Kasparov, the greatest in chess, comes to Manila
CAMPAIGNING. Garry Kasparov is campaigning for the presidency of FIDE. File Photo from kasparov2014.com
MANILA, Philippines — The "Michael Jordan" of chess is coming to town.
Considered as the greatest chess player of all time, Garry Kasparov will be visiting the Philippines on Tuesday, November 19, as part of his Asian swing to campaign for the presidency of the FIDE or International Chess Federation. His visit comes a little over a month after he announced his candidacy in an event at Tallinn, Estonia.
Kasparov became the youngest world champion in chess history in 1985 at 22 years old and held the number one spot for 15 years before losing a match to Vladimir Kramnik. He defeated Kramnik and kept the number one title before retiring in 2005. Despite being out of the arena, Kasparov remains influential in world chess.
A writer and a political activist, the 50-year-old Kasparov said in an interview posted on his campaign website that he wanted to “change the situation in the world of chess.”
He added that he felt there were “great opportunities around that have been missed” that could have helped boost the chess world, which is why he hopes to be the one to make the change happen.
Some of Kasparov’s platform for the 2014 elections include transparency of the FIDE in communicating and sharing information to national federations, reduction of membership fees by 50%, increased revenues through commercial sponsorships, as well as pushing for the global development of the sport through chess in education programs for children.
During his overnight stay in Manila, the former World Champion is tentatively set to meet with Senator Koko Pimentel, a former collegiate chess standout for Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines.
Before that, Kasparov will meet the National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Prospero Pichay and other federation officials to talk about his platforms.
The Philippines is one stop in Kasparov’s Asian tour. He was at Jakarta, Indonesia on November 16, and will be visiting neighboring nations Thailand, Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong.
It will be Kasparov’s second visit to the Philippines since the 1992 Chess Olympiad at the Philippine International Convention Center where he led Russia to the championship for the nth time.
The election will be held in August 2014 at the FIDE Congress in Norway. Should Kasparov be successful, he will be replacing president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who has held the position since 1993. – Rappler.com
