World chess championship prize money to be 1.5 million dollars

The prize money of the world chess championship due to be held in Tripoli /Libya/ in June 2004 will equal 1.5 million dollars, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the World Chess Federation /FIDE/, said on Wednesday.

"Under the agreement, the Libyan National Olympic Committee will transfer to the FIDE account 2,200,000 dollars for holding the championship", Ilyumzhinov said. "128 chess players will vie for the 1,508,000-dollar prize money".

The FIDE president also spoke of the issue of three visas to Israeli grandmasters. "This month I will visit Tripoli and pass to its leader Muammar al-Gaddafi the request of the FIDE presidential council to issue entry visas to three chess players nationals of Israel", Ilyumzhinov said.

If not, the Libyan side will have to go to additional expenses: holding part of the championship in the neighbour country, Malta, Ilyumzhinov said.

The organising committee of the tournament has attracted additional sums to make the Gold Cup, "worth several hundred thousand dollars", said Ilyumzhinov. The Gold Cup will go to the grandmaster who can win three world championships on end.

Kirsan ilyumzhinov also noted that the FIDE presidential council considered the request of Vietnam's prime minister to hold the next stage of the chess championship - reconciliation meet - between the FIDE world champion to be fixed at the Tripoli tournament and chess player No One, according to the rating, Garri Kasparov.

"The Vietnamese side will allocate about two million dollars for this championship", Ilyumzhinov said. And noted that some other countries are vying for holding the duel and the question where the reconciliation meet will be held remains open.