Campomanes Florencio (22.02.1927 – 03.05.2010)

Filipino player, organizer and President of FIDE. Graduated from Brown University (USA) in 1951. Philippines Champion in 1956. University teacher.
Asian Zone President (1966-1970), Deputy President of Asia Zone (1974-1982). President of FIDE (1982-1995).

From 1956 to 1966 he took part in the Olympiads as the member (sometimes at the first board) of the Philippine chess team.
In 1975 he managed to secure a bid of US$5 million for the organization of a possible match between Fischer and Karpov. In 1978 at Baguio, Philippines, he organized the first World Chess Championship Match between Karpov and Korchnoi, at Manila the Interzonal in 1990, the Women’s World Championship in 1991 and the Chess Olympiad in 1992. In 1995 he was awarded the title of Honorary President of FIDE.

Campomanes will be remembered for the one who developed and promoted chess in Asia and in the Third World, the one who boosted the world championship prize fund to millions of Swiss francs, the one who stopped the Karpov-Kasparov match in 1985 and the one who devoted all his life to chess: “I am working for chess 25 hours a day, 8 days a week”. “Campo”, as his friends called him, passed away after a protracted bout with cancer.