"We will install 100 chessboards and bring 100 children from Seoul and Pyongyang to the "Friendly Match" on the 38th parallel – the demarcation line dividing South and North Korea. Was it difficult to agree with the North Korean side? I would not say so. The ministries of education and sports met us halfway," Ilyumzhinov told Izvestia.
According to him, this event will be held in 2017. The next step is the organization of a friendly game between the chess players of Israel and Palestine.
"This year, I met with the President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas and held talks with the leadership of Israel earlier. Our provisional plan is to organize a match on the site of construction of the wall separating Israel and Palestine. We will put a thousand chess boards and a game between Israeli and Palestinian children will be played there. Chess has always been for peace, so I hope that our initiatives will bring these peoples closer," Ilyumzhinov said.
Izvestia's interlocutor also talked about his plans to run for the FIDE President. The election will take place in Batumi (Georgia) in 2018.
"My new electoral programme is based on two things. First, I want to finish the project "One billion chess players". To this end, we are now actively introducing chess lessons around the world. A few days ago, we agreed to sign an agreement between FIDE and the Sultan of Oman on introducing a mandatory chess lesson in all schools. Chess lessons have already been introduced in Mexico, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and in many regions of Russia... Secondly, it concerns the "Chess in family" programme. I want every family to have a chess set. So that every grandfather would teach his grandson this game and both mother and daughter would play chess. "
In conclusion, Ilyumzhinov said that other presidential candidates have not yet announced their decision to run. Nevertheless, according to the head of FIDE, the 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov will again compete with him.