- Garry Kasparov probably had his own opinion when he became the 13th champion. And, as Anatoly Karpov said, for some reason he decided to organize his own world championships together with a Dutch businessman who promised to sponsor him. Thus, they created the PCA ("Professional Chess Association" - Ed.).

Then they ran out of money, and he created the Brain Games in Germany, where he also tried to organize world championships. He wanted to go back to the days at the beginning of chess history, when Lasker, Capablanca and other contenders provided money themselves. Thus, Kasparov thought that he would be able to create his own organization and find money. He didn't do very well. And when Vladimir Kramnik beat him, he wanted to play a rematch with him. Kramnik refused. Then Kasparov made the right decision: he re-entered FIDE. And, you remember, in 2006 in Elista we played a match between Vladimir Kramnik (who had previously defeated Garry Kasparov) and FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov. Anatoly Karpov correctly said that there are no other versions except the version of the World Chess Federation. In 1924, FIDE was created and recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
- That is, if I understand correctly, FIDE has returned to its former course in 2006?
- Yes. But before that we had a meeting among Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and me. And we signed an unifying memorandum. Kramnik agreed to play with Veselin Topalov. And in 2006 this match was held in Elista. According to the terms of the contract, the one who wins becomes the only champion, and no one else has the right to oppose it. Kramnik won and became the FIDE world champion.
- Kirsan Nikolaevich, now we are talking with Anatoly Karpov who says that chess is something more than just a game, even if it is the oldest on earth. It's a kind of politics. You yourself were the head of Kalmykia, Mikhail Dvorkovich is a person who is also not far from politics, and before that, there were all sorts of stories about the confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. We see all the time that chess is somehow connected with big, global politics. Garry Kasparov is the prominent opposition figure today. How do you view chess and politics? For example, an offended chess genius joins the opposition. Could it be all connected?
- Well, here you can look at it from both sides. Mikhail Botvinnik, the world champion, said that chess is more than a sport, chess is a combination of sport, science and culture. And you were right saying that chess is one of the types of human activity. For centuries and millennia, all civilizations, peoples have played chess. But since chess is more than a sport (I respect other sports as well), it involves intelligence ... Chess players are always bright personalities, and world champions are a phenomenon in the history of not just the chess movement, but in the history of civilization because the game involves an extraordinary concentration of mind and intellect .
Of course, chess players, especially world champions, become famous not only in their country, but also in the world. The same Anatoly Karpov, he was not just engaged in chess, he headed (and still heads) the Peace Foundation for many years. Well, there is Kasparov. At one time, he moved from Azerbaijan to Russia, wrote the book "Child of Perestroika" and participated in all political processes. Outstanding chess players are always more than champions, and each of them tries to contribute to the life of their country or the world.
But Kasparov's statements: ‘let's bomb Syria’ or something like that run counter to chess policy. Because sports and chess are outside politics, they should unite humanity and strive to resolve all conflicts at the chessboard, and not send bombers to bring democracy to other nations, peoples and countries.