Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, former FIDE president from 1995 to 2018, has announced his intention to seek the organization's top job again at elections this September in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In a recent interview with Sport-Express, the 63-year-old Russian said he hopes for support from Russia amid speculation of other candidates. He cited lifted U.S. sanctions and his past contributions to chess as reasons for a comeback.