The Togolese Enyonam Sewa Fumey announced on April 30, his intention to run in the presidential election of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), while the electoral campaign officially begins on May 7, 2022.
According to a press release from the International Chess Federation on May 1, 2022, the Togolese communicated his decision to present his candidacy on call to outgoing FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.
“FIDE machine is working effectively, but with my team, in a collaborative spirit with the current administration, we will ensure to deliver more and in a more efficient way, especially towards small federations”, Mr. Fumey said.
“Our team will develop a more sensible approach to the issue of sport and politics, while recognising the importance they have with each other. Our team will broaden FIDE sponsorship base, support all Level 4 and 5 federations by serious funding and help generate independent revenue for the federations. Our team will involve a broader range of countries in its operations”, he added.
Who is Enyonam Sewa Fumey ?
Born in Lomé, Togo, in 1981, Fumey earned a degree in linguistics, and he practiced as a French teacher for several years after graduating. In 2003, he was one of the founding members, and the first secretary general, of the Togolese Chess Federation, when the three existing chess clubs in the city of Lomé decided to unite their efforts to popularize the game of failures in the country.
His chess career took off in 2012, when the federation was officially recognized by the Togolese government. This opened the door for the federation to become a member of FIDE in September 2012, as well as to participate in the Chess Olympiad. At Istanbul 2012, Enyonam Sewa Fumey was one of the main players of the national team, as well as its captain.
In 2014, Fumey was elected Secretary General of the African Chess Confederation, a position he held for the next four years, until 2018. During this period, he also invested in his chess education, winning international chess arbiter titles. Instructor, and reaching his maximum mark and the title of Master Candidate. Between 2014 and present, he has been chief organizer of 11 chess events and chief arbiter of 12.
In 2017, Enyonam Sewa Fumey was elected president of the Togolese Chess Federation. Soon after, he became one of the first people to side with Arkady Dvorkovich in the election campaign, being one of the five people initially included on his ticket, in June 2018. During the General Assembly of the FIDE in Batumi, he was elected Secretary General of FIDE, the position he held until May 2021, when he resigned to become a member of the FIDE Social Commission.
Although the tickets are not yet official, Fumey has announced that his vice-president will be FM Stuart Fancy. Born in London in 1959 and now a resident of Papua New Guinea, Stuart Fancy represented that country at the Olympics in 1982, 1992, 2002, 2004 and 2006.
“His best results were winning the individual gold medal on the 2nd reserve board at the 25th Chess Olympiad in Lucerne in 1982. He is a businessman specializing in acquisitions,” the federation said. in the press release.
What is Chess?
Chess is a board game (sometimes considered a sport in some countries of the world, including France) between two players on either side of a board called a “chessboard” consisting of sixty-four squares, 32 light and 32 dark called the white squares and the black squares.
Source: AfrikPage