It is pretty difficult to take an interview from famous chess player Gary Kasparov. The most important thing is the time, which is not enough for the 13th world champion of chess in the world. We succeeded in interviewing him only after the third attempt. The first two attempts failed due to the participation of the latter in a campaign of oppositionists. And so the guest of 168-Zham is the 13th chess champion of the world Gary Kasparov. As when playing chess the champion took the leadership during the interview.
– What are you saying the name of the newspaper is?
– It is 168-Zham newspaper of Yerevan. The name comes from the hours of the week. The paper is liberal with a trilingual webpage.
– What are we going to speak about?
– For example, about your possible return to the chess board.
– No, I don’t have such plans.
– What happened during the elections of FIDE president, which took place in Khanti Mansisysk city of Russia? How did it happen that even in the event of the union of Kasparov and Karpov (which is even hard to imagine) they couldn’t beat functionary Kirsan Ilyumzhinov?
– The fact that we lost was no big of a sensation. Ultimately we didn’t sit down to play chess with him. Elections are a political struggle. So we lost that game. More accurately – Ilyumzhinov won. He won by using immense administrative resources, by practicing serious psychological pressure on those members of FIDE, who are not very famous figure in the chess world. He was receiving an evident and powerful support from the Kremlin. What the assistant to the Russian President Ardkady Dvorkovich has done doesn’t fit in any boundaries. The substitute for the post of the head of Kalmikia Alexey Orlov has visited to support Ilyumzhinov… Ilyumzhinov has immense amount of funds, strongest support at the highest level, which also included all kinds of deceptive methods… That was no voting but a political game. They all took the role of a political “thimble.” We wanted to play fair but the cheaters “cheated” us. It is only enough to say that 56 countries have entrusted their votes to the members of FIDE to vote. We and the other delegates were pressured in all fronts. They didn’t even allow us to hold a simple press conference. Anatoly Karpov wasn’t even to receive the support of those countries, in which he has fantastic popularity. Nevertheless, I can help saying that we also have our portion of fault in this fiasco. To a certain extent our team has made a wrong decision. We were mistaken in the selection of cadres. We have started to race slightly late and then we were working in implacable conditions of competition. The situation is still being scrutinized and the analysis is not over yet. When we are done it will become clear how seriously against us and how supportively the administrative resource was used and also the pressure on the FIDE members to get votes for Ilyumzhinov. You know perhaps the location wasn’t chosen by accident either. What is Russia for foreigners? It is a stereotype and a huge cold country. And the elections were held in Siberia, which is psychologically inconvenient.
– In your opinion what developments are expected after the election of Ilyumzhinov head of the FIDE?
– Nothing good can be expected. Anatoly Karpov has serious and multilayer projects for chess development. In general there is nothing much to say about Ilyumzhinov’s project as there was no project as such. There were only promises of providing funds to the chess federations. Another thing is to understand he he’s going to fulfill those. One thing can be said sure that during his tenure of being FIDE chairman was never successes in finding a corporative sponsor for chess. Check the map yourselves and try to understand where chess championships have been recently held. It is mostly the Caspian. There is no particular need to explain the provision of financial means there. Those are budgetary and odd means. I think for the beginning Ilyumzhinov will keep his promise and the federations will receive some crumbs. But it will give nothing to the development of chess. I don’t think he will succeed in finding a corporative sponsor for chess. Who would like to deal with him? He has such a reputation that not everybody will even shake his hand. It would be better if Ilyumzhinov continued the development of communication with UFOs. Gradually the FIDE members will start to form discontent in relation to him. This is how the things will develop.
– How do you estimate the situation in the chess world in general? By viewing it from the side it seems that it has become pettier. There are no such giants as Kasparov, Fischer and Karpov and not to mention the elder generation, who have become legends.
– Why not? There are many good chess players… Among those I can mention Kramnik and Anand, Magnus Carlsen and others. There are numerous reasons for that. The reason of that is also the globalization, unification. Other mass interests have been created, new tastes have been formed. Such a situation is formed in all the sectors and not only chess. But in chess, among other reasons that situation can be taken in a more aggressive manner than in soccer, where currently the absence of Pele or Maradonna cannot be destructive.
– Can we say that chess as sport and art has entered a deadlock of its development?
– No, why? Even on the internet they play millions of games every day. This has never happened so much before. Only imagine the number of players, it comes to speak about the development of the sector… Indeed it is not as tense as in the past. We will hardly see any super effective novelties. But chess is moving forward and will also do as long as there are chess players out there.
– And if chess is not being glutted is it worth waiting for any radical revolutionary changes as offered Fischer to place the figures on the chess board based on drawing a lot?
– To be frank the idea of placing the figures based on lots was first suggested by David Bronstein. Fischer simply brought it up in a more attractive package. The Bronstein-Fischer (let’s call it that way) idea allows a minimum move of chess figures at the beginning. Compared to the standard the changes are imperceptible. Perhaps lots can be drawn and receive certain preliminary setup and for some period, let’s say a year, play with that setup. It’s worth trying.
– What does a great celebrity like Kasparov need to be in ungrateful politics?
– I do care about what’s going on in my country. I love my country and cannot be indifferent towards its destiny and future. The current situation is not eternal. We cannot only use the gas and build an illusion of a powerful state based on that. The current Russia is actually an economically weak state, which is not ready for the new challenges. People like me don’t wish to live in such a Russia and instead wish to live in a developed, democratic Russia. And our society will become mature enough to notice the cynicism of our government. This situation cannot go on forever just like anything else.
– And in the end I’d like to ask a question from our reader. What connects you with Armenia? Or does this connection exist at all?
– Good question. But will you fully publish what I am about to say?
– So far we have never cut anything from interviews.
– In that case I will tell you. I was in Tbilisi about a year ago on the anniversary of Zurab Azmayparashvili… Around the table next to me sat Armenian Smnat Lputyan – the head of the Armenian chess federation. Yes the president of the federation is Serzh Sargsyan but Lputyan is in charge of current issues. And he tells me, “Garik, why are you not coming to Armenia?” I responded, “Smbat, who ever thought of inviting me?” And then he started to do some irregular gestures. Perhaps he felt embarrassed… I continued, “Is the government of Armenia ready to invite me? Will they dare to deteriorate relations with Putin?” For me the response is evident. Let me say more. The standpoint of the Armenian function actors is making me hideously astounded. During the abovementioned elections of the head of FIDE it was me from one side to support Anatoly Karpov and from the other side Ilyumzhinov… It seemed there had to be no questions but turns out Armenia is voting on behalf of Ilyumzhinov. And that is the person, who relies on the Azerbaijani and Turkish money. Let me say more. During the elections of the European Chess Union Armenia voted against a Bulgarian Silvio Danailov and voted for Ali Nihat Yazchi, who was nominated by Turkey. As a result Danailov won but that’s not the question. How can we understand this strange behavior? Perhaps this is the new politics of Armenia? I don’t know… This is how I am linked to Armenia at present.