Defiant world chess head says 'revolution' to oust him has failed

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov gestures during a news briefing in Moscow, Russia March 29, 2017. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The president of world chess's governing body said on Wednesday that an attempted "revolution" to oust him by falsely announcing his resignation had failed, and that he would serve out his full term and might even stand for re-election.

Russia's Kirsan Ilyumzhinov -- a millionaire businessman and ex-politician who once said he had been abducted by aliens -- has headed FIDE, chess's governing body, for the last 22 years, flying around the world to promote chess.