AFTER serving at the helm of Fiji Chess Federation for 35 years, Dr Virgilio de Asa has formally retired as the president.
This was confirmed in a statement by FCF which said Candidate Master Calvin Prasad had been appointed as the acting president after Dr de Asa retired on Thursday.
“Dr de Asa has been the backbone of Fiji Chess since inception in 1979, serving as the President of Fiji Chess Federation for 35 years,” said the statement.
“Fiji Chess has undergone dynamic transformation under his leadership in the last decade which saw Fiji host several international events and send players to global chess events including Continental and World Chess Championships.
“Dr De Asa was instrumental in sending the first women’s team to the 2004 Chess Olympiad in Spain and captained the Open team to several others.”
The statement said many locals attained international rankings and titles under Dr de Asa’s reign.
