FIDE sixth President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, commenting on the increase in a prize fund of a match for a rank of the World Chess Champion, told RIA Novosti that chess players are not worse than footballers are and must earn.“Increasing the prize fund means working with sponsors and organizers. Chess players devote all their time to the game, they are not worse than footballers are and should earn,” Ilyumzhinov said.
“When I just became the head of FIDE, at the presidential council in Singapore in December 1995, it was said that we needed to increase the prize fund in the match for the title of the world champion. Then we increased it to five million dollars. In 1998, we opened the world championship in Lausanne together with the ex-president of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch. He asked about the prize fund. Having been told it was five million, he did not believe it,” Ilyumzhinov added.
