When I wrote to Albert II, we did not know whether it will be male or female tournament. But then I thought that beauty and intelligence have to complement the interior of this beautiful building. Grand Prix Tournament - like a diamond in the beautiful necklace Monaco. And I very much hope that the girls with their play decorate the entourage.
At the opening ceremony I spoke with State Secretary of the Olympic Committee of Monaco Ms. Yvette Lamben-Berti. She said that she liked the idea of the chess tournament. Because compared to the famous Formula 1 - this is not the roaring machines, which are passing in half a second and you did not have time to figure out who drived and where to watch the audience. In chess, you can safely observe the beauty of the game. Therefore, the idea to make a chess match in the Principality of traditional, as well as to hold the match for the title of World Champion in 2017.
- You have put forward for the presidency of FIFA. Will be useful for you the chess experience if you become FIFA President?
- This suggestion was made to me on September 7 at the FIDE Congress in Abu Dhabi by President of the Russian Chess Federation Andrey Filatov. It was supported by many delegates from different countries. In his speech he said that FIDE must promote the programs that we fund - «Chess in villages», «Chess in Schools» and others. Many in the media are focused on the situation of corruption scandals in FIFA. They say it needs to be purified. We need to use the attention of the world press.
What’s for? For the development and popularization of chess. Those who will see the news about my nomination in the newspapers, will ask: what is a FIDE and will look for information. If 10% of 1 billion people show interest to us, it will have 100 million.
I recently met in London with Pele. He said that football and chess are similar. The winner in football becomes the one who anticipates the moves opponent. Football is played by feet, and win the head.
Why do I still have not given consent to the nomination? I have to count options. I do not want to participate in order to participate. I am, since 1989, participated in 15 election campaigns, and all of them won. And if I go to the polls, only to win. If I win, I will try to combine chess and football.
For example, in the summer I was in Nicaragua, I was invited by the president of the Football Federation of this country. We arrived at the stadium, there is a special room, and in it are chess. Every day, in spare time the football players are playing chess - it helps them to do play patterns on the football field.

Olga Aleksandrova