Today in Zurich, a representative rapid chess tournament kicks off to mark the 150th anniversary of Credit Suisse Bank. Grandmasters Garry Kasparov, Judit Polgar, Victor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov will meet at the board. On the eve of this unique match, ex-world champion Anatoly Karpov gave an exclusive interview to Izvestia correspondent Valery Kitchenko.
Question: Do modern chess not lose its appeal, in your opinion?
Answer: They are losing, and the activity of the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov played a significant role in this. Of course, there is no perfect draw system. During the years of my championship, each match for the chess crown lasted 70 days. This is insanely much! But I do not categorically accept the current knockout system. Today, due to the bifurcation of the draw system, even chess players hardly remember the name of the world champion. Or they can’t answer at all who is the strongest now. I think we need to return to the match system, play from 14 to 18 games and fit in 20-25 days, supporting the interest of the media and chess fans.
Q: You do not participate in tournaments according to the Swiss system, but quite often conduct sessions of simultaneous play, including with prisoners. Are you playing at full strength?
A: Naturally, not in full. Although a session is a job, it’s not easy. Try two and a half hours to walk without a break, not to mention the mental load. I take the sessions seriously: I don’t give out draws, but I also give people the opportunity to prove themselves. Also, through the Charity Fund of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker, he organized chess training in boarding schools for orphans and children with disabilities. This summer we transferred chess equipment and techniques to boarding schools for blind and deaf children in Bashkiria, Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions.
Q: Do you have many schools?
A: More than three dozen. I open them only on condition of signing an agreement with the governor of the region or the mayor of the city where the Karpov school is being created. Training should only be free! I believe that in Russia it is impossible to abandon social programs, since the country is in difficult climatic and economic conditions. I do not set the task of having many grandmasters. But if a person touches chess, they will stay with him for life and will help a lot.
Q: Last year's game with Diego Maradona, in which the pupils of the Argentine chess school played the role of figures on a large chessboard - from the same series?
A: I arrived in Argentina at the moment when Maradona began to conduct on television the talk show “Evening with number ten.” We talked live with him about sports and tried to portray a symbolic game. In chess, Diego is not strong, but he respects the game. As a souvenir, I gave Maradona chess “tumblers”, the design of which I developed myself and called them “Invincible”. Not a single piece of these chess can be dropped, which symbolizes the inflexibility and perseverance of a Russian character.
in: In the spring you celebrated the 55th anniversary. How do you have enough strength for everything?
A: Indeed, I am at home only three to four months a year. I get a little tired of nomadic life, recently I started to feel it. On the other hand, I am in good shape all the time. If weaken the nervous system, then it will be difficult to assemble. Chess probably taught me to be economical and attentive to the daily routine. Although the family and relatives suffer. There is very little time left to communicate with them. But I entered this rhythm, spinning like a squirrel in a wheel. Since 1984, when these crazy matches with Kasparov began, I have not rested for more than 10 days in a row.