He is an avid chess player himself and he has promised to “take FIDE up to the highest standards of professionalism, efficiency and transparency.” (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

MOSCOW (AP) — The World Chess Federation says it has elected a former Russian government official as its new president. Msukwa, the president for Southern African regional chess body, the Zone 4.3 – managing 14 chess federations – was Chessam president for 14 years until August this year when Susan Namangale took over and was also in Batumi in his capacity as a FIDE electoral commissioner when the delegates elected former Russian deputy prime minister Arkady

Msukwa won on the ticket of Zambian Lewis Ncube, who by virtue of retaining his post as ACC president means Msukwa also wins the post he contested for as general secretary, as explained online by Namangale. Batumi (Georgia), Oct 4 (PTI) Former Russian deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich won the FIDE elections defeating Georgios Makropoulos of Greece 103-78 in what was one of the most keenly fought FIDE election in almost 23 years. Makropoulos, Ilyumzhinov’s longtime deputy, is the de facto incumbent put in the awkward position of running on reform, framing the election as a choice between the federation’s political independence and continued “Kremlin control.” And Short, the longshot challenger, appears to have made more accusations than progress — he hoped for “the removal of the Makropoulos administration, which is nothing but a giant cancerous tumour on the body of chess.”

But the Kremlin-preferred candidate is the late-entrant Dvorkovich, the former deputy prime minister, who oversaw Russia’s staging of the FIFA World Cup earlier this year. An avid chess player himself, Dvorkovich promised to “take FIDE up to the highest standards of professionalism, efficiency and transparency.”

He promised in his program that FIDE’s development fund will receive 3 million euros (about $3.5 million) as soon as the first year and will reach 12 million euros (nearly $14 million) over four years, while FIDE taxes and fees will decrease considerably.
In chess, Arkady Dvorkovich is elected as president of the FIDE.