Kok Bessel (13.12.1941)

Dutch businessman (CEO of  SWIFT, Belgacom and later of Czech Telecom) and chess patron. He graduated in 1963 from the Municipal University of Amsterdam with a degree in Economic Sciences

In 2002 he set up the Eurotel tournament, which resulted in the historical signature of the ‘Prague Agreement’ between Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE with the aim to solve the World Championship’s crisis.  As the co-founder of the Right Move team, Kok was defeated at the 2006 FIDE presidential elections.

In 2007 he founded Global Chess, with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, with the aim of promoting chess around the world. Two years later Bessel resigned from Global Chess.

Kok is also active in the arts; he was the producer of the film Nicholas Winton, the power of Good about British businessman Nicholas Winton who rescued children from the Nazis. The film won an Emmy Award in 2002.