FIDE

The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE (/ˈfiːdeɪ/, FEE-day), its French acronym.

FIDE was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924. Its motto is Gens una sumus, Latin for "We are one people". As of 2015 FIDE's president is Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Ilyumzhinov suspended some of his authority at a December 6, 2015 Presidential Board meeting, at which Deputy President Georgios Makropoulous received these powers, following the statutes.

Role

FIDE's most visible activity is organizing the World Chess Championship (overall and for women and juniors), regional championships and the Chess Olympiad. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the supreme body responsible for the organization of chess and its championships at global and continental levels. Since 1980 FIDE is a member of UNESCO FIDE oversees few other tournaments, although other top-level events, almost without exception, respect FIDE rules and regulations.