Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov added by Russia to list of ‘terrorists and extremists’
Garry Kasparov was the undisputed world number 1 for a record 255 months, from 1984 until his professional retirement in 2005.
New Delhi: Former chess grandmaster and political activist, Russian Garry Kasparov, was added to the list of ‘terrorists and extremists’, according to reports on Wednesday. The 60-year-old, a long-time opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was added to the list by Rosfinmonitoring, a Russian watchdog responsible for combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Kasparov has repeatedly spoken out publicly against Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. AFP reported that Rosfinmonitoring did not give any reason for adding the Soviet-born Kasparov to its database. It is also understood that people labeled as ‘terrorists and extremists’ by the watchdog could have their bank accounts seized.
Kasparov, a former world champion, is widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time and has lived in the United States for more than a decade. He fled Russia in 2014 for fear of persecution. Earlier in 2022, Russia’s Justice Ministry added Kasparov to its list of “foreign agents,” subjecting him to burdensome bureaucracy, including financial reporting.
During his playing days, Kasparov was the undisputed world number 1 for a record 255 months, from 1984 to 2005 (the year he retired from professional chess). He also holds the record for most career wins: victories in professional tournaments (15) and chess Oscars (11).
At the age of 22, Kasparov became the youngest ever world champion in 1985 by defeating then champion Anatoly Karpov. The next three times Kasparov defended his world title in 1986, 1987 and 1990. In 1997 he also became the first world champion to lose a match to a computer under standard time control. Kasparov was defeated by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue.
He also mentored current world number 1 Magnus Carlsen in 2009-2010. It was during this time that Carlsen rose to number 1 in the FIDE rankings. He also ran in the elections for FIDE president in 2013-2014, but did not win.
An honor that says more about Putin’s fascist regime than about me. As Goldwater said, extremism in the defense of freedom is not a vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is not a virtue! But all opposition, or common decency, must be called extremist by the dictatorship. https://t.co/OuN27A9InN
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) March 6, 2024
Meanwhile, Kasparov reacted to the news on social media. He stated: “An honor that says more about Putin’s fascist regime than about me. As Goldwater said, extremism in the defense of freedom is not a vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is not a virtue! But all opposition, or simple decency, must be called extremist by the dictatorship.”