MOSCOW // It was just a simple chess magazine, a slim periodical with annotated games and the latest news about grandmasters and child prodigies. But for Garry Kasparov, it changed everything.
It was November 2007, and Mr Kasparov, the former world chess champion, being held in a police detention facility in central Moscow. He had been sentenced to five days in jail for participation in an unsanctioned protest against the Kremlin in the run-up to Russian parliamentary elections. As he was serving out the short sentence, an unexpected visitor showed up: Mr Kasparov's erstwhile, bitter chess rival, Anatoly Karpov.
The acrimony between the two chess titans was legendary. Their battles over the board in the 1980s captivated the world, with Mr Kasparov, the brash newcomer, eventually defeating the loyal communist champion Mr Karpov, a favourite of the Soviet regime. But while police refused to allow Mr Karpov access to Mr Kasparov, he managed to get a copy of the famous Russian chess magazine 64 to his jailed ex-rival to help him to kill time behind bars.
The overture, Mr Kasparov said in the days following his release, "outweighs all of the problems in our relationship over the past 25 years".
"That was the first step," Mr Kasparov said in an interview last week. "I learnt being behind bars that you would judge many events differently. And Karpov trying to meet me there, when many people didn't even want to try, that was a big sign for me."
The relationship has blossomed into what could be called a friendship, said Mr Kasparov, who quit competitive chess in 2005 to take up opposition politics. Now it is Mr Kasparov offering his support to Mr Karpov, who has embarked on a campaign to become president of the World Chess Federation, the game's governing body known by its French acronym, FIDE.
With the backing of his old foe, Mr Karpov is locked in an unruly fight to unseat the current FIDE president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is also the eccentric leader of the southern Russian republic of Kalmykia. Mr Ilyumzhinov has held the FIDE presidency since 1995 but has faced repeated criticism in recent years for the lack of stable outside financing for major chess tournaments and the haphazard organisation of the world championship cycle.
"Everyone knows that I have a very complicated history with Karpov, but in this case I felt it was my duty to my colleague, a world champion, a person who is concerned about international chess and Russian chess," Mr Kasparov said of his support for the challenger's candidacy.
Unlike Mr Kasparov, whose uncompromising condemnation of Russia's ruling elite has made him a political persona non grata in his homeland, Mr Karpov has always been much more conservative in his approach to politics. He rarely, if ever, publicly criticises the country's leadership, and even served on the Russian government's Public Chamber, a government oversight committee made up of prominent public figures. "We have different political views, and we don't discuss politics," Mr Karpov said. "But as former world champions, we understand chess, and I'm happy that we share the same views on many problems in chess."
Mr Karpov's bid for the FIDE presidency met unexpected resistance from influential Russian officials, however. Arkady Dvorkovich, a Kremlin aide who heads the Russian Chess Federation's supervisory council, has backed Mr Ilyumzhinov as Russia's official nominee for the post. The stand-off has sparked angry accusations of intrigue and subterfuge from both sides and even triggered a schism in the Russian federation.
A group of supervisory council members met on Friday and voted 17-0 to nominate Mr Karpov, giving him a majority. Mr Dvorkovich, however, said the vote was "illegitimate" and that Mr Ilyumzhinov would be Russia's candidate in the election, to be held this autumn in the western Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiisk.
Being a world chess champion does not necessarily qualify a person to run a major international federation, Mr Dvorkovich said. "If Karpov believes he is a good candidate, he can ask any federation to nominate him," he said.
Mr Karpov has secured the support of the United States and several European countries and may indeed run as the candidate from one of these federations should he fail to earn the official Russian nomination.
Mr Ilyumzhinov has accused Mr Karpov and his backers of conducting a campaign "based on misrepresentation and false accusations", while Mr Karpov has been repeatedly playing up the Kalmyk president's claim to have been abducted by space aliens in 1997.
Mr Karpov said the game of kings is at a crossroads and that his presidency can restore the international popularity chess enjoyed when he and Mr Kasparov waged war against each other on 64 squares.
"Chess as a profession is in serious danger, and of course that hurts me," Mr Karpov said. "Chess is everything for me ? if chess dies, it will be a colossal tragedy."
@Email:cschreck@thenational.ae
FIGHT CARD
1. Featherweight 66kg
Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg
Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg
Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg
Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg
Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg
Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg
Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg
Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)
9. Featherweight 66kg
Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Pathaan
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Company%20Profile
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Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
57%20Seconds
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KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
%3Cp%3EYears%3A%20October%202015%20-%20June%202024%3Cbr%3ETotal%20games%3A%20491%3Cbr%3EWin%20percentage%3A%2060.9%25%3Cbr%3EMajor%20trophies%3A%206%20(Premier%20League%20x%201%2C%20Champions%20League%20x%201%2C%20FA%20Cup%20x%201%2C%20League%20Cup%20x%202%2C%20Fifa%20Club%20World%20Cup%20x1)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
The%20Specs
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
