Karpov, Kasparov and world chess, shaken by the aggression against Ukraine

Gari Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov in January 1985 in Moscow, during the first of their five world title duels.imago/Golovanov + Kivrin / Cordon Press

The threat is stronger than its execution.

Vladimir Putin has violated this principle, formulated more than a century ago by the famous chess player Aaron Nimzovich.

And to the much more important misfortunes that this causes is added a convulsion of world chess.

The International Federation (FIDE) has taken very harsh measures that place its president, the economist Arkady Dvorkovich, former adviser to Putin and former deputy prime minister to Dimitri Medviédev, in a delicate position.

In addition, Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov, protagonists of the greatest rivalry in the history of all sports, are now lined up on opposite sides.

FIDE, which encompasses 198 countries, has canceled its General Assembly (which this year includes elections for president) and the Chess Olympiad, scheduled for Moscow from July 26 to August 8 (as well as the Paralympics, scheduled in another city Russian, Janti Mansiisk), where the attendance of some 3,000 people was expected.

Several Asian sources have confirmed to this newspaper that there are "good prospects" for moving the three events to India "or other countries that have also shown interest", despite the millionaire cost of all this.

In addition to explicitly condemning the aggression against Ukraine, the FIDE Council (of which 25 members from around twenty countries are part), prohibits all official competition in Russia and Belarus, obliges players from both countries to compete without their flags and anthems, suspends all relations with Russian or Belarusian sponsors and opens a file on Sergei Kariakin, runner-up in the world in 2016, for having publicly supported the aggression against Ukraine.

Kariakin, like his compatriot Ian Niepómniashi, current runner-up, who has been clearly against the invasion, are classified for the Candidates Tournament in Madrid (June 15 to July 7).

The world champion, the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, has also condemned Putin's attack on Ukraine.

Although these decisions have been taken collectively, there is no doubt that they place Dvorkovich in a very uncomfortable position, who, with the approval of the Kremlin, succeeded another Russian in international disgrace, Kirsán Iliumyínov, as president of FIDE in 2018. , and will probably be the only candidate in the newly suspended elections.

In addition, Dvorkovich also presides over Skolkovo, the Russian innovation center that is most similar - but with a huge difference - to Silicon Valley.

According to several testimonies collected by this newspaper from people very well connected with power in Moscow, Dvorkovich's mandate in his various government positions between 1994 and 2018 (he also directed the Organizing Committee of the World Cup in Russia, in 2018) always adhered to to economic affairs (trained at Duke University, USA),

without ever entering the mud of politics.

However, everything indicates that the current situation could cause serious problems.

Dvorkovich has not responded to a request from EL PAÍS to give his personal opinion, beyond his support as president of the decisions of the FIDE Council.

FIDE President Dvorkovich takes the honorary kick-off in Game 1 of the Niepomniashi-Carlsen World Cup on November 21 in DubaiERIC ROSEN

On the other hand, the historic rivalry between Karpov and Kasparov is now reflected in a very different scenario than the 64-square board.

Karpov is a deputy of the Russian Parliament for Putin's party and, a few days before the invasion of Ukraine, he voted in favor of recognizing the Ukrainian regions of Donietsk and Luhansk as Russian territories.

There is no evidence that he later gave his opinion on the military aggression, but that vote automatically includes him among the 351 Russian parliamentarians immediately sanctioned by the European Union and the United States.

Therefore, it is very unlikely that he will be able to travel to Spain to present a recent film about his life, as he planned to do in April.

Kasparov is at the opposite end of this board.

Arrested several times by the police, after withdrawing his candidacy for the presidency of Russia in 2008 "due to the constant obstruction of the official media", in 2013 he was one of the three most popular opponents of Putin, along with Borís Niémtsov and Alexei Navalny.

Kasparov then decided to emigrate to New York because his life was in danger in Moscow.

Niemtsov was assassinated less than two years later.

Navalny was poisoned in 2020, imprisoned in 2021 and repeatedly sentenced to several years in prison accumulated just a few weeks ago.

Kasparov is now the best-known exiled opponent along with tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky (who lives in London), chairs a human rights organization (Human Rights Foundation) and is very active against Putin in conferences, press interviews and social media.

In them these days testimonies abound that recall how successful Kasparov was in his detailed analyzes of Putin and the future of Russia in his book

(

is coming , 2015), whose subtitle translates as follows: “Why Vladimir Putin and the enemies of the free world must be stopped.”

Kasparov responded on February 24: “Stop telling me that I was right, and listen to what I say now”, which can be summed up as: 1) Support Ukraine in every possible way;

2) Bankrupt Russia;

3) Expel Russia from all kinds of institutions;

4) Withdraw all ambassadors to Russia;

5) Ban all Putin propaganda devices;

6) Uncover and act against all of Putin's lackeys in the free world;

7) Replace Russian oil and gas.

This Sunday, Kasparov tweeted: “My friend Boris Niemtsov was assassinated by Putin in Moscow seven years ago today.

He died the best of us, the best last chance for Russian democracy.

Now we see how Putin tries to assassinate Ukrainian democracy as well.”

Leontxo García is, in addition to being a journalist, FIDE adviser for educational chess since 2019

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