'My
decision to break away from FIDE was a mistake'
Since he retired from competitive chess in 2005, Garry Kasparov has steadfastly
avoided speaking about the game. His favourite topic since has been Vladimir
Putin and 'repression' in Russia. But in an exclusive interview to Vijay Tagore,
- first time to an Indian newspaper - the former world champion talks about
the game, unification in the chess world, Vishy Anand and, of course, Vladimir
Putin. Excerpts:
On repression by Putin in Russia: I am only reading aloud
the headlines that would exist if Russia had an independent media. It isn't
about Putin, it's about what he is doing and what he represents. Darkness, repression,
robbery, and a return to Russia's totalitarian past.
Why many people in Russia, including his one-time protege Vladimir
Kramnik, seem to love Putin: A small minority of Russians profit handsomely
from the actions of this regime. If you are well positioned and don't care about
what happens to the rest of the country, the 85% who are worse off and falling,
it's easy to love Putin. But don't believe these ridiculous opinion polls. Surveys
have little meaning in a country with no free press and an increasingly potent
secret police. I'm sure Saddam Hussein was polling even higher than Putin!
On being hit
on the head with a chessboard: That was just a trivial provocation,
in the early days after my retirement from chess in 2005. They were hoping that
after a little physical treatment the chess player would return to chess. But
I have a hard head! I'm lucky that Russians play chess, not cricket.
On Indian democracy: It might be messy, but at least it's
a real democracy! People vote for their candidates and the popular vote decides
things. In Russia today we can only dream of this.
On who will win the World Championship in Mexico: I'm in no
way trying to please your readers by saying that Vishy Anand is the clear favourite.
On his responsibility for the division in the chess world:
I've said before that my decision in 1993 to break away from the world chess
federation, FIDE, with Nigel Short was the worst mistake of my career. It was
a serious miscalculation on my part. I thought we could start fresh with a professional
organisation, but there was little support among he players. It led to short-term
progress in commercial sponsorship for chess, but in the long run hurt the game.
I tried many times to reunite the chess world, but as usual the strong personal
interests on all sides prevented this. There is apparent unity now, but it is
extremely superficial because FIDE still puts its own petty interests ahead
of those of the players, and the players themselves will not sacrifice to fight
for their rights against FIDE.
On whether he sees himself as the greatest player ever: That
is for others to say, and for future historians, not me. I'm proud of my record,
and I think it stands up well. But it is difficult to compare players across
eras, and there are many criteria to be used. Each might favour a different
player. Lasker played at a high level into his 60s, Fischer was further ahead
of his peers than anyone, etc. Chess continues to advance over time, so the
players of the future will inevitably surpass me in the quality of their play,
assuming the rules and regulations allow them to play serious chess. But it
will likely be a long time before anyone spends 20 consecutive years as number,
one as I did.
On chances of a comeback: No, and these days I'd be too busy
to play chess just with the activities I have lined up for the next year or
two. My new book, How Life Imitates Chess, is coming out all over the
world and my speaking engagements also keep me on the move.
The
full interview is available on DNA Daily News & Analysis
