In fact, the re-election of Arkady Dvorkovich, the Russian chairman of the world chess federation Fide, has already been decided. In July, the man who saved the Fédération Internationale des Échecs from destruction would be hoisted again on the shield. During the 44th Olympiad in Moscow, the time had come. But the national team chess tournament has moved to India; Dvorkovich’s home country and neighboring Belarus are excluded from participation. The position of the chairman himself is hanging by a thread.
Economist Dvorkovich (he turns 50 on March 26) was for years at the center of power in Russia. He was regarded as Putin’s protégé and personal aide. From 2012 to 2018 he was Deputy Prime Minister under Prime Minister Medvedev, from 2015 he headed the Russian railway company. He proved himself to be an excellent organizer when he replaced corrupt Sports Minister Vitali Mutko as boss of the organizing committee of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
After the World Cup, he became the chairman of Fide, which was on the brink of collapse due to mismanagement by his predecessor Ilyumzhinov. Former top chess player Nigel Short, now one of the vice-chairmen, said in that year that the union no longer even had its own bank account. Dvorkovich took care of the organization and ensured a transparent, financial management. Short calls him “the best Fide president of recent decades.”
civilized person
The Dutch chess grandmaster Loek van Wely describes Dvorkovich as a ‘young, energetic man with connections and ideas’. For the first time, the former Dutch champion saw a Fide chairman who ‘does not suck money from the chess world, but brings in new sponsors’. In addition, according to Van Wely, he is ‘a gentle personality’ and a ‘civilized person’.
Now Dvorkovich is in serious trouble. In the American magazine Mother Jones he expressed his condolences to the Ukrainian citizens in mid-March. “Wars cost not only priceless lives, but also hope and aspirations.” For the first time, a high-ranking former politician – standing side by side with Putin and Medvedev at the 2014 Winter Games opening in Sochi – appeared to distance himself from the raid.
United Russia, Putin’s political party, quickly denounced Dvorkovich as a ‘traitor’. MP Andrei Turchak demanded his resignation as director of Skolkovo, the knowledge and science center of which he is chairman.
Against sanctions
Apparently the patriotic tone he used in a statement at home didn’t help much. On the Skolkovo Foundation website, Dvorkovich argued for “a more just order on our planet, in which there is no place for Nazism or the dominance of some countries over others.” Was it a subtle reaching out to Putin? He also opposed sanctions imposed on Russia. “We are ready to respond with technological breakthroughs and our own development. It’s always been that way.’
Every Russian is raised with the knowledge that you have to read between the lines to decipher the true message. Dvorkovich’s message to his Russian supporters was veiled and twofold. Here a man is caught between several interests, says Nigel Short. “Arkadi may have something to explain. But he is mangled by various camps.’
The tentative kneeling was not enough to keep his job at Skolkovo. On Friday, Djorkovitch withdrew under heavy pressure. It is still unclear whether he will also give up his position on the board of directors of the Rosselkhozbank (Russian Agrarian Bank).
And how precarious is Dvorkovich’s status with the Fide? Not only the Ukrainian chess players are demanding his departure because he would speak with a double tongue. The Royal Dutch Chess Federation (KNSB) affiliated with Fide also believes that he should resign. It doesn’t matter what he says, said chairman Bianca de Jong-Muhren. Dvorkovich’s position is untenable, she says, and undermines the credibility of Fide.
Work not yet completed
“His opinion is not that relevant,” says Muhren. ‘Dvorkovich has meant a lot to chess and built a good team around him. But a Russian in such a high position? That’s hard to explain. Russian athletes and companies are boycotted worldwide. Now the Fide also has to take the last step. The union could at least temporarily suspend Dvorkovich.’
The KNSB is consulting with other Western European countries about the setup of the Fide. Muhren suspects that the World Chess Federation is under great pressure. “We have not yet publicly pushed for Dvorkovich to leave. But if the Fide doesn’t move, we’ll reconsider.’
Adjutant Nigel Short holds his chairman’s hand above his head. ‘Excluding a Russian because he is a Russian? That is discrimination.’ Will Dvorkovich be able to withstand the pressure? “Arkadi is not a runaway. I think he wants to continue to serve the sport of chess, his work is not finished yet. Ultimately, his fate does not depend on the judgment of the Western European countries. But as former British Prime Minister Howard Wilson once said, a week is a long time in politics. Everything could be different next week.’
3 x Arkadi Dvorkovich
World Cup organizer
As chairman of the organizing committee of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Dvorkovich noted that the tournament contributed 1 percent to the Russian economy. ‘Without the World Cup we would not have had economic growth now, it is a crucial contribution to the development of our country.’ Russia hosted the most expensive World Cup ever for 15 billion euros.
Lobbyist chess world
Dvorkovich tried to get chess back as an Olympic sport, if necessary as a secondary number at the Winter Games or as a country game at the Summer Games. It went too far for the chess players, says grandmaster Loek van Wely. ‘Dvorkovich acted out of commercial interest, but chess already has its own Olympiad. I did propose to Dvorkovich to bring the Youth Olympiad back to the Netherlands after more than sixty years.’
chess family
Dvorkovich comes from a Russian chess family, his father was an international arbitrator. ‘And he can play a game of chess himself,’ says grandmaster Loek van Wely.