Top

Head office Global Chess at the Max Euwe Center - interview with Bessel Kok

26 April 2007 20:03 PM | Last modified: 22:03

Yesterday a contract was signed between the Max Euwe Center and Global Chess BV, the new company what will be responsible for many FIDE tournaments and matches as well as the marketing of the game of chess in general. It means Global Chess BV will have their head office in the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ChessVibes had interviews with Bessel Kok and with Geoffrey Borg, about the cooperation with the Max Euwe Center and especially about the plans of Global Chess BV.

Here the interview with Bessel Kok:

Some excerpts from the interview with Bessel Kok:

“The agreement with the Max Euwe Center means ‘hitting two flies with one stroke’. Global Chess has found the ideal location for their main office and simultaneuosly the MEC will benefit financially.”

“Global Chess will be a separate arm under separate leadership that will in the future organize the world championship cycle and that will try to market chess, to attract sponsors, and to be involved in a numer of chess projects.”

“Our responsibility will start as from the moment we sign the licence agreement with FIDE. The FIDE President has already approved but we need approval from the FIDE Presidential Board and they’re going to vote on it in mid-June. We have good hope. It means we will take over a number of the activities of FIDE and we will pay FIDE royalties.”

“There is an already commited match, a kind of rematch, already scheduled. This is part of the legacy of FIDE. We don’t wanna discuss if a rematch is correct; it’s decided and we will get a roll there and from there on we have to create a new cycle and have to convince FIDE that there are better was to organize the cycle, than the way it’s planned until 2009.”

“The way to go is to go back to a real Grand Prix. The Grand Prix will be a series which will lead to qualification. We will keep the match as the ultimate way to decide the world championship.”

In the interview Bessel Kok also tells about the plans of Global Chess for chess to attract commercial sponsorhip and explains how the former opponents Kirsan and Bessel got into working together.

FIDE Vice President Geoffrey Borg will be the CEO of Global Chess BV. He speaks in more detail about the way Global Chess will try to work together work with FIDE as well as big companies worldwide.

Finally, the chairman of the Max Euwe Center Foundation Mr Jan Nagel comments on the cooperation with Global Chess BV. The video starts with images from the museum part of the MEC.

Comments

5 Responses to “Head office Global Chess at the Max Euwe Center - interview with Bessel Kok”

  1. Adelino Correia on 27 April 2007 14:39 PM

    i have my own chessclub in Angola but this people here they don’t respect the chess we have no sponsor we have sometime to travel for other chess competition is necessary to sale anythings very important like your car or television,only to travel to so many competion,now i hope you guys there can send any appeal in Angola federation to respect more there chess players one of them is International Master ALEXANDRE DO NASCIMENTO is full of corruption ask money to players go to play for international competition please this man think the chess is business he make like is own propriety please the chess in Angola is going down i love chess that why i cry for help i have more than 100 chess players in diferent school but this people make like we not exist i know you guys like and love chess try to feel like in my side and try to appeal so many chess players to help Angolan chessplayers please please help help help…
    Kind Regards
    A.J.Correia

  2. BMcCarthy on 29 April 2007 21:36 PM

    I think the Grand Prix idea is a great one. Instead of confusing points, just use the money won as in pro golf. This will make sponsors pay more if they want the most influential event and simplify chess publicity. Given all the cheating and corruption, apparently at all levels of chess, we need to make every effort to be transparent and present chess as equivalent entertainment for the web, TV and other media. Good luck, thanks for your time, Bessel.

  3. BMcCarthy on 29 April 2007 21:39 PM

    I would also add, get rid of increments and silly time controls. Classic chess is the only avenue for multi-million dollar world title events, that I see. If the game has advanced past move 60, then consider a 10 or 15 second increment, otherwise the clock is too confusing, imo, and detracts from the rich history of chess. If we want a new and exciting time control, we should go back to playing with hourglasses, where time management is super critical. There is no need to have to have a computer or fancy clock to play chess!!!

  4. Rich Hutnik on 19 August 2008 22:18 PM

    Anyone know any way to get in contact with Global Chess? I would like to be able to coordinate with them regarding what they want to accomplish and the IAGO World Tour.

  5. Eduardo Oliveira on 3 September 2008 17:53 PM

    30.08.08O busílis dos convites encalhados
    Depois do GM Henrique Mecking, o Mequinho, ainda que a quilômetros de distância, a personalidade do xadrez brasileiro mais conhecida internacionalmente é o MI Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk, holandês naturalizado brasileiro, campeão nacional em cinco oportunidades (salvo engano), recordista de participações nessa competição, árbitro internacional, ex-presidente da Federação Paulista de Xadrez e do Clube de Xadrez São Paulo, redator durante décadas de uma coluna de xadrez no mais importante jornal brasileiro.

    Esse superstar de uma modalidade quase secreta no país chega aos 60 anos, com muita saúde. Para comemorar, obtém um patrocínio internacional e faz, aqui na capital paulista, na sede do Clube de Xadrez São Paulo, um torneio denominado Internacional da Amizade. Atribui uma premiação de $ 10 mil reais, que para os padrões brasileiros é excelente.

    Elabora uma extensa lista de convidados, faz o indefectível torneio fechado simultâneo e registra-o na Federação Paulista de Xadrez, CBX e Fide.

    Aparentemente, tudo para ser um sucesso. No entanto…

    Eis que menos da metade das vagas disponíveis foram preenchidas; das 30 reservadas a estrangeiros apenas uma foi ocupada.

    Onde estaria, então, o busílis do encalhe dos convites?

    Estaria ele no sistema adotado de participação por convite, antipático para uns, enganoso para outros?

    Sistema antipático porque discriminatório, malgrado a tentativa de explicá-lo em “nota de esclarecimento” inserida na página on-line da FPX, cujas entrelinhas deixou entrever ter sido o critério primordial e não-confessado a exclusão dos eventuais desafeiçoados.

    E sistema enganoso também porque, segundo o Houaiss, temos as seguintes acepções para o termo “Convite”:

    Convite é “presente, dádiva; gratificação”;
    Convite também é “aquilo que estimula; incentivo, estímulo”;
    E convite também é “bilhete que dá direito a ingresso gratuito em um espetáculo”.

    Assim, como se pode ser convidado ou estimulado a participar de um evento, se ato contínuo é-se instado a recolher a não-módica quantia de 60 reais aos cofres federativos? Se convite enseja gratuidade, por quê da participação onerosa?

    Talvez o busílis esteja no enfoque promocional do evento: afora o apoio da página on-line da FPX, visualmente confusa, o sítio pessoal do aniversariante, denominado Hiperchess (e da qual se esperaria ser a página oficial do acontecimento), há meses não é atualizado e tampouco esta realização motivou sua retomada; nem mesmo o sítio do clube que sedia o evento nada informa a respeito. Uma lástima.

    Quem sabe, outrossim, o busílis se encontre na desestimulante distribuição concentradora dos prêmios, aliás um viés recorrente no ambiente federativo?

    Mas, esteja o búsilis onde estiver, concluí-se que apenas uma verba expressiva vertida ao xadrez não traz a este esporte, por si só, estímulo e massificação: os recentes exemplos positivos de Registro-SP e Braço do Norte-SC estão aí para serem reproduzidos. Desde que haja interesse e seriedade.

    (Esste “post” é também reproduzido no endereço UOL, onde podem inserir-se eventuais comentários.)

    criado por Melo 02:37:24 comentários (0) Enviar a um amigo
    http://www.gxbg.com.br
    Gostaria de saber se este escritório apoiou este evento.
    Grato
    Eduardo


Got something to say?





Latest 30 posts:


ECF Book of the Year: From London to Elista 7/10, 21:28
One week to go 7/10, 15:00
Svidler in sole lead in Moscow 6/10, 20:39
Rybka clinches 2nd Computer World Championship title 6/10, 11:08
A scientific standard for chess writing? 5/10, 19:08
Russian Superfinal: Svidler beats Morozevich, leads with Lastin 5/10, 11:34
Anand interview in Der Spiegel 4/10, 13:30
Weekly Endgame Study (91) 4/10, 10:00
Super start Superfinal 3/10, 22:21
World Mind Sports Games kick off today 3/10, 13:30
Schachbundesliga starts, all games live 2/10, 12:50
“The United States needed a high level chess league” 1/10, 18:00
Austronaut vs school children: 1.d4 Nf6 1/10, 10:00
Topalov tops new FIDE ratings, now officially 30/9, 10:38
Russia takes revenge with rapid and… football 29/9, 12:22
Four-way tie for first at SPICE Cup 29/9, 10:36
Chess is art is chess 28/9, 10:39
Weekly Endgame Study (90) 27/9, 10:00
Bulgarian Chess Federation: “Mr Ilymzhinov, please inform us” (UPDATE) 26/9, 22:27
Attacking à la Tarrasch 26/9, 14:17
Torre’s comeback? 25/9, 14:34
Almasi wins Hungarian Championship 25/9, 9:35
China beats Russia in classical part 24/9, 12:09
Anand-Kramnik: half of the tickets sold 23/9, 17:52
Kritz & Mikhalevski lead SPICE Cup 23/9, 11:11
Milov beats a truncated Rybka 22/9, 12:41
China-Russia tied after three rounds 21/9, 15:18
Alexandra and I 20/9, 10:24
Weekly Endgame Study (89) 20/9, 10:00
Jan Werle wins European Union Championship 19/9, 10:14

» check the latest coverstories

Bottom