Kasparov launches revolt

Press, 27 December 1985, Page 26

Kasparov launches revolt

NZPA-AFP • Paris The world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, has launched a revolt to overthrow the “dictator” in the game, hours after saying he would refuse to defend his title against a fellow Soviet, Anatoly Karpov. Kasparov, the 22-year-old youngest-ever world champion, said that the International Chess Federation, F.I.DJE., had been plunged “into chaos by the dictatorship” of its president, Florencio Campomanes, of the Philippines. The move to oust Mr Campomanes came out into the open at a press conference in Amsterdam on Tuesday, when Kasparov called for reform within F.I.D.E. Just hours earlier Kasparov, who took the world title last month when he ended the reign

of his campatriot, Karpov, in their rematch in Moscow, had fuelled his continuing row with Mr Campomanes by saying in a newspaper interview that there was nothing in F.I.D.E.’s statutes which forced him to make the defence.

Kasparov added in Amsterdam: “Campomanes’ dictatorship in F.I.D.E. does a lot of harm and creates a lot of difficulties for the chess movement in general. “Unfortunately, a lot of people in the world do not know the truth about Campomanes’ acts, but now many people from different countries have begun to realise that chess needs a new honest programme.”’ Kasparov had earlier told the French newspaper “Le Figaro”: Tm not going to play the return match — and here’s why. Nothing,

and that means nothing, in the statutes of F.I.D.E. requires the world champion to play a revenge match. “If the current president of F.I.D.E. and former world champion have got together a scheme to turn the world title into some kind of personal property for years to come that’s their business.

“Such a scheme is illegal, and I don’t have to submit to Campomanes’ dictatorship.” Kasparov accuses Karpov of (with the connivance of Mr Campomanes) imposing the rematch, and attacked the ruling which allows Karpov the return although, if the former champion then regained the title, he would not be held to the same obligation.

“There is not the slightest in all that It’s a

scandalous violation of the most basic common sense,” added Kasparov, who last February angrily accused the authorities of engineering the end to the first series after a record-break-ing 48 games. Kasparov, who three days after taking the world title said he needed help from the world of chess as a whole to beat Mr Campomanes, had the backing of the European Chess Union and top players and referees, such as Timman and Britain’s Raymond Keene, as the revolt was launched. The Swedish president of the European Union Board, Ralph Littorin, went specially to Amsterdam to support Kasparov and read out a telegram sent to the Soviet federation calling on it to do “whatever is in its power to ensure the

return match does not take place.”

The European Union added: “No other champion has ever held the title for less than a year before being made to defend his title, but in this case it would be only three months.”

After F.I.D.E.’s general assembly, in Austria in August, Karpov was given the right to a revenge meeting if he lost. However, the European Union said the assembly had “only noted” the return match plan “but did not specifically approve it by a two-thirds majority as required by F.LD.E. statutes.”

Kasparov added: “Chess is a very democratic game. Nobody can settle chess problems alone, not the world champion and not the president of F.1.D.E.”