During her reign, Kass spearheaded a campaign to have Tallinn host the 2008 Chess Olympics, though the city ultimately lost out to Dresden.

The 32-year-old has rarely been making appearances at Estonian chess events of late, a tendency that Postimees attributed to her busy schedule.

The model has largely stayed clear of scandals that the federation has become mired in during recent years, many of which revolve around accusations of misuse of funding by the organization's chairman Hendrik Olde. This year most of the nation's top players boycotted the national tournament due to a breakdown in relations with Olde.

A new president has yet to be chosen. Andrei Korobeinik, a member of Parliament and the founder of the Rate.ee social networking site, has been offered and turned down the position.

Steve Roman