GM Alexander Khalifman, FIDE World Champion 1999-2000, commented on “Online 812″ about the FIDE Election. Below is an excerpt of the article.
“Which side are you in the dispute between A. Karpov and K. Ilyumzhinov?
– “I do not have any specific preference at the moment. Maybe, because I don’t know the situation very well. Everything is taking place in Moscow and I am in St. Petersburg. But, I think that the criticism addressed to the incumbent President is deserved. However, things are not black and white when describing this situation. There are pluses and a few minuses in Ilyumzhinov’s work.
The other thing is that the great chess player Anatoly Karpov has no program in the election, which does not inspire any confidence or trust. In fact, instead of a program, he is just making promises. Words, words, words… It is absolutely not clear what the future holds for us.
With Ilyumzhinov, when problems arise, he reaches in his own pocket, gets money and solves them. With Karpov, it is absolutely unclear for me how he would solve the problems. He is referring to some sponsors, and keeps repeating: “there will be sponsors, there will be sponsors..” But, he does not name a single specific sponsor.
Why is this such a great mystery? I am at my loss. “