Kasparov in Philly

I've been following Kasparov's "Progress" publicizing his book across the USA at Mig's Daily Dirt chess blog, so I haven't been publishing information about it here. I came across this article tonight, though, and I thought it was great: From Philadelphiapapernet Chess Mates On his quest to save Russia (and sell books), Garry Kasparov visits town. by Brian Hickey Published: Oct 24, 2007 He has that quintessential Russian bear face, with the prominent nose and the hard, squinty eyes that say he vill break you if he vas so inclined. But just one day after squaring off with fellow presidential candidate Stephen Colbert, the man who would take down his homeland's next-generation czar also brought a knowing smile to the Free Library's Central Branch. Just before noon last Friday, Garry Kasparov strolled a room filled with local students who were strutting their strategic stuff on a dozen chessboards. He didn't know this was on the agenda — he was here to give a promotional talk for his new book How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom — but the former grandmaster examined each game. You could see his synapses firing; a couple of seconds, max, and he already knew how each battle would end. (He even made some suggestions along the way.) Hence, the smile. "There are a lot of schools that love the chess," he said to Gil Motley, an adviser who has made it possible for the city's After School Activities Partnerships to bring the game to some 3,500 local students in the Philadelphia Youth Chess Challenge. "It's quite good for their education." To which Motley mustered moments later, "This is great, great, great, great, great. Meeting him is something I can take back to the rest of the students. They'll be excited as I am right now. It's just a shame this isn't baseball; I can't get him to sign individual chess pieces!" No, he couldn't, but Kasparov — who some might say is tempting assassination by challenging Vladimir Putin for the "presidency" through his opposition group Drugaya Rossiya, or "The Other Russia" — still made himself overly accessible. Returning for the first time since he defeated the computer-chess-programmed Deep Blue more than a decade ago — "Americans seem to be much more interested in man versus machine" — Kasparov was willing to answer any question. (Though a handler kept him on a rigid schedule, forcing Kasparov to walk off when he looked like he had much more to say.) I asked how worried Americans ought to be of Putin. "It's not just a one-man regime; it's a police state, and it's devastating. We've always wanted to show that it's not being presented as a choice between Putin vs. democracy, but Putin vs. fascism. I'm not very welcome in Russia these days; I can be confronted with extreme measures there," responded Kasparov, who admits he can't win but is happy to launch a grassroots effort in the face of increasing government control. "Every day of our existence is a small victory. We just want to create some problems for the regime. They cover up their actions with democratic decorations. Russia is not as bad as Zimbabwe, but it's getting there. People are living in fear." Translation: Be very afraid. Required Reading Noting that post-Yeltsin Russia has regressed to Cool War proportions — television is a "Kremlin brainwashing machine," which makes it difficult to get their message out — he made his way to a basement auditorium. There, he spoke for 45 minutes about politics, international relations, thought processes and, of course, how to make the right moves on the board and in the boardroom. Further proving that chess is the great equalizer, the room was filled with a diverse crowd — man and woman, old and young, white and black. "Chess is merely a tool through which we can analyze our own strengths and weaknesses," he said. "You need to have the courage to fail. If you're afraid of that, you're already losing." Though he retired from the game in 2003 —he still occasionally plays online "to relax" — Kasparov said his and his fellow revolutionaries' no-fear goal was simple. "We're not fighting to win an election. We're fighting to have fair elections, and that's a whole different ballgame," explained the 44-year-old who was once the youngest chess champion in history. "We want to bring the country back to the civilized world." Then, he made his way to the upstairs lobby, where dozens had already queued up to get Kasparov to sign their $27.95 book. With a black Sharpie in hand, and little security to guard him, he shook hands with each fan and signed each title page with a flourish.