sports federations, is under political pressure, especially in Western countries. Arkady Dvorkovich’s former closeness to the inner circle of the Russian state leadership makes his re-election at least problematic for representatives of Western chess federations.

With the Togolese Enyonam Sewa Noël Fumey, another candidate threw his hat in the ring in early May.

Ukrainian chess fans can hardly imagine a re-election of the Russian FIDE president and would like to see him eliminated. Chief executive Andrii Baryshpolets, who was born in Ukraine and currently lives in the United States, started a petition on Change.org to prevent Dvorkovich’s re-election.

Now he himself has announced his candidacy and wants to become president of FIDE.

From 2012 to 2014, Baryshpolets (31) studied economics and finance at Kyiv-Mohyla State Academy in Kyiv and graduated with honors. He then went to the United States to study agriculture and applied economics at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. From 2015 to 2021 he was a research assistant at Texas Tech University, and in 2021 he earned a Ph.D.

In 2008, Baryshpolets was the national U18 champion of Ukraine. He has won a number of open tournaments, the 2018 Winter Chess Classic in Saint Louis and the Pan American College Team Championships in 2015 and 2019 with the Texas Tech University team.

Andrii Baryshpolets press release:

Statement by Andrii Baryshpolets

Chess is a great game – the game we love. The potential of chess is incredibly huge. The boom in youth and college chess, the surge of online chess platforms, the incredible growth in popularity following the release of The Queen’s Gambit mini-series, etc., all affirm great prospects for our old game.

Despite the growing global popularity of chess, FIDE struggled to become a financially viable organization. I believe that FIDE’s reputation is the main reason for such systematic failure and need to be supported by authoritarian governments. Twenty-three years of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s presidency have built FIDE’s image as a politically-serving, corrupt and poorly funded organization. Even though the current team has brought more transparency and inclusiveness in the management of FIDE, the political and financial dependence of FIDE on the Russian government is more than evident. The questionable reputation of many years has considerably reduced the interest in FIDE by the media and private companies. The continued tradition of being led by a Russian politician further undermines FIDE’s ability to promote chess.

Nevertheless, I believe that reputation can become FIDE’s most vital asset. Professionals value trust and reputation more than politicians. A reputable, uncorrupted and transparent FIDE is undoubtedly more attractive to corporate partnerships worldwide. Moreover, it creates an inviting environment for professionals who wish to devote themselves to the popularization of chess.

The chess world and I waited for a worthy candidate to support, someone who would represent the interests of chess before their own. Pursuing a goal of repairing the reputation of FIDE, I presented my candidacy for the post of President of FIDE. 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 are the fundamental values ​​which are the cornerstone of my service. My principles are:

• No quid pro quo arrangement is acceptable to me, my team, elected officials and civil servants and staff. The application process for all official FIDE events must be completely transparent. The FIDE management will make hiring and appointment decisions on the basis of professionalism and merit; any form of favoritism is unacceptable.

• FIDE 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬. In its actions, FIDE must strictly respect the Fide Charter and maintain total independence from individual federations or governments. , etc.

• Commitment to 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 whatever their level.

• Observe the principles 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰, 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀.

I have no doubt that the incorporation of these principles will make FIDE attractive for corporate and private partnerships and bring the organization to an unimaginable level of financial stability and reputation.

I strongly support FIDE’s efforts to support and promote youth, collegiate, female, professional and online chess. At the same time, I want to emphasize the importance of amateur chess, which is the backbone of all those mentioned above. The support of amateur tournament organizers of all levels is the best catalyst for the long-term promotion of chess.

Devoting a significant part of my life to chess and being an international grandmaster, I am convinced that I could lead FIDE to help chess players, organizers, coaches, journalists, streamers and all fans of chess to make our chess life easier and take the prestige of our beloved game to the next level.

People Una Sumus

GM Andrii Baryshpolets

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