CHESS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Dramatic changes took place at the annual meeting of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), which ended last Sunday in Paris. Florencio Campomanes of the Philippines, FIDE president since 1982, resigned after FIDE’s central committee voted no confidence in his leadership. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the wealthy 33-year-old president of the Russian region of Kalmykia, was chosen as a temporary replacement. A new election is scheduled for 1996.

Campomanes, a charming autocrat, was the most effective leader in FIDE’s 70-year history. Travelling constantly, he encouraged the spread of chess to many Third World nations. He increased the number of FIDE tournaments and, more importantly, distributed them throughout the world, ending Europe’s monopoly. Not until Campo’s election did FIDE break the Soviet Chess Federation’s boycott of tournaments involving Victor Korchnoi, who defected from the Soviet Union in 1976. But these accomplishments will forever be overshadowed by Campo’s handling of the world championship.

Campo incurred the wrath of many chess fans when he called off the embarrassing world championship match between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in 1985. Both players criticized Campo’s intervention, and Kasparov nursed a grudge for years. Shortly after plans for a $4-million world championship in Los Angeles collapsed, Kasparov formed the Professional Chess Assn. to host his 1993 defense against Nigel Short of England. Campo hurriedly organized a replacement match between Jan Timman of the Netherlands and Karpov, both losers to Short in qualifying matches. Karpov won, but Campo looked foolish when two more sponsors backed out.

Campo won his fourth race for FIDE president in 1994 when he promised to arrange a world championship unification match between PCA champion Kasparov and FIDE champion Karpov. His failure to do so, and his failure to arrange the 1995 FIDE championship between Karpov and Gata Kamsky of New York, turned his FIDE supporters against him.

FIDE announced that the Karpov vs. Kamsky match, its world championship, will be held in Montreal in June. FIDE intends to renew negotiations for a match between the winner and Kasparov. FIDE’s women’s world championship, between champion Xie Jun of China and challenger Zsuzsa Polgar of Hungary, is scheduled in Spain in January.

LOCAL NEWS

The 1995 American Open, held last weekend at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles, was a great success, attracting 315 players. The Open section, featuring three grandmasters and 12 IMs, was won by IM Igor Ivanov, who compiled an undefeated 7-1 score. Ivanov defeated SM Mark Duckworth and IMs Jack Peters and John Watson in the last three rounds. Levon Altounian took second prize with 6 1/2-1 1/2. Tied for third at 6-2 were Duckworth (who beat two IMs), IM Roland Ekstrom (Sweden), the 1995 U.S. Senior co-champion GM Eduard Gufeld, IM Sergey Janovsky (Russia), Peters and Watson (who upset Gufeld). Harutyun Akopyan and Antonio Martin won class prizes for scoring 5 1/2-2 1/2.

Other section winners were: Russell Laidman and Gary Tuttle, 7-1 in Class A; Ernesto Soto, 7-1 in Class B; Alan Compton and Artashes Varuzhanyan, 7-1 in Class C; Nicanor Navarro, 7 1/2- 1/2 in Class D-E, and Juan Rodriguez, 6 1/2-1 1/2 in the unrated section.

Jerry Hanken organized the tournament for the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club, which has sponsored the American Open since its inception in 1965.