Anatoly Karpov: ?Ilyumzhinov's chances for success ?re close to 100%?.

In March Anatoly Karpov oficially refused to run for FIDE President. Rumors about his possible participation accumulated at the end of 2005. Who was interested in involving Karpov in this fight? Here are some extracts from the interview Anatoly Karpov gave to Sergey Korsun, the emcee of the popular Russian radio station ?Ekho Moskvy? on March 9th, 2006.

The legendary 12th World Champion speaks frankly about Kirsan?s almost absolute chances to win the elections and one of the reasons for that: Kok?s general devotion to the interests of professional players only.

Other Karpov?s topics: his hobbies, his weight, his IQ, Kasparov, Fisher and computer chess matches.

About Hobbies and IQ

SERGEY KORSUN: Today I will talk to the outstanding person of the contemporary Russian society and the 12th World champion in chess, Anatoly Karpov.

ANATOLY KARPOV: Good evening.

KORSUN: Is there anything you like more than chess?

KARPOV: Well it?s difficult to say from the top of my head.

KORSUN: So chess still dominates.

KARPOV: It definitely does.

KORSUN: What types of billiards do you play?

KARPOV: I am really good at Russian billiards, rather good at pool and a bit worse at snooker.

KORSUN: You wanted to be an aircraft pilot when you were a boy. Have your dreams come true? Have you ever navigated an airplane? Maybe your own plane?

KARPOV: Well, I haven?t got a plane, but I have navigated many planes of Russian and foreign air companies except for war planes. But as a passenger I have flown much more, I guess even more than some professional pilots; I think about 7 million kilometers.

KORSUN: Have you ever tested your IQ level?

KARPOV: Nope.

KORSUN: Are you going to?

KARPOV: There?s just no need.

About Kasparov and Fisher

KORSUN: Does Garry Kasparov?s vow nevermore to play chess upset you? Do you feel sorry you'll never play with him again unless he breaks his word?

KARPOV: Well I guess it isn?t the most intriguing fact now. Although Kasparov was successful till the latest tournaments. And I think that he himself was shocked when Vladimir Kramnik but not him won the game. Kasparov didn?t expect it at all and he didn't even include a return match in the rules. Kramnik tried to put him in the list of his games, Kasparov who is believed to be democratic in his judgments, refused to be on the waiting list and tried to take precedence and play a game with Kramnik. And people say they even made an appointment and signed the agreements. But the game wasn?t played and Kasparov resigned. But now there is another historically remarkable person ? Bobby Fisher, who was?
KORSUN: Yes, I?ve read that you consider a match with him?

KARPOV: Thank God he is not in American or Japanese jail today, even though he was kept for sometime in Japanese jail for no reason whatsoever. But praiseworthy Icelanders demonstrated courage, persistence and bravery and got Fisher out of scrape.

KORSUN: Do you feel ready to play his chess system?

KARPOV: Yes. The not- yet-played match with Fisher is a gap in my career.

KORSUN: Would you like to?

KARPOV: Yes, I would. He is an interesting person. And it's intriguing to learn what he is up to now.

About FIDE Elections

KORSUN: Here I would like to ask a few questions about the Chess Federation. But first I want you to listen to a tape we recorded yesterday.

KIRSAN ILYUMZHINOV?S Voice: Karpov belongs to the golden age of chess when the greatest chess players Tigran Petrosyan, Boris Spassky, Bobby Fisher were playing and championed top titles. World Champion Anatoly Karpov also belongs to this pleiad of the outstanding chess players of the world. His personality is well manifested in his intensive public activities. He is very energetic and travels a lot. He is ever moving forth not only in chess.

KORSUN: That was Kirsan Ilyumzhinov speaking. With support from the Federation are you ready to stand for elections of FIDE President against Ilyumzhinov in May?

KARPOV: I was moving in that direction actually. Some National Federations offered me extensive support if I stand for elections (the most persistent were the Chess Federations of the United States and France). They call for changes because of the complicated processes that now take place in the World of Chess. And we lose some tournaments, some really good tournaments. I am very much disappointed with the existing system of the World Championship.
But in a certain moment I was rather busy in the Public Chamber of Russia and in other spheres. And I decided to wait and to see. Well I hope things will get better in Chess. I assume that in response to chess players? requests Kirsan is considering return to the conventional system of World Championships. Indeed the system we've experienced over the last 14 years is by far not ideal, though probably the ideal system merely doesn't exist at all.

KORSUN: Ok if I?ve got you right you refuse to officially stand for the elections of FIDE?s President in May. Is that so?

KARPOV: Yes, I finally refused? Let me remember ? it was at the end of January. On January 29th I participated in the Coordinating meeting of European countries. I mean leading European countries. Americans didn?t participate. But we failed to find common ground with the European candidate. So today there are only two candidates, Ilyumzhinov and the representative of Holland and Belgium, Bessel Kok, sometime ago he was the Director of Grand Master Association (GMA), but now I think?

KORSUN: Whom would you vote for?

KARPOV: Well I personally think that Ilyumzhinov's chances for success are close to 100% today. The major reason is that Bessel Kok only looks at chess from the point of view of the professional chess players. But Chess Federation incorporates much more than this. And professional chess is only tiny part of entire range of events and activities which take place the World of Chess.
We yet have to wait and see how the situation will develop. Certainly Ilyumzhinov will have to pay attention to demands of professional chess players. As far as I know the agreement for match between Kramnik and Topalov has already been signed. This is a part of Ilyumzhinov's election programme and a response to the professional chess players demands.

About Computer Matches

KORSUN: In some five years computer technologies will further advance. Computers will surely beat all even the most celebrated Grand Masters and World Champions.

KARPOV: I strongly disapprove of computer inclusion in chess tournaments. It is OK when people play computer chess games. But if we look on the results of such games, I think that most Grand Masters who play computer chess see it as additional earnings. They should be aware that computer matches may cause adverse social effect and provoke negative attitude especially when Grand Masters make poor performance.
And finally it reduces Grand Masters goodwill altogether. People start believing that a computer is much smarter than humans since even Kasparov can not trim a computer at chess, neither can Kramnik though he was supposed to, and finally Adams loses with no scores. But this is a false believe. I don?t mean that Kasparov was poorly prepared for that computer game. He was good prepared but I think it was a psychological battle with computer rather than anything else, and he lost it.

KORSUN: Indeed computer is psychologically invincible. It neither has insomnia in the eve of a game nor does it worry.

KARPOV: I meant to say that Kasparov lost the psychological battle against himself though it seems like a battle against a computer. You simply cannot compete with a computer in psychological sense. Kasparov has been training with a computer for such a long time and so strongly believed in computer that he probably saw no way he could outplay it. Kasparov was soundly trained and the games were going rather smoothly but the result was frustrating.

KORSUN: What is your personal experience in computer chess matches? Let's leave alone Deep Blue which you couldn't play because of the Microsoft stipulations...
KARPOV: No I could not play Deep Blue. But I played its ancestor Deep Thought.
KORSUN: Was it a success?

KARPOV: Yes I've won the game but it was going quite unusual. I had considerable advantage. But the game took place in Boston; it started the same day I flew to the United States. I was playing from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. Moscow time, in the course of the game I just passed-out for a second and subsequently made couple mistakes, the position was nearly lost. But then I could catch the computer. I figured out the variant far in advance, gave away one pawn and had the endgame. Those days software couldn't get that far.

KORSUN: You mean that nowadays computer would not make such a mistake, would it?

KARPOV: No. These days you cannot outplay the software in such a way.

About Weight

KORSUN: Anatoly we remember you a slight and skinny boy. And as I know from old rumor Michael Botwinnik teased you that you wouldn?t become a Grand Master unless you gained 60 kilograms. You probably weighed aground 50 kilograms then. What is your weight now?

KARPOV: You are right when I won my first game with Korchnoy, I was 47 kilograms. And those days we had World Championship once in three years. I gained around 3 kilos over a 3-year cycle, a kilogram per year. But when I got 72 kilograms I decided it was the time to stop. Since than my weigh is constant, 72 kilograms?

KORSUN: How do you manage it? Some diet, physical exercise? But I know that you are not an early bird and you most probably dislike morning exercise, don?t you.

KARPOV: Yes I work out in the evening.

KORSUN: Before you go to sleep?

KARPOV: But I simply cannot do it in the morning, I just do not feel like working out in this time of day. But I somehow restricted myself in food and now I try to avoid gaining weight. Though I have some excess weight, I need to loose some 2 kilos, but it?s not all that easy.

About Luck

KORSUN: Do you drink at all and what do you prefer to drink? Champagne?

KARPOV: Several years ago I didn't drink at all, maybe only one glass on holidays. Now I drink a bit more.

KORSUN: What is you favorite toast then?

KARPOV: For good luck.

KORSUN: Luck is a very important thing, and it is never too much, isn?t it? And we always wait for it.
I talked to the 12th World Champion in Chess Anatoly Karpov. Thank you and good luck.

KARPOV: Good luck to you.

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