Chess in the time of typewriters

President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, seated first from left, in his youthful years as a KGB podpolkovnik (lieutenant colonel) in East Germany. Photo: BuArch, MfS, BV Ddn, Abt OT, Fo 1171, Bild 1 via Hubertus Knabe.

Мультивселенная (Multiverse)

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, through an order published in the Kremlin website on Thursday, June 9, 2022, has instructed the government and regional authorities to organise the holding (all over the Russian Federation) of “commercially attractive sports tournaments with the participation of foreign individuals and teams” in order to break the cultural and sporting sanctions against Russia. Putin is reported by TASS to have set a deadline of December 30, 2022 for dealing with all the reforms and changes required in order to create new forms of international sports cooperation.

Тита́ник (Titanic)

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin before diving down to inspect the wreckage of the Sch-308 Semga submarine that sank during the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 in the Gulf of Finland on July 27, 2019. Photo: Sergey Guneyev/Sputnik.

Taking Charge of Change

• Reuters, Putin rap: Kremlin should “take charge” of music not shut it down, president says, The Guardian, December 16, 2018

Russia’s president, Vladimir [Vladimirovich] Putin, has said the Kremlin should play a leading role in Russian rap music and youth culture, rather than trying to shut it down. His comments on Saturday follow a spate of concert cancellations by venue owners and local authorities across Russia and the brief arrest of a popular rap artist, Husky. The crackdown has sparked considerable discussion in recent months, especially among young people. Putin said such heavy-handed measures were often counterproductive, and suggested an alternative approach. “If it’s impossible to stop something, you’ve got to take charge of it”, he said during a live broadcast of a meeting of his advisory council on culture and the arts. [Read more].

Russian rapper Husky, whose songs have criticised the government, has had some of his shows cancelled. Photo: Artyom Geodakyan/TASS.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin wanted to personally meet the Russian national chess teams at their training camp in Sochi, Russia on September 21, 2018 so as to wish them good luck at the forthcoming 43rd Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia. Pictured from left, first row, are: Olga Alexandrovna Girya, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, and Alexander Vladimirovich Riazantsev; second row: Nikita Kirillovich Vitiugov, Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev, Sergei Vladimirovich Rublevsky, Natalia Andreevna Pogonina, and Vladimir Alekseevich Potkin. Photo: Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk’s archive/Russian Chess Federation.

Edna, did you notice that Melania was wearing a dress of almost the same colour as yours?

U.S. President Donald Trump proudly holds the soccer ball given to him as a gift by Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on occasion of their rendez-vous at Monday’s summit in Helsinki, Finland. Who scored the goal? Photo: Sputnik/Reuters.

The Fourth Way

Moscow, Russia: A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the presidential election on March 18, 2018. Exit polls say that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin won a fourth term as Russia’s President by a wide margin, avoiding a run-off election. Photo: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images.

Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Russian TV anchor, journalist, socialite and actress Ksenia Anatolyevna Sobchak (pictured above), the “candidate against all odds” for President of the Russian Federation in the 2018 election, has decided to publicly present her sponsors and supporters during a press conference held in Moscow on February 20, 2018. The first one she named was Vladimir Mironovich Palikhata, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Rosenergomash Group, Legacy Capital investment firm, and President of the Moscow Chess Federation. The news was promptly reported by the Chess-News.ru website. Photo: VistaNews.ru.

• Против всех. Президент шахматной федерации Москвы Владимир Палихата спонсирует предвыборную кампанию Ксении Собчак | Against all odds. President of the Moscow Chess Federation Vladimir Mironovich Palikhata funds the electoral campaign of Ksenia Anatolyevna Sobchak, Chess-News.ru, February 20, 2018

Art of Bricks

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, speaking on occasion of the 9th BRICS summit in 厦门 (Xiàmén), China has warned that the escalating North Korean crisis could cause a “planetary catastrophe” and immense loss of human lives. “Ramping up military hysteria in such conditions is senseless; it’s a dead end”, he told reporters. “It could lead to a global, planetary catastrophe and a huge loss of human life. There is no other way to solve the North Korean nuclear issue, save that of peaceful dialogue”.

The North Korean team swimming before the Women’s Team Technical Synchronised Swimming Final at 16th World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, 2015. Photo: Getty Images.

替身演員 (Body double)

• Gavin Haynes, From Xinnie-the-Pooh to Putin as Dobby — world leaders and their cartoon alter-egos, The Guardian, July 17, 2017

Bear a grudge... Winnie and 习近平 (Xí Jìnpíng). Composite: Allstar/Disney/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Dobby the Elf. Composite: Rex/PR.

Cruella de Vil and Theresa May. Composite: Getty/Allstar.

The Sound of Silence

• Reuters, Vladimir Putin denies he has compromising material on Donald Trump, The Guardian, June 5, 2017

NBC journalist Megyn Kelly (pictured right) smiles as she interviews India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pictured left), and Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Photo: Alexei Druzhinin/AP.

Grand Commun

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron at their first highly symbolic meeting in the sumptuous setting of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. Macron described the conversation as “extremely frank and direct”. Photo: Stéphane de Sakutin/EPA.

Casse-noisette

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin plays the piano while waiting to meet the President of the People’s Republic of China 习近平 (Xí Jìnpíng), who called: “geeses of the world, unite”. Putin is taking part in the ongoing “One Belt, One Road” forum in 北京 (Běijīng), China (May 14–15, 2017).

The History of the European People

“There was no, there is no and there will be no force that could ever enslave our people”, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin said today in his speech celebrating the 72nd anniversary of Great Patriotic War victory in World War II. “And we will never forget that it was our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who brought the freedom to Europe and the long-awaited peace on the planet”. Photo © Sputnik/Grigory Sisoev.

People gathered in Arbatskaya Square in Moscow waiting for the Victory Day parade. Photo: Matei Clej‏ (@matei_clej).

How to Do Shakespeare

Sochi, Russia: Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, making her first visit to Russia for two years, during the joint press conference following talks, urged Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to investigate reports of the torture and persecution of gay men in Chechnya and to ensure the safety of LGBT people across the region. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS.

An Igloo for Two

Arctic, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin visits an ice cavern on Alexandra Land island in the remote Arctic islands of Franz Josef Land. Photo: Alexey Druzhinin/AFP/Getty Images.

The Guards Came Through

FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (pictured below on the right) signed today a long-term agreement with the commander-in-chief of the National Guard of the Russian Federation Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov (pictured below on the left) in order to develop and stage a regular and strategic cycle of chess initiatives in at least four Cadet Academies of the Russian Guard (Rosgvardiya). It’s worth remembering that the National Guard is independent from the Russian Armed Forces, and that its federal executive body was established in April 2016 by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to secure borders, take charge of gun control, combat terrorism, organized crime, protect public order and guard important state facilities.

Chess-News.ru (@Chess__News)

“Something’s wrong here...” © http://chess-news.ru/node/22888.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin personally invited Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin to join the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation as a member, and Russian (Ukrainian-born) chess Grandmaster decided to accept the call.

Pictured above is Putin’s invitation letter to Karjakin, dated February 21, 2017, which Sergey Alexandrovich decided to post on his own public Twitter account only today. Photo: Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin (@SergeyKaryakin). “I accepted the offer for more reasons. First, I deeply respect Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin as a strong President and a sincere supporter of chess and chess players, so, due to his personal invitation to me, it would seem to me wrong to refuse”, Karjakin told TASS correspondent Andrey Fyodorovich Kartashov. “Secondly, as a professional, I feel the duty to popularize and develop chess wherever and whenever I may be needed”.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: Oleg Zotov/TASS

Serendipity

• Shaun Walker, Putin says those behind Trump dossier are “worse than prostitutes”, The Guardian, January 17, 2017

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: “Do they think our special services follow every American billionaire?”. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS.

The Autumn of the Patriarch

At his annual year-end press conference held today in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin answered – as usual quite evasively – a grand total of 47 questions on Russia’s foreign and domestic policy, including less serious matters such as chess. He publicly praised the challenger to the World Chess Championship Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin: “Karjakin indeed played brilliantly, well done”, Putin said. “Our chess player very worthily represented Russia, our chess school. He is a fighter, I am sure his main victories are ahead”. As for the World Chess Champion, the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, Putin called him “the Grandmaster of our time”.

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin during his end-of-year press conference. Photo: Alexei Nikolsky/TASS.

Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: World Chess by Agon Limited