On 23 October the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had a working visit to Dubai. He had a meeting with Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the United Arab Emirates. A chess development in the country was discussed during the meeting. A special attention was paid to the introduction of chess to the school curriculum.

On the same day Kirsan Ilyumzhinov left for Damascus where the meetings with the Syrian Chess federation and young chess players are planned.