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Putin’s Chess War
MOSCOW — Just as during the Cold War, when sporting competitions between the free world and the Communist camp inevitably acquired a political dimension, big sport is increasingly becoming big politics for Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the ongoing campaign for the presidency of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, that will be decided at the congress in Tromso, Norway, on August 11th.
Two contenders—both of them Russian—are vying for the position. One is Garry Kasparov, the legendary grandmaster, the 13th world chess champion, and an eight-time winner of the Chess Olympiads. The other is the incumbent, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the former president of Kalmykia, whose 17-year rule over this southern Russian republic was marred by frequent allegations of corruption and abuse of power. On June 7, 1998, newspaper editor Larisa Yudina, who investigated corruption in Kalmykia’s government, was murdered in the capital, Elista. One of the people convicted for her murder was Sergei Vaskin, Ilyumzhinov’s childhood friend, campaign manager, and presidential adviser.
Given the credentials of the two candidates, the choice should be clear. Yet the Kremlin is pulling all the stops to ensure the reelection of Ilyumzhinov and the defeat of Russia’s chess legend Kasparov. National chess federations from Jamaica to Singapore have been contacted by Russian embassy representatives urging support for Ilyumzhinov. Last month, Vladimir Putin personally met with Ilyumzhinov, posing for official photographs. The Russian Chess Federation—which nominated Ilyumzhinov for reelection—recently appointed a new board of trustees that is chaired by Putin’s press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, and that includes such famous chess luminaries as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and Kremlin-connected businessman Gennady Timchenko, who has been sanctioned by the US government over Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
As the head of a respected international body, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov—a member of Putin’s United Russia party, who has acted as Moscow’s unofficial envoy to Saddam Hussein, Muammar Qaddafi, and Bashar al-Assad—is an important asset for the Kremlin. His replacement by Garry Kasparov—a longtime opponent of Putin’s regime—would naturally be a major setback. It is to be hoped, however, that the delegates gathering in Tromso next month will be more concerned with the future of world chess than with the political interests of Vladimir Putin.
Originally posted by Vlad Drkulec
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Putin’s Chess War
MOSCOW — Just as during the Cold War, when sporting competitions between the free world and the Communist camp inevitably acquired a political dimension, big sport is increasingly becoming big politics for Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the ongoing campaign for the presidency of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, that will be decided at the congress in Tromso, Norway, on August 11th.
Two contenders—both of them Russian—are vying for the position. One is Garry Kasparov, the legendary grandmaster, the 13th world chess champion, and an eight-time winner of the Chess Olympiads. The other is the incumbent, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the former president of Kalmykia, whose 17-year rule over this southern Russian republic was marred by frequent allegations of corruption and abuse of power. On June 7, 1998, newspaper editor Larisa Yudina, who investigated corruption in Kalmykia’s government, was murdered in the capital, Elista. One of the people convicted for her murder was Sergei Vaskin, Ilyumzhinov’s childhood friend, campaign manager, and presidential adviser.
Given the credentials of the two candidates, the choice should be clear. Yet the Kremlin is pulling all the stops to ensure the reelection of Ilyumzhinov and the defeat of Russia’s chess legend Kasparov. National chess federations from Jamaica to Singapore have been contacted by Russian embassy representatives urging support for Ilyumzhinov. Last month, Vladimir Putin personally met with Ilyumzhinov, posing for official photographs. The Russian Chess Federation—which nominated Ilyumzhinov for reelection—recently appointed a new board of trustees that is chaired by Putin’s press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, and that includes such famous chess luminaries as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and Kremlin-connected businessman Gennady Timchenko, who has been sanctioned by the US government over Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
As the head of a respected international body, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov—a member of Putin’s United Russia party, who has acted as Moscow’s unofficial envoy to Saddam Hussein, Muammar Qaddafi, and Bashar al-Assad—is an important asset for the Kremlin. His replacement by Garry Kasparov—a longtime opponent of Putin’s regime—would naturally be a major setback. It is to be hoped, however, that the delegates gathering in Tromso next month will be more concerned with the future of world chess than with the political interests of Vladimir Putin.
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