On the 7th of July FIDE President, Head of Republic of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov continued his visit to Zambia. He held the working meetings with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Zambia, Mr. Boris Malakhov, the embassy staff, and the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development, Mr. Teddy Mulonga. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov also spoke at the Administrators seminar for the leaders of African Chess Federations, opened simultaneous game which was continued  by GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili. As part of this forum, FIDE President met and discussed the numerous issues of chess development in the African continent with the leaders of chess federations of Malawi, Botswana, Seychelles Islands, Madagascar, Sao Tome and Principe, Rwanda, Burundi, etc.



FIDE President Kirsan ILYUMZHINOV and the President of Cameroonian Chess Federation Michel Nguele VIANG








From left to right: FIDE Vice-President Lewis NCUBE, FIDE President Kirsan IILYUMZHINOV, President of  Cameroonian Chess Federation Michel Nguele VIANG in national costumes


FIDE President and the President of Gabon Chess Federation Bongo Akanga NDJILA BARTHELEMY


From left to right: General Secretary of Kenya Chess Federation Lawrence KAGAMBI, FIDE President and the Chairman of Kenya Chess Federation Andolo AMBASI


FIDE President and the Vice-Chairman of Ghana Chess Federation Edward Nii Lamptey THOMPSON


FIDE President in the center and (from left to right) the Vice-Chairman of Ghana Chess Federation Edward Nii Lamptey THOMPSON, President of Turkish Chess Federation ALi Nihat YAZICI, FIDE Vice-President Lewis NCUBE, FIDE Commercial Director Geoffrey BORG


Summing up the working visit of the FIDE President to Africa, we can describe it as very constructive and important for development of chess in this continent. After meeting with the Zambian Sports Minister it was decided that since new school year chess shall be introduced in Zambian schools as a facultative subject. At the meeting with 18 leaders of the Chess Federations a great number of important issues were discussed and many important decisions were taken: preparation of trainers and arbiters, participation of the teams in the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad. A sensational idea was expressed – for the first time in the history to organize in 2016 the first Chess Olympiad in Africa. Ilyumzhinov said: “to date we have 33 African countries as FIDE members. Our task is for the rest 20 to join FIDE in the nearest future”.