Russian alien abductee plays chess with Gaddafi

GlobalPost
The World

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is one of the world’s most bizarre politicians. Before stepping down as head of Russia’s Buddhist republic of Kalmykia, he claimed to have been abducted several times by aliens. He also claimed that chess, a game he made mandatory for Kalmyk schoolchildren, was brought to earth by said aliens. He is now, inexplicably, the head of the World Chess Federation.

So what’s a bizarre leader to do? Meet other bizarre leaders, of course.

This weekend, Ilyumzhinov traveled to Libya to meet Moammar Gaddafi – and play a game of chess. You can watch their interactions – in English – below.

Will you support The World with a monthly donation?

Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!