It seems like people who don't support the ever more dictatorial Kremlin have a conveniently nasty way of... going away... and not coming back.
Whether it be anti kremlin journalists getting shot by "hit men" or small time spies getting radioactive poisoning, it seems possible that the Kremlin is killing anyone who stands in its way.
Kasparov retired from chess in March of 2005 and stated that he was going to prevent Putins reelection in 2008. Could the Kremlin try to eliminate him next?
I think there was a protest in Russia in which all but 5000 people were imprisoned; Kasparov being one of the 5000 who were allowed to protest.
I can't remember who I heard that from.
"The New Yorker" just ran a great piece called "Kremlin, Inc." by Michael Specter (Jan. 29, 2007). It included much of this information, including a few lines about Kasparov, "the most prominent man in what is called the Other Russia--a coalition of Putin's most outspoken critics," and about the presence of chess players at a protest. Nothing about mass arrests, though. At this particular protest, at least, we read "People chanted for a while, and then everyone went home."
Originally posted by chesskid001That's a bit like saying The White House is the name for the US government.
The kremlin is the name for the russian government. And dictatorship doesn't necessarily mean better chess players. For example, North Korea doesn't seem to be spurning out any chess prodigies...😛