Enyonam Sewa Fumey has announced yesterday, April 30, his intention to run for FIDE President. While the electoral campaign formally begins on May 7th, Fumey communicated his decision to present a candidacy on a call to the incumbent FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich.

“FIDE machine is working effectively, but with my team, in a collaborative spirit with the current administration, we will ensure to deliver more and in a more efficient way, especially towards small federations”, declared Mr. Fumey. “Our team will develop a more sensible approach to the issue of sport and politics, while recognising the importance they have with each other. Our team will broaden FIDE sponsorship base, support all Level 4 and 5 federations by serious funding and help generate independent revenue for the federations. Our team will involve a broader range of countries in its operations”.

Born in Lome, Togo, in 1981, Fumey got a degree in Linguistics, and he practised as a French teacher for several years after graduating. In 2003, he was one of the founding members, and the first General Secretary, of the Togolese Chess Federation, when the three existing chess clubs in the city of Lomé decided to put together their efforts to popularise the game of chess in the country.

His chess career took off in 2012, when the federation was officially recognized by the Togolese government. This opened the door for the federation to become a member of FIDE in September 2012, as well as to participate in the Chess Olympiad. In Istanbul 2012, Enyonam Sewa Fumey was one of the leading players of the national team, as well as its captain.

In 2014, Fumey was elected as General Secretary for the African Chess Confederation, a post he would hold for the next four years, until 2018. During this period, he also invested in his chess formation, earning the titles of International Arbiter, International Chess Instructor, and reaching his peak rating and the Candidate Master title. Between 2014 and now, he has been Chief Organizer at 11 chess events, and Chief arbiter at 12.

In 2017, Enyonam Sewa Fumey was elected President of the Togo Chess Federation. Shortly after, he became one of the first people to take side with Arkady Dvorkovich in the electoral campaign, being one of the five people originally included on his ticket, in June 2018. In Batumi FIDE General Assembly, he was elected as FIDE’s General Secretary, a post he held until May 2021, when he stepped down to become a member of the FIDE Social Commission.

Even though the tickets are not official yet, Fumey has announced that his Deputy-President would be FM Stuart Fancy. Born in London in 1959, and now a resident of Papua New Guinea, Stuart Fancy has represented that country at the 1982, 1992, 2002, 2004 and 2006 Olympiads. His best results were winning the individual Gold Medal on 2nd Reserve Board at the 25th Chess Olympiad in Lucerne 1982. He is a businessman that specialises in acquisitions.