The FIDE President has decided to appoint GM Mikhail Kobalia (Russia) as the new Chairman of the FIDE Trainers' Commission.

Born in 1978, Kobalia is a Grandmaster since 1996, and winner of multiple events, like the Russian under 20 Championship (1998), the Chigorin Memorial (1999), Rector's Cup (Kharkov, 2002), Biel Open (2005), Arctic Cup (2010). 

As a coach, Kobalia was a member of Garry Kasparov's team during 2000-2003. He was also the Trainer of the Russian Women's Team in 2007-2009, and during this period the team twice finished second in the Team World Championships (Yekaterinburg 2007, Ninbo 2009) and won the European championship (Greece 2007). As of recent, he has been the Chief Junior Trainer for the Russian Chess Federation, as well as the Secretary and Youth Director of the Event's Commission, where he made an invaluable contribution thanks to his vast experience.