Kasparov throws in the towel
12 December 2007 17:00 PM | Last modified: 8:25
Ex-world chess champion and leader of the Russian opposition Garry Kasparov is dropping his presidential bid. Today Kasparov said in Moscow that he’s being hindered too much by the Russian government: “In all Moscow we have not been able to find a hall where our supporters could meet,” he said. His movement had encountered problems obtaining premises for a meeting officially required for his candidacy to be put forward in time. Because of all the problems Kasparov has encountered to promote The Other Russia, Kasparov finishes his electoral campaign tomorrow.
Russian election law requires that a candidate who is not nominated by a political party with seats in parliament must get the support of an ‘initiative group’ meeting of at least 500 people. The election commission must be informed five days in advance of the initiative group meeting, meaning the meeting cannot take place later than Dec 13. “We pay and the people agree. There are no problems. And then they call us to say they are refusing, can’t give us the hall any more,” Kasparov said. “They refuse to give us the hall for technical reasons.”
According to Kasparov, The Other Russia will continue to fight for “holding real elections in Russia”. There will be presidential elections in early March, which will most probably be won by Dmitri Medvedev, the personal favourite of Putin himself.
Dear Peter,
would you publish a word about a former great chess player who become, say, an “adult movie” actor
?
FYI: to become a president candidate in Russia, a contester is obliged to collect 2000000 signatures. He haven’t got them because he wasn’t allowed to use that hall. Pure Garry…
Seriously: please Peter, devote your beautiful site to chess.
Blogs all over chessdom contain entries similar to the one posted by characters like Vosuram who labour under the strange notion that politics and any other tangentially related matters have no place on a chess site. I have no idea where this illogical quest for “purity” originates since chess has always been inextricably wrapped up in politics, witness the fate of Alekhine, the shenanigans of Robert J. Fischer, the propagandistic use of chess by the Soviet Union during the Cold War Era, the banning of chess by Ayatollahs, and so on. I’ll wager that the vast majority of chess players are very interested in Garry Kasparov’s new career. To Vosuram’s question: If a famous chess player leaves competitive play to star in adult movies, I for one would hope that Chess Vibes would pick up the story.
I noticed that after nearly every news (on websites of newspapers also) about putin’s regime there is a first post by someone who never posted a message before (or am I wrong and this is not the first post by “Vosuram”?) defending Putin… I’m just wondering about that.
Anyway, this is an interesting news for any chess fan, so I absolutely agree with Rob (If this famous player is a women and becomes actor in adult movies, it would be a must to report about that (with videos of course)
).
Btw., any news about Bobby Fischer? I remember the news that he became ill in the time Kasparov was arrested…
Dear Felix,
When I have a time I’m reading chessvibes.com, the “Daily puzzle” first of all. You may check whether any of my postings on “Daily puzzle” was erroneous
About myself:
I’m Russian, who spent last 10 year abroad so far.
“Putin’s support”:
I’m not supporting Putin, but trying to analyze the the situation with no bias .
As for the Kasparov’s case and Russia:
…Imagine, you are a president of something…
QUESTION: What should you take care about first? About the UN declarations and directives?
FYI: UN, humanity, democracy:
Does the UN exist? Shouldn’t those who killed civilians in Iraq be treated in the same way as Serbian generals in the International Tribunal? The hypocracy and double standards are the heaviest sins, - don’t you think so?
In 1999 (Yugoslavia), more than 100 innocent civilians were killed by NATO just in 2 particular accidents (1 bus + 1 train on the bridge) by a “point-like” strikes? It’s hard to account spread “collateral damages”, which leaded to deaths of civilians those time. Did the UN provide any statistics about these “collateral damages”? Does the UN exist after the US (justified?) intervention to Iraq where, from different sources, may be about 600000, but not less 300000 civilians were killed? Just in order to make an estimation: Soviet Union lost approximately 11000 soldiers in Afghanistan war and there were killed approx. 1000000 Afghanis. The ratio of killed civilians to killed (although well trained to survive…) soldiers is >=100:1 in a modern war. So far the US lost in Iraq more then 3000 soldiers. They told they are building democracy in Iraq
MY ANSWER: I think, president of the country should take care about his country first.
After (a smart, but…) comedian Gorbachev and an (unconsciousness) alcoholic Yeltsin, Putin is the first president of Russia (~USSR) who is trying to improve the life standards of ordinary citizens of Russia. That’s why Putin is _EXTREMELY_POPULAR_ in Russia.
There are no “common human interests”. There are specific interests for each country, which are aimed to improve life standards inside, and common sense, which allows for all of us to stay in peace.
Opponents of Putin are talking about “restriction of freedom”. How are they restricted? Cannot you read their opinions in Russian newspapers and Russian web sites everyday? Aren’t they travel freely back and forth (BTW (almost?) ALL of them have a property abroad, which was bought for Russian (”privatized”) money owned during Yeltsin’s 90s)? What is the “restriction of freedom” in Russia?
Jump aside: 2/3 of gas and oil companies in Norway are state-owned by law. Is it a restriction of freedom? Isn’t Norway a democratic country because of that? FYI: Norway has the highest life standards among EU countries.
…if you want to know a real situation in Russia, I suggest you to visit the country and to see the reality from inside instead of reading Kasparov’s insinuations…
Sorry for not talking about chess this time.
P.S. In the Kasparov’s statements concerning Russian elections you may have heard about “some cases” and “some places”. As a researcher I know that if there is no exact reference, most probably, someone is trying to cheat…
OK, so Kasparov is coming back to chess!,!?!!?!
We’d wish!! :)))
Hi,
Sorry Felix and Rob Brown, but:
1. Kasparov´s blunder number one: PCA;
2. Kasparov´s blunder number two: to be Russia´s President.
Putin is not the best or a great President. But, at least, he does not bring back to the power that corrupt oligarquy. They all, and we too, remember how was bad this recent period with them.
Look to the Kasparov´s support and you will find them there.
You both know this.
Barnard.
Putins propaganda engine must be better than Rybka judging from the fact it found your site and the effort it puts into defending Putin and breaking down Kasparov.
Highly interesting. Scary too.
I was very clear in mine response: it is not for Putin, it is about Kasparov.
Vosuram explained better here today.
Or… Don´t you know Kasparov??? Russia is better withou he at presidence.
Regards.
Barnard.
@Barnard : Thanks for proving my point.
Whether Kasparov has great political ideas or not, the way he is being treated (and all Putins political opponents for that matter) suggests to me Putin reign isn’t democratic, nor olichargic but dictatorial.
This isnt about Kasparov or Putins ideas. It’s about the way the state acts towards anything not pro-Putin. Can you seriously with a clear conscience say there are no similarities between Putin’s reign and the old communist way of doing things?
It’s great news!! Kasparov can now move a real democracy in the U.S.,the U.K., or Germany! He can write books,make public apperances and live the good life! I wish him the best!
Kasparov for president of the UN ! Good Man -Right Job and instead of bombs and pistols we’ll see chessboards all over the World !
Will, not the UN spreads violence over the globe…
Vosuram>> what a weird argument, that because you can read a newspaper there is no restrictions in freedom! no I dont live in russia, but there are a LOT of sources on how hard it is to be against Putin in russia, the treatment of G.Kasparov and other political opponents just being one part of that evidence. for example there was that murder of the female journalist not that long ago, and many more incidents with journalists having problems. then add to that Putins obvious plans to maintain control of the country after he has ceaced to be president, and the situation just looks very very bad, at least if you dont want a one party system.
Putin’s police forces proved every word i’ve heard from Kasparov. I don’t think Kasparov would be a good president in Russia, but at least he would not be dictatorial. Wy did that man hit him with a chess board? Don’t you think it was a warning? Why did the police arrest him just like Fischer in Japan?
Vosuram: Do you really think Putin didn’t have anything to do with Kasparov’s arrest, that journalists death?
Ernest: I think Putin uses Deep Junior, because he heard it had beaten Kasparov in a match. :))
Dear Lajos,
I propose an experiment. Come, say, to Chicago with a dozen of your friends and, with no permission of the municipal administration, go with your friends along, say, Lake Shore drive, blocking all the traffic. When police officers will be asking you to use a sidewalk, don’t follow the police orders. Be persistent. When you and your friends will be arrested, next day you may blame Bush for that, and I bet there will a newspaper which next day will write an article, with few (personal) photos, so it will not be clear, how many people actually participated, about a crowded rally to protest against something, which was ruthlessly suppressed by brutal police. You will be happy to discover how many people will know about your existence since then. Good for you, if you are going to be a politician. That is what approximately happened to Kasparov.
———————-
Dear Xtra,
I am outraged by the fact that the US government has not pay enough attention to the assassination of its national who, in 1990, receiving a passport, brought an oath of loyalty interests of the USA, which is the first concern. FYI: this oath is mandatory for adults, who got the US citizenship not at birth (as Politkovskaya).
Well, I believe that the investigation of this crime close to the end and will soon know, who killed her in fact. Life is the primary human value.
———————-
Dear All,
I strongly suggest you to build your conclusions not on a base of rumors and yellow newspapers and web sites. Operate with facts, dates, names, precise references, or relay on your personal experience. As for me I stop postings on political issues on this beautiful chess website. It takes too much time.
Regards,
Vosuram
About Chess:
Anybody knows if he will be back to the tournaments?
His last game was a lost, of course in a winning tournament.
I believe not. Because three years is a long time…
Chess regards,
Barnard.
well, look at Kamsky. You can get back to the highest level even after being away for a much longer period!
Indeed. And he won’t suffer from a lack of theoretical knowledge. This guy needs just five I days of solitude to keep track of current theory.
Hi,
It is mine first time here.
The question is not only the distant from the tableboard.
It is his actual age and that he is involved in political activity entirely.
Other: the position and the tournaments that he will play, and the performance the he aims is not nice.
He will want play strongs tournaments with rating perfomance over 2750 or over 2800.
Why to come back and did not aim the World Championship?
With three years with this distant of chess, I believe, is not easy to a nice come back.
He will not be back. He can´t do it.
S.