Most knowledgeable chess insiders know that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), wears another hat: President of the Republic of Kalmykia. YouTube has two videos by Jonah Hull of Al Jazeera, interviewing Ilyumzhinov on his development plans for chess and for Kalmykia.

The first video is a short clip that focuses on the construction of Chess City in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia.

• Meet the President - Kalmykia, [28 May 2007; YouTube.com]

The second video is a longer version with the same title, split into two parts and containing more material. Part 2 starts with Ilyumzhinov discussing his alien abduction in 1997: 'My theory is that chess comes from space.'

• Meet the President - Kalmykia: Part 1 and Part 2, [16 July; YouTube.com]

If you lack a high speed Internet connection and have trouble viewing the videos, here is a recent article on the same topic.

• Bishops, Buddhism, and brutality: Inside the bizarre world of Kalmykia • 'The Russian republic's chess-loving ruler counts Chuck Norris and the Dalai Lama as friends and claims he was once abducted by aliens.' [25 July 2007; Independent.co.uk]

To have a chess player's view of Elista, see a recent report by Chessbase, packed with photos.

• The Chess City on the Kalmykian steppe • 'The Candidates Finals have ended, most of the players are already on their journey home. We are spending a last day in this chess capital of the world, where an entire chess city has been stamped out of the steppes of the lower Volga region. It is unusually quiet and there are no games scheduled for the afternoon.' [14 June; Chessbase.com]

Ilyumzhinov's plans don't end with Chess City. Recent reports have described other high profile construction projects.

• The Presidents and the Chess Center in Chisinau • 'Last week the President of Moldova invited the President of Kalmykia, who is also the president of FIDE, to discuss relations between the two countries. After the meetings both presidents visited the Republican Chess Club to announce a spectacular project: the world chess federation is planning to build a giant chess center in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.' [2 August; Chessbase.com]
  
  
• World Chess Federation to Build Hotels in Russia • 'The world’s second largest chess federation (FIDE) intends to build hotels in 165 countries. All hotels are said to be in the shape of chess figures.' [9 August; Russia-ic.com]

Whatever you might think of the Kalmyk president, you can't say he's dull.