Bessel Kok
Bessel Kok (born December 13, 1941 in Hilversum ; full name André Frans Bessel Kok ) is a Dutch manager and chess organizer.
Professional career
From 1959 to 1964 he studied economics at the University of Amsterdam . In 1971 he was one of the founders of the SWIFT company , of which he was CEO from 1980 to 1989. From 1989 to 1995 he was CEO of the Belgian telecommunications company Belgacom , and from 1995 to February 2004 he was Vice President for the formerly state-owned Czech company Český Telecom and the mobile operator Eurotel .
Chess organizer
Kok, who is an avid chess player himself , made a name for himself as an organizer of well-paid chess tournaments during his time at SWIFT.
In 1985 he founded the Grandmaster Association (GMA) together with Garry Kasparov with the aim of representing the interests of professional chess players and acquiring sponsorship money . Kok was chairman of the GMA until 1991 and was responsible for the organization of several Grand Prix tournaments during this time. Then there was a falling out with Kasparov, who then founded the Professional Chess Association and played a world championship match without the participation of the World Chess Federation FIDE . In 2002, Kok was involved as an intermediary in the Prague reunification plan, which was to reunite the two competing world titles. However, the agreement reached was ultimately not implemented.
In 2006 Kok ran for the chairmanship of FIDE. Its voting platform The Right Move , which was supported by numerous top players, criticized FIDE as "lazy, complacent and bureaucratic". In the June election, however, he was defeated by incumbent Kirsan Ilyumschinow with 54:96 delegate votes. In December he reached an agreement with Ilyumschinow to found a Global Chess company based in Amsterdam . This should have a share capital of 4.5 million euros and will be responsible for the marketing of the FIDE World Championships in the future.
Others
Kok produced the film The Power of Good: Nicholas Winton (2002), which won an Emmy .
In 2004 he organized the Cow Parade art exhibition in Prague .
swell
Web links
- CV (English) ( Memento from February 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- How manager Bessel Kok staged the third lintel in Prague
- Time for a change. An interview with the candidate for the FIDE presidency, Bessel Kok
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kok, Bessel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kok, André Frans Bessel |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch manager and chess official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 13, 1941 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hilversum |