FIDE executive says Ilyumzhinov to blame for resignation buzz

Moscow, March 30 : International chess federation FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos said on Wednesday that FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov should blame himself for the recent media buzz regarding his alleged resignation.

On Monday, FIDE's official website posted a statement on Ilyumzhinov's supposed resignation. It stated that FIDE's president supposedly announced his decision to step down at a meeting of the organisation's council in Athens on March 26. However, Ilyumzhinov rejected this report while talking to Tass news agency.

In a letter posted on the FIDE official website and addressed personally to Ilyumzhinov, Makropoulos said: "I would like to kindly remind you that this situation is a result of your own actions."

"You were advised before and during the meeting, by several board members present that the discussion was wrong, and that the FIDE presidential Board should not serve for you to try to resolve personal issues," Makropoulos said.

Ilyumzhinov told a news conference in Moscow earlier in the day that FIDE Executive Director Nigel Freeman and Makropoulos attempted to stage a coup within the federation and conspired to oust the federation's president from the post.