100 years of FIDE !

The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) is the organisation for chess and, as such, regulates all chess competitions at international level. The foundation of FIDE was announced in 1924 in Paris at an amateur tournament by Pierre Vincent, and a committee was set up to draft a constitution. The founding member countries were Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Great Britain. Each of these countries provided a signatory to the founding charter, thus demonstrating the desire for international regulation of chess. (source)

I had the honour of representing Belgium.
The day began with the reproduction of the signatures of the act of constitution in the presence of the other delegations.
We then visited Pierre Vincent’s grave.

Willy Icklicki, who chairs the FIDE History Commission and is Belgian, gave us a wonderful speech about this person.
We were then invited to the Château d’Asnières, the headquarters of the French federation, to welcome the flame of the Olympiad, which will end its journey in Budapest in September.

FIDE presented each federation with a commemorative book (available from FIDE) and a medal.

I would like to end by inviting you to visit Almira Skripchenko’s restaurant, Cellar (9 rue de Crussol, Paris). The food there is delicious and it’s not often you get the chance to be served by an international master and seven-time French champion!

Many thanks to the FIDE for having organized this

Laurent Wery, President of RBCF