Sundar's team will win FIDE elections: AICF official

Chennai   :  Apart from the performance of Indian open and womens teams in the chess Olympiad one more area of interest in Batumi, Georgia for Indian chess players is the FIDE Presidential elections slated next month.

India's D.V.Sundar, Vice President, All India Chess Federation (AICF) is in the fray for the post of FIDE General Secretary as a part of Georgios Makropoulos team.

The present FIDE Deputy President Makropoulos is contesting for the FIDE President post. The FIDE is the world chess body.

"Sundar will be voting on behalf of AICF at the FIDE elections," an AICF official told IANS preferring anonymity.

The FIDE Presidential elections is a three way contest with the other two contesting teams are led by former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich who successfully conducted the World Cup football tournament in Russia and chess Grand Master (GM) Nigel Short.

In an interview to IANS British GM Short said the winning team that would run the show at FIDE will be decided after the second vote in next month's presidential elections and not after the first round.

Fifty-three-year-old Short, after meeting Dvorkovich, surprised the chess community early this month tweeting: "United in our belief that FIDE should support federations, and not federations support FIDE. United in our determination to bring transparency and the rule of law, and to root out cronyism and corruption."

The two had also meet at Helsinki recently.

"Between us -- Short and Dvorkovich -- we have the numbers. As per the estimates, no one would get 51 per cent votes in the first round. In the first round of voting the votes will be split. So, there will be second vote," Short said.

He said as per FIDE rules, if there are three or more contestants in the fray, then the person who polls 50 per cent plus one of the votes cast is elected on the first ballot. Thereafter, the candidates receiving most votes on the second ballot are elected to the vacant number of offices.

Queried about Short's views on second vote the AICF official said: "There will not be any second vote. Sundar's team will win in the first round itself."

Speaking to IANS on the condition of anonymity a senior chess player said: "The present team at FIDE had held all the major tournaments without any failure. The team has the experience in running the chess administration all these years."

Curiously there are Indian players who told IANS on the condition of anonymity that they would prefer a new team at FIDE's helm.