PRESS RELEASE REGARDING THE OFFICE OF CHESS COMMISSIONER

Prague: March 5th, 2002

Mr. Bessel Kok has issued the following press release regarding the office of Chess Commissioner:

"By now the chess world will have read the proposal of chess grandmaster Mr. Yasser Seirawan for a solution to the problems afflicting our game. This proposal offers all the key elements for resolving the current impasse and serves as a basis for negotiating a final fair solution.

Along with the two other proposed Commissioners, Mr. Dato Tan Chin Nam of Malaysia and Mr. Erik Anderson of the USA, I am honoured to have been proposed by Mr. Seirawan and am pleased to announce that the three of us agree to serve as Chess Commissioners. It is our sincere hope that all of the other parties will be prepared to accept the authority of this new office.

I will be contacting direct all the parties concerned to invite them to a meeting on May 6th in Prague, where appropriate facilities will be made available.

Neither I nor the other two proposed Commissioners will be making any further public statements on the proposals until the parties have met.

I hope that all the parties will agree that we have a real opportunity for moving forward in a spirit of goodwill and compromise.

Bessel Kok"

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center.