Bisik-Bisik with Garry Kasparov – Part 3
By Edwin Lam Choong Wai
Garry Kasparov made his first trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, back in mid
November 2009, in order to speak at the Youth Engagement Summit (YES) 2009.
I had the opportunity to catch up with the best player in chess history, ever,
over a “Bisik-Bisik” session for ChessBase at the Putrajaya Convention Center.
Our candid 40-minute chat covered a variety of topics. In the first
part of the Bisik-Bisik session, Garry talked about his recent speaking
engagements across Asia, his fascination with Malaysia, growing up years and
most importantly, his collaboration with Magnus Carlsen. In part
2 he took a walk down memory lane to talk about the preparations made for
his very first match against Karpov and the recent K-K anniversary exhibition
match.
In this third part Kasparov answered questions about “making a comeback”,
his family, politics and a new variant of Fischer Random chess.
We have seen in recent times how retired sportsmen have made professional
comebacks. Look at Lance Armstrong, for instance. Now, what about you? Alexander
Morozevich is convinced of your capability to get back to your former level
of competitiveness. Have you ever thought of making a come back?
I am very, very grateful to him and very pleased. But, no, I don’t have any
plans to make a comeback. I think that he is both right and wrong at the same
time. I think that my chess strength is still okay. If I could spend three or
four months on extensive chess playing, cutting everything else, I think I could
make a comeback at least in rapid chess. I am not sure about classical chess,
but in rapid, I am sure I can face Kramnik or Anand.

The problem is that this is not feasible. I have a different life. I have already
passed the point of no return, because I cannot stop what I am doing in Russia,
and I cannot stop giving my lectures. I have now a very different life. It was
my conscious choice, and I am very happy with that choice, as you can’t do the
same thing for the whole of your life. But, technically, if you can create the
vacuum for me and just put me into a three or four month period of just playing
chess, I can definitely make a comeback. It’s just that at the same time, there
are so many other things in my mind. Although you might say that I am making
some form of a return by working with Magnus [Carlsen] and following the games
and feeling nervous and all. I remembered once when we were in Moscow, waiting
for our flight to Singapore. I had time to look at the beginning of his game
against Ponomariov and I went “Ahh!” and I didn’t like what he did. If my wife
and I had taken off on time, I would be flying in the next ten or eleven hours
thinking about the position and thinking what happened. But, because of the
flight delay, at the time when we took off, I had already got the remaining
moves in the plane on my mobile phone from my cousin. Magnus had played Qb3
when the stewardess told us to switch off our phones. And, I told my wife, don’t
worry, next move, he will sacrifice on e6 and he will crush Ponomariov. So,
that is good news. The delay was excellent.
Carlsen,M (2801) - Ponomariov,R (2739) [B80]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (8), 13.11.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2
Nbd7 9.g4 h6 10.0-0-0 Ne5. 10...Bb7 is more popular. 11.Qe1. Played
after a long thought from Carlsen, this move appears to be a novelty.
11...Qc7 12.h4 b4 13.Nce2 Nc4 14.Nf4 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Qb6 16.Bc4
Qc5?
17.Qb3! White has a clear advantage since an upcoming sacrifice
on e6 is now unavoidable. 17...d5 18.exd5 Bd6 19.Nfxe6
fxe6 20.dxe6 Be7 21.Qd3 0-0. Black will get mated in three more moves.
1-0. [Click to replay]
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And, also in the last game, we went to the restaurant, we missed the opening
with Leko, which was not very good. And, then, when we actually switched on
the computer and Leko played Rd7 and Magnus went with Rg4, I told my wife that
I think Magnus is now turning the table and he is going to win the game. And,
he won the game.
Leko,P (2752) - Carlsen,M (2801) [B90]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (9), 14.11.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4
g5 9.Bg3 Bg7 10.h3 Nf6 11.Qf3 Qb6 12.0-0-0 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.Be2 Qc5
15.Rhe1 g4!? 16.hxg4 Bxg4 17.Qd3 Be6 18.e5! dxe5
19.Bf3 e4! 20.Nxe4 Nxe4 21.Rxe40-0 22.Qe3 Rac8
23.Qxc5 Rxc5 24.Bg4 Bxg4 25.Rxg4 f5 26.Rb4 b5 27.a4 Rfc8
28.c3 Rc4 29.Rxc4 Rxc4 30.axb5 axb5 31.Rd8+ Kh7 32.Rd7
32...Rg4! White's g-pawn is doomed. Once it is removed, Black
will have a very useful passed h-pawn. 33.Bb8 Rxg2 34.Rxe7 Kg6 35.Bg3
h5 36.Kd1? Bf6 37.Re6 Kf7 38.Re3 h4 39.Bc7 Rxf2 40.b3 Rf1+
41.Ke2 Rc1 42.c4 bxc4 43.bxc4 Rxc4 44.Bb8 Rc2+ 45.Kf1 Kg6 46.Re2
Rc8 47.Bd6 Rc6 48.Be7 Bxe7! 49.Rxe7 Rc2! 50.Re3
Kg5 51.Kg1 Kg4 52.Ra3 f4 53.Ra8 Rd2 54.Ra7 Kg3 55.Rg7+ Kf3 56.Ra7 Rd1+
57.Kh2 Ke2 58.Kh3 f3 59.Ra2+ Rd2 0-1. [Click
to replay]
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What about returning to the board to take on a machine in a match?
No, no. I have no interest whatsoever to return to any kind of professional,
competitive chess. I could play an exhibition, but not against a top player,
because, you know, my life is set in a different path.
Got it. Your life is now set in a very different path, with different
priorities. And, I am sure, family is one of your priorities, too. How do
you spread your time between your work schedule and your family?
Family? We are always traveling. Well, yeah, it’s complicated, but we have
24 hours a day, and if we spend it wisely, we are okay. You have to plan well.
It is extensive traveling, of course. We spend time in Moscow and when we travel
outside, we do spend time in New York, but it’s okay. You have to be passionate
about everything you do, and then things will be under control.

Garry Kasparov's wife Daria
Earlier on, you mentioned that your son does not play chess, what about
your daughter?
She is three – Aida is three. We think she might be playing chess because
she has so far showed a lot of curiosity for the things that I am involved in.
On politics, you had once defined yourself to be someone who is economically
conservative, yet socially liberal with a stand for lowering taxes. Which
political figure who has influenced your thinking?
I don’t think that just using ideological clichés will work. Yes, I am a social
liberal. Yes, I am pro choice. But, I also believe that solving problems requires
you to be flexible. In Russia, for instance, you have to be some kind of a left
leaning person in terms of offering potential solutions for the country. I admire
people in history who could make the difference, like Winston Churchill, and
those who could see the changes coming and could stand up against the dominant
public opinion to defend their points of view. Today, the problem of modern
politics is such that people rely on convenience rather than on breakthrough
innovations or on long-term strategical decisions. It’s not a lack of vision.
It is that they may have a vision, if they try, but it is dangerous because
if they have a vision, they have to stand firm and defend it. And, that’s what
politicians don’t like. They are swayed by the public opinion. And, I think
that what is required today is not to follow, but to lead.
Let’s wrap up this “Bisik-Bisik” session with one last question: What
do you think about the future of Fischer Random, Seirawan Chess or any other
types of chess variant?
I have always liked the idea of choosing a few decent positions. And, I don’t
think you need more than 15 to 20, out of the 960 possible random chess positions,
many of which violate our sense for normal chess geometry. Any change of the
position is a challenge, but 10 to 15 to 20 positions can be chosen, and I believe
that in the future, every year, we should start with a new position. Again,
it should just be one position. I feel an insult if players should start with
something that is totally ridiculous, and you have three minutes to prepare…
No, I mean, come on, chess is also about some research. You don’t want to have
the same extensive thing, fine. But, you have one year of playing one position,
which means that players can actually get adjusted and they could do a little
bit of research. So at least you have five, six opening moves that are theory
now and then you go on to another position. But, if you just want to eliminate
everything and call it purity – no, it is not purity, it’s nonsense. So,
again, there is some sense in it, but you have to be reasonable.
We will inform you more thoroughly on Kasparov's ideas on Fischer Random
in a later article.
© Edwin Lam Choong Wai 2009
Parts one and two of this interview

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Bisik-Bisik with Garry Kasparov – Part 1
19.01.2010 – Last year Garry Kasparov visited
Asia – for the first time since the Philippines Olympiad in 1992. He
was in India and in Malaysia, where our reporter Edwin Lam did a Q&A
with him. Kasparov spoke engagingly and candidly about Asia, his early
career as a chess player, his protégé Magnus Carlsen and his Chess Foundation
in America. Not a line of blah in this interview. Must
read. |

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Bisik-Bisik with Garry Kasparov – Part 2
25.01.2010 – At the end of last year Garry
Kasparov sat down for an indepth interview with our Malaysian correspondent
Edwin Lam Choong Wai. In part one he spoke about his early years and his
collaboration with Magnus Carlsen. In the current session he talks about
the first Karpov-Kasparov match, the anniversary exhibition in 2009, and
his strength in simultaneous play. With
a very nice example. |
Previous Bisik-Bisik articles by Edwin Lam

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Viktor Bologan and the Chebanenko Slav
18.02.2009 – Recently we found a book entitled
The Chebanenko Slav according to Bologan. The author is Moldavia
GM Viktor Bologan, who looks back on a two decade long career, which includes
a 2003 Dortmund triumph ahead of Anand and Kramnik. That came, incidentally,
after a ten-day training session with Garry Kasparov. Read all about it
in this Bisik-Bisik
session with Edwin Lam. |

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Bisik-Bisik with GM Nigel Short
03.10.2008 – Mention GM Nigel Short and we
think grandmaster, world championship challenger, coach, author and journalist.
Some of us will also associate him with the French Defence, an opening
that he used to play regularly many years ago. But away from the chess
board, this man is also very well known for his witty reports and articles
on chess. Edwin
Lam interviews the chess writer. |

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Bisik-Bisik with GM Alexander Khalifman
20.08.2008 – Bisik-Bisik is a word from
the Malay Archipelago, and means whispering from one person to another.
In a series Edwin Lam seeks to “whisper” to our readers out there the
previously unknown other side of his interview partners. Today he talks
with GM Alexander Khalifman, who in 1999 became the FIDE world champion
in Las Vegas. Today "El Khalif" runs a training web site and publishes
books. Bisik-bisik.
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Ni hao, GM Zhang Zhong and WGM Li Ruofan
10.01.2008 – Ni hao, pronounced second tone-third
tone, is Chinese for Hello or Hi ("Ni hao ma?" means "how are you" and
"Wo hun hao" means "I'm doing great"). After this short lesson in Chinese
first encounters we bring you a portrait of the Chinese dream couple:
GM Zhang Zhong, Elo 2634, and his wife WGM Li Ruofan, rated 2417. Bisik-Bisik
(Malay for "whisperings") by
Edwin Lam. |

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Bisik-Bisik with Viktor Moskalenko
15.12.2007 – Bisik-Bisik is a word from
the Malay Archipelago, and means the act of “whispering” from one person
to another. Starting with this inaugural article Edwin Lam will seek to
“whisper” to all our readers out there the previously unknown other side
of his interview partners. He kicks off with a conversation between Edwin
and Ukrainian Viktor Moskalenko, grandmaster,
teacher and chess author.
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