DUSHANBE, March 19, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The World Chess Federation (FIDE) President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is expected to pay visit to Tajikistan from March 21-22, according to Tajikistan’s Chess Federation.

The main purpose of the visit is for the FIDE president to discuss with Tajik state officials issues related to construction of the Chess Palace in Tajikistan.

A chess blitz tournament with participation of the FIDE president and Tajik best chess players is scheduled for March 22, the source said.

The Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition.

FIDE was founded in Paris on July 20, 1924.  Its motto is Gens una sumus, meaning "We are one people". Its current president is Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who for a long time was also the president of Kalmykiya, an autonomous Republic in Russia.

There are at present 158 member federation of FIDE, including 142 UN member states and 16 other entities.  There were 159 until recently, when one was dropped. The list fluctuates, as new nations join and sometimes national federations collapse or are unable to pay their dues.