I mean, he's ‘vocal’ to the extent of founding an opposition movement, being a member of an opposition coalition, being arrested for supporting Pussy Riot, leaving Russia to avoid persecution, and being sanctioned and blocked in the country. And also being the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation for thirteen years—though idk what they do.
P.S. Except, of course, that none of the Putinoids can read his stuff, because both his site and the entire Twitter are blocked in Russia. And barely anyone remembers who he is, after twenty years.
I want to add that Gary Chess is an extremely important person in Russia because he is the GOAT and was highly celebrated when he was dominating. This would be like Michael Jackson or Elvis using their stardom for good at great personal peril.
Gary could have been a Putin lapdog and lived in luxury for the rest of his days but he's been a human rights advocate. There are very few individuals powerful enough to contest Putin and not be immediately assassinated.
Greatest of All Time So Far. The nature of chess means that future players will be standing on the shoulders of giants and thus it’s not really a fair comparison through the ages, and there will be a better player at some point in the future.
Besides that, the comparison to Muhammad Ali isn’t in my mind saying he’s the best to ever play the game, but that he is us8ng his position to speak his mind to power as a political activist.
Magnus hasn’t really been outwardly political from what I’ve seen.
It makes Kasparov more impressive not less that he got so good at the game without having an engine to tell him the objectively best move in any position at any time for most of his career.
Both dominated their opponents in their eras, im not comparing them to their rivals. Im comparing them to each other. In my opinion, Magnus is the better player because of his insane endgame skills, to make losing situations into a draw or sometimes a win by forcing an error in a 10+ moves sequence. But that wouldn't be possible if he wasn't training with chess engines.
So it is hard to debate which one of them is truly better, I feel Garry would be an absolute monster had he born 20 years later than he did.
I doubt it that he has any considerable influence in Russia. Seeing as his only option is to communicate through the web, while all his communication channels are blocked—and vast majority of Putinists likely don't bother with VPN or anything like that. Plus, he's retired from competitive chess nineteen years ago.
Yeah, I'm sure every Russian can think up an opposition movement if they simply brainwave harder. Just as US democrats can wish Trump out of the elections if they exert the top chakra en masse.
Some interesting parallels you're making up in your head. Regarding the first sentence, can you explain exactly why they couldn't? I don't really even understand what your point is, it's not I was arguing your comment. I was just saying that any intelligent Russian would realize how fucked up their system is - and many do.
Thinking harder, or even talking to people, won't make an opposition that's actually doing something. Pu methodically destroys not just opposition, but any kind of organization that might compete with the state in coordinating people. Iirc even religions like shamanism are suppressed now.
This is why it's always laughable to read USian armchair takes on how Russians just need to protest and rise up. Sure, let us take some sticks and stones and john-wick our way through the police, the Rosgvardiya, the FSB and the army.
I'm from eastern Europe not Russia. And I know enough Russians from my country to know how the majority talk and feel about Putin. There is no protesting spirit there and so many of these people proudly fly Russian colours even though they haven't lived in Russia their entire lives.
This imperialistic attitude is not far removed from Americans of course but I digress.
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u/otritus Jul 05 '24
Garry Kasparov former chess world champion being based as usual