Mumbai, December 15: Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the former president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and ex-head of Russia’s Kalmykia republic, has again found himself at the centre of global attention after reiterating a long-standing claim that he was abducted by aliens in 1997. The decades-old story has resurfaced following a recent podcast interview, where Ilyumzhinov repeated details of the alleged encounter, including assertions that the aliens communicated telepathically and claimed responsibility for inventing the game of chess. Clips from the interview have since spread widely on social media, reviving public debate.

The renewed interest stems from a recent podcast in which Ilyumzhinov calmly and at length described what he says happened more than 25 years ago. According to his account, he was taken from his Moscow apartment by beings wearing yellow suits and transported aboard a spacecraft.

He described the vessel as resembling a “large transparent tube” and said the beings appeared humanoid but clearly non-human. Communication, he claimed, did not involve spoken language but occurred through telepathy. During the encounter, Ilyumzhinov said the beings shared information about their civilisation and told him that chess, the game he would later champion globally, originated with them rather than on Earth.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Says He Was 'Invited' by Aliens

While the account may sound extraordinary, it is not new. Ilyumzhinov has repeated versions of the same story for years, and the details he shared in the podcast closely match earlier public statements.

A Claim First Made Public in 2010

Ilyumzhinov first publicly discussed the alleged abduction in 2010 during an interview with a Russian television channel. At the time, he was still serving as FIDE president and had recently stepped down as head of Kalmykia. The interview attracted widespread media attention inside and outside Russia.

The claim even reached the political arena. A member of Russia’s State Duma formally asked then-President Dmitry Medvedev to investigate whether Ilyumzhinov’s alleged contact with extraterrestrials posed a risk to national security. The Kremlin dismissed the request, saying the matter did not fall under the president’s authority.

Despite the skepticism and occasional ridicule that followed, Ilyumzhinov did not retreat from his story. Over the years, he has consistently maintained that the incident occurred exactly as he described and has expressed surprise that it continues to provoke controversy.

Who Is Kirsan Ilyumzhinov?

Born in 1962, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov rose to prominence in the early 1990s and became president of Kalmykia, a Buddhist-majority republic in southern Russia, in 1993. He held the position until 2010, making him one of the region’s longest-serving leaders.

His tenure was marked by ambitious development projects and an unusual emphasis on chess as a tool for education and international engagement. One of his most notable initiatives was the construction of “Chess City” in Elista, the regional capital, built to host the 1998 Chess Olympiad.

Ilyumzhinov’s influence extended well beyond regional politics. In 1995, he was elected president of FIDE, the world’s governing body for chess. He held the role until 2018, overseeing world championship matches and promoting the game in dozens of countries. He frequently described chess as a means of fostering peace and dialogue, and he travelled extensively in his role.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 15, 2025 06:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).