Posted on 03/11/2005 11:35:52 PM PST by thoughtomator
Garry Kasparov, the chess world's youngest champion and undisputed king the past 20 years, made a stunning move yesterday shortly after winning a top tournament in Spain: He retired from professional play.
The announcement by the Russian grandmaster - the world's No. 1 ranked chess player since 1984 who is considered by some the best in the history of the game - came shortly after he won the 14-match Linares tournament in Spain on Thursday, despite losing the final game.
"Before this tournament I made a conscious decision that Linares 2005 will be my last professional (tournament), and today I played my last professional game," Kasparov said at a news conference, according to a video posted on the online chess magazine www.chessbase.com
He said his last games were "very difficult for me to play under such pressure, because I knew it was the end of the career which I could be proud of."
Kasparov, 41, became the youngest world champion at 22, and quickly put his stamp on the game with an aggressive style that shunned settling for a draw. He said that part of the reason he was retiring was because he saw no real goals left to accomplish in professional chess.
He said yesterday that he wanted to concentrate more on politics in Russia. He is an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and is playing a leading role in a group formed by prominent liberal opposition leaders.
"As a chess player, I did everything I could, even more. Now I want to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics," Kasparov said yesterday in a quote by the Interfax news agency. "I will do everything in my power to resist Putin's dictatorship. It is very difficult to play for a country whose authorities are antidemocratic," he said.
To relax, I play out Kasparov games on my board at home--particularly his championship games against Karpov in the Eighties. It is said of Kasparov that he is capable of seeing 14 (or more) moves ahead in all variations. All variations. No one comes close: not Lasker, not Capablanca, not Alekhine, not Fisher. Truly the end of an era. It will be enormously fascinating to see how that beautiful mind of his fares in the political arena. Or rather, how Putin will deal with an opponent so capable and gifted.
Will Kasparov checkmate Putin in 2008? Let's hope Putin does not succeed in "Castling". :)
Anyone remember Kasparov v. World? I'm still annoyed at the sponsors' failure to post Irina Krush's analysis of the crucial Qe4 blunder, since it would have been interesting to see what would have happened otherwise (Kasparov claimed he still had a win with a particular line; later analysis revealed that Kasparov's claimed winning line would yield a forced draw for Black. There was another winning line for White, but who knows whether Kasparov would have found it).
Kasparov must be careful of Putin's end-game strategy. It can be a real bear!
Its called playing for keeps. Pitching high and tight. Chin music. NFL vs flag football. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
Ukraine soup with a pinch of dioxin. (old Putin family recipe)
Sounds like an updated dinner with the Borgias. Still, I can't imagine even Putin, subtle KGB veteran that he is, causing physical harm to Kasparov. Putin might attempt to discredit him--Kasparov has a quick temper and volatile personality--a "turbulent genius" as Fred Waitzkin (sp) described him. Viewed from that angle, Kaparov could conceivably be portrayed as an unstable eccentric, especially if paired up with that long, unsettling list of grandmasters like Morphy, Alekhine, or Fisher.
1... CxP (Cat takes pawn) >:*3
Algebraic notation is standard.
Duh... Ife lunked algies bra in heist kool !!! ;-))
1. Pee - eef ore
LOL.
1... CxP (Cat takes pawn) >:*3
2... GsC (Geek shoots cat) ;-))
Aww, that's not very nice. BTW, my last cat was also a 'card shark'. My parents have a deck of cards with a noticeably-marked nine of clubs because he was too quick for them.
Maybe not... but I figure that would have been Kasparov's move too !!! ;-))
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