“Nonsense. Russia has the most free press in the world!” — Conversation with the chess legend Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov
Deputy of the State Duma Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, 2017. Photo: VI Images/HH.
Chess legend and State Duma deputy Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, wayward Kasparov’s eternal rival, was in the Netherlands. “All the world should be grateful to Putin. Without him, a world war would have broken out. MH17? It’s obvious that Russia is not the guilty party”.
He strolls with his hands behind his back as groups of children play chess, and sometimes he stops to take a look at some interesting game. It’s very likely that most of those children with ages varying from 10 to 16 years old — gathered from all over Europe to play a tournament in Rotterdam — do not even know who is that Russian gentleman dressed in a blue suit. We’re talking about Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, the 12th World Chess Champion, who was invited to appear as the guest of honour at the 5th editiom of the Basamro International Chess Tournament.
He strolls with his hands behind his back as groups of children play chess, and sometimes he stops to take a look at some interesting game. It’s very likely that most of those children with ages varying from 10 to 16 years old — gathered from all over Europe to play a tournament in Rotterdam — do not even know who is that Russian gentleman dressed in a blue suit. We’re talking about Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, the 12th World Chess Champion, who was invited to appear as the guest of honour at the 5th editiom of the Basamro International Chess Tournament.
Karpov (left) and Kasparov (right) playing their 1987 World Chess Championship match. Photo: Sputnik/RIA Novosti/HH. |
He no longer plays competitive chess. He has no time anymore for that, as he is now in politics — since 2011 he is a Deputy of the State Duma. Nevertheless, he is still recognised and admired nowadays in Rotterdam, but not so much as in Russia. In the Soviet Union chess was a very important symbol, and during the Cold War it was important for the Kremlin that the World Chess Champion were a Soviet and a Communist. It was often an internal Russian affair: in the ’80s and ’90s Karpov played with his compatriot Garry Kimovich Kasparov five hard-fought matches for the title. Whereas Karpov was seen as an emanation of the Kremlin, Kasparov was perceived by the West as a “rebel”.
During the Cold War it was important for the Kremlin that the World Chess Champion were a Soviet and a Communist.
What did you think about the fact that your eternal rival was more popular than you in the West?
“It’s not happened only with Kasparov, everything started with Bobby Fischer. And then, after him, it was up to Kortschnoi, who was not a dissident at all, but simply one who left the country. And finally they found their hero, Kasparov”. Karpov feels a little underestimated. “Journalists contributed to create the myth, writing that I played so boringly, whilst Kasparov, instead, was so creative. What did they know about it?”. Then he took his time showing his most bold and striking moves, which at least were understood by his fellow Grandmasters.
Who is the greatest player ever?
“Without counting national titles, I won 180 international tournaments. No one came even near to me. I was World Champion 16 times, I destroyed Spassky and crushed Kortschnoi”, he says with an affable smile. “But all the World Champions are good, all thirteen of them”. Kasparov was number thirteen, so apparently he is yet in the list. After years of hostility, they are on speaking terms again now.
Now, what about the more recent World Champions?
“Anand and Carlsen are okay, but no, most modern players are of lower level. This is mostly due to the current time control: players nowadays have less time to think, and therefore they think less deeply”.
The World Chess Championship matches between Karpov and Kasparov, which might last for months, always hit the news.
“Once chess was in the world on the same level of popularity as tennis, but by now it sunk down. We were perhaps the number three sport. And now? Number forty? Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov’s presidency at FIDE, since 1995, was actually wasted time”.
Ilyumzhinov is the former the former President of the Autonomous Republic of Kalmykia and in many ways a controversial figure: he publicly claimed to have been abducted by aliens, played chess with Gaddafi, did business with Assad, and so was blacklisted by the United States; he is a friend of Putin. If there exists a “political” sport, that’s chess. So now Karpov is sitting in the State Duma as a deputy of a pro-Putin faction.
During the Cold War it was important for the Kremlin that the World Chess Champion were a Soviet and a Communist.
What did you think about the fact that your eternal rival was more popular than you in the West?
“It’s not happened only with Kasparov, everything started with Bobby Fischer. And then, after him, it was up to Kortschnoi, who was not a dissident at all, but simply one who left the country. And finally they found their hero, Kasparov”. Karpov feels a little underestimated. “Journalists contributed to create the myth, writing that I played so boringly, whilst Kasparov, instead, was so creative. What did they know about it?”. Then he took his time showing his most bold and striking moves, which at least were understood by his fellow Grandmasters.
Who is the greatest player ever?
“Without counting national titles, I won 180 international tournaments. No one came even near to me. I was World Champion 16 times, I destroyed Spassky and crushed Kortschnoi”, he says with an affable smile. “But all the World Champions are good, all thirteen of them”. Kasparov was number thirteen, so apparently he is yet in the list. After years of hostility, they are on speaking terms again now.
Now, what about the more recent World Champions?
“Anand and Carlsen are okay, but no, most modern players are of lower level. This is mostly due to the current time control: players nowadays have less time to think, and therefore they think less deeply”.
The World Chess Championship matches between Karpov and Kasparov, which might last for months, always hit the news.
“Once chess was in the world on the same level of popularity as tennis, but by now it sunk down. We were perhaps the number three sport. And now? Number forty? Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov’s presidency at FIDE, since 1995, was actually wasted time”.
Ilyumzhinov is the former the former President of the Autonomous Republic of Kalmykia and in many ways a controversial figure: he publicly claimed to have been abducted by aliens, played chess with Gaddafi, did business with Assad, and so was blacklisted by the United States; he is a friend of Putin. If there exists a “political” sport, that’s chess. So now Karpov is sitting in the State Duma as a deputy of a pro-Putin faction.
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov in the Philippines, 1978. Photo: AP/HH.
While Kasparov was in the opposition.
“Oh, not more than seven years. Now he lives in New York”, Karpov just said. And he also bevieves that Putin is not evil. On the contrary: “All the world should be grateful to him. It’s thank to Putin that Russia has not disintegrated. Without him a civil war would have probably broken out, if not a world war. You know, when he came to power Russia was very weak, and local governors in Siberia and Urals were aiming for independence. It has not happened, so we have only one Russia, instead of maybe seven states”.
Why is Putin so little loved in the West?
“The West feels as America does. I have nothing against Americans, I just opened a chess school there. Beautiful people. But their politicians are not happy that Russia brilliantly survived the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Do you remember Yeltsin’s government and all its American advisors? Putin sent them all back. They took it badly as suddenly they lost all their influence for making Russia weaker. And now Russia is strong again”.
Do you really think that the West is the same as America?
“Oh definitely, yes. What were the conditions of the Marshall Plan? Secret arrangements. Do you know them?”
No.
“Germans have been saved by the Plan. And I guess that in exchange they had to swear eternal loyalty to America. Don’t you believe? Germany governs Europe on the orders of the United States”.
But how can America impose its will? Not throgh Western media, because, as it seems to me, they are generally free, unlike in Russia.
“Nonsense. Russia has the most free press in the world. I can make comparisons as I travel a lot. Even Ukrainian politicians are invited to our daily talk shows, and they can say what they want”.
“Nonsense. Russia has the most free press in the world. I can make comparisons as I travel a lot”.
And what about the MH17 disaster? The facts are that the plane was shot down while flying over eastern Ukraine, in an area under the control of proRussian forces.
“Whether they are guilty or not guilty it’s another question — and let me first of all say that it was a terrible event. Russia had no interest in doing that, while Ukrainians have a bad history of such cases. Do not forget that in 2001 they shot down a Russian commercial plane flying from Tel Aviv to Moscow, killing 78 people. Oops! We made a mistake, they said a week later. And the MH17 has been shot down with old weapons now unused in Russia. No, it’s very questionable who is guilty, whether it is the Ukrainians or the pro-Russian forces. The place from where the shot was fired is only a couple of miles from the border line. At the time of the facts, Putin also flew over there. Didn’t they want to shoot him? They shoot every day, even during the ceasefire. They also shoot at the OCSE observers. It’s just an open question who did it”. The former World Chess Champion sat silently for a while. “And why hasn’t Russia been invited to join the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which is conducting criminal investigation into the disaster?”.
Russia took part in the early commissions of inquiry. Perhaps Russia was not involved for fear that it might have put obstacles to truth seeking.
“Can’t Russia alone block everything? It is obvious that Russia is not the guilty party. But the fact happened near Russian territory. We have all informations, we know which weapons Ukrainians use. We are ready to provide documents containing vital information. Really strange!”.
“Oh, not more than seven years. Now he lives in New York”, Karpov just said. And he also bevieves that Putin is not evil. On the contrary: “All the world should be grateful to him. It’s thank to Putin that Russia has not disintegrated. Without him a civil war would have probably broken out, if not a world war. You know, when he came to power Russia was very weak, and local governors in Siberia and Urals were aiming for independence. It has not happened, so we have only one Russia, instead of maybe seven states”.
Why is Putin so little loved in the West?
“The West feels as America does. I have nothing against Americans, I just opened a chess school there. Beautiful people. But their politicians are not happy that Russia brilliantly survived the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Do you remember Yeltsin’s government and all its American advisors? Putin sent them all back. They took it badly as suddenly they lost all their influence for making Russia weaker. And now Russia is strong again”.
Do you really think that the West is the same as America?
“Oh definitely, yes. What were the conditions of the Marshall Plan? Secret arrangements. Do you know them?”
No.
“Germans have been saved by the Plan. And I guess that in exchange they had to swear eternal loyalty to America. Don’t you believe? Germany governs Europe on the orders of the United States”.
But how can America impose its will? Not throgh Western media, because, as it seems to me, they are generally free, unlike in Russia.
“Nonsense. Russia has the most free press in the world. I can make comparisons as I travel a lot. Even Ukrainian politicians are invited to our daily talk shows, and they can say what they want”.
“Nonsense. Russia has the most free press in the world. I can make comparisons as I travel a lot”.
And what about the MH17 disaster? The facts are that the plane was shot down while flying over eastern Ukraine, in an area under the control of proRussian forces.
“Whether they are guilty or not guilty it’s another question — and let me first of all say that it was a terrible event. Russia had no interest in doing that, while Ukrainians have a bad history of such cases. Do not forget that in 2001 they shot down a Russian commercial plane flying from Tel Aviv to Moscow, killing 78 people. Oops! We made a mistake, they said a week later. And the MH17 has been shot down with old weapons now unused in Russia. No, it’s very questionable who is guilty, whether it is the Ukrainians or the pro-Russian forces. The place from where the shot was fired is only a couple of miles from the border line. At the time of the facts, Putin also flew over there. Didn’t they want to shoot him? They shoot every day, even during the ceasefire. They also shoot at the OCSE observers. It’s just an open question who did it”. The former World Chess Champion sat silently for a while. “And why hasn’t Russia been invited to join the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which is conducting criminal investigation into the disaster?”.
Russia took part in the early commissions of inquiry. Perhaps Russia was not involved for fear that it might have put obstacles to truth seeking.
“Can’t Russia alone block everything? It is obvious that Russia is not the guilty party. But the fact happened near Russian territory. We have all informations, we know which weapons Ukrainians use. We are ready to provide documents containing vital information. Really strange!”.
Karpov in the Netherlands. Photo: Mark Schalekamp.
(English translation by I, Robot)
1 comment:
Stahlschrank 18.10.2017, 15:09
https://www.schachfeld.de/threads/31643-deutschland-regiert-europa-auf-befehl-der-usa
Deutschland regiert Europa auf Befehl der USA
sagt der Vorsitzende des Friedensfonds Anatoli Karpov.
https://linuxinterflorence.blogspot.de/the-border-line.html
Und noch andere interessante bis zweifelhafte Dinge.
Ist Paranoia eine notwendige Bedingung fürs Schach?
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