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Garri Kasparov talks about chess... and war

23.05.2023 17:15
In an interview for the Polish biweekly "Przegląd Sportowy ONET", Garri Kasparov has praised Poland's support for Ukraine and defiance of Putin. 
Garry Kasparov
Garry KasparovPAP / Tomasz Waszczuk

Kasparov is in Poland on the occasion of the Superbet Rapid&Blitz chess tournament. He praised Poland's Duda who is a favourite:


In the interview, Kasparov addressed matters related to chess as well as the war in Ukraine. 

The former grandmaster and leading Russian oppositionist praised Poland's role in the crisis:

"Following Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Poland has become the logistics centre of the free world in the fight against Putin's aggression."

Kasparov elaborated on his view:

"Since the invasion of Crimea and the subsequent invasions I have been saying that Russia should be isolated... I believed that Russia would be completely thrown out of international structures and sent back to the "stone age". Russians must be made aware that they are a part of a crminal regime."

On the issues of chess, "Przegląd Sportowy ONET" asked Kasparov to compare himself and two other greats frequently mentioned as the "GOAT" of chess: Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen. Kasparov responded that he is sceptical about simple statements about the "Greatest of All Time":

"Fischer was at the top for three years... never defending his title. Magnus defended his title for 10 years and I was the best for 15 years... I can say that in the course of his decade at the top Carlsen achieved everything. But to call him the greatest is to make a subjective claim."

Sources: Przegląd Sportowy ONET, Twitter

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