The Conspiracies of Valery Salov, Part 1

The interview I'm going to show you is... controversial and bizarre, to say the least. GM Valery Salov at one time was among the world championship contenders (and has a good score against many of his contemporaries), but in the late 1990s, he began his descent into Fischer-like paranoia.

This interview was conducted in May 2015.

http://www.chess-news.ru/node/19003

Evgeny Surov: 22:03 Moscow time, Chess News Radio is live, good evening to everyone! I must say that this music was played by request of my today's guest, Valery Salov.

Valery Salov: This composition reflects the spirit of time, and - yes, it's quite eerie.

Surov: You think that it symbolizes the times we're living in?

Salov: No doubt about that.

Surov: Valery, I'd like to ask a favour from you. Since our dialog today can become quite bizarre and go in unforeseen directions, I want to ask you to give me two special allowances. The first thing I'd like to ask you is the ability to have a short musical pause at any moment. The second thing is, I'd like to be able to call in a "fresh head" in case my head loses some of its freshness. How do you like that?

Salov: So, you're expecting a scandal on air?

Surov: Absolutely not! Our site, by the way, is considered scandalous by some, I don't know why, to be honest. I just wanted to take some precautions. If you think I'm asking for too much, I'm ready to concede to some of your special conditions too, if you have any.

Salov: A "fresh head" is always good, so I agree for someone else to take part in the program. But you shouldn't interrupt the interview - why?

Surov: OK. So, you gave me one special allowance. I'll go with that.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce GM Valery Salov to you. The younger generation of chess fans probably doesn't know him at all or just heard the name. But the people who watched the biggest tournaments of 1980s and 1990s, of course, remember Valery. So I wasn't surprised when our site received a lot of questions. I'd like to begin with them.

The first question is very simple: "Why have you quit chess?" I'd like to add, "And when exactly did it happen?" These questions are very obvious.

Salov: Yes, I'm often getting asked that. But it's not that simple to answer that question. The thing is, I haven't played chess for over 15 years, but there was no decision to quit chess on my part. Many people did announce their retirement from chess. Alexander Morozevich did so numerous times. Even Kasparov retired for good in 2005. After that, however, many of those people come back and start playing in tournaments again. I'm probably the only one who didn't announce my retirement, but I haven't played in a tournament for over 15 years. This happened somewhat naturally, I've never decided to quit.

Surov: Still, what's the reason? Why have you withdrawn from playing? If this happened naturally, then something must have happened within you?

Salov: I've never refused an invitation in my life. Never declined invitation, whatever the tournament. But it just so happened that invitations stopped coming, and I stopped playing. I wasn't upset about that, because I'm a politologist by education, and I wanted to refine my knowledge in that field. So, I've never missed professional chess all that much. But no, I've never announced any decisions or made any statements about my supposed retirement.

Surov: What if we look at it from practical point of view - how much do you earn? As far as I understand, you used to earn your living with chess, you were a top grandmaster for a while. If I recall correctly, you held the third-highest rating in the world at one point.

Salov: Yes, I was pretty high in the rating list for a few years. And I did earn my living with chess. But chess is a very peculiar sport. I think our listeners understand that to earn your living with chess, you have to belong to an elite circle that gets many tournament invitations. But there are only ten or fifteen true professionals in chess. All others play chess because they have some sponsors or club contracts that support them financially. There are very few professionals who earn their living by playing chess.

Surov: So you define "professionals" as "those who earn their living by playing chess"?

Salov: Yes. At least when I was actively playing, it was so.

Surov: If I understand correctly, tournament invitations just stopped coming by after some point?

Salov: Yes, I already said that. Let me reiterate: I've never declined a tournament invitation in my life. You can't even say that I'm retired - I never quit chess.

Surov: So if somebody invites you to a tournament tomorrow, you'll agree?

Salov: It would be very difficult for me to come back after all those years, I've been working in another field for a while now. I should say that I stopped playing chess because I've been working within my primary occupation - politology. I haven't even watched any tournaments for a number of years. I returned to the chess topics almost accidentally, about five years ago. A chess fan randomly showed up at our forums and started asking me questions about chess. And so, I returned to chess issues, which are actually important in political sense as well. Chess has a very important place in the current world processes. And so, five years ago, I decided to describe and explain it all, because amateurs don't usually understand all that stuff.

Surov: OK, we'll return to that in a bit. And now, could you please answer Oleg Barantsev's question: "How often do you visit St. Petersburg?" You are from St. Petersburg, aren't you?

Salov: Yes, I'm from St. Petersburg, and I belong to the so-called Leningrad chess school. I graduated from the Leningrad University, Department of the Political Economy. To tell you the truth, I've been trying to understand what exactly we were taught during my university years. And after the well-known political events happened, our country dissolved, and the political ideology changed radically, I understood that the teachers didn't know themselves what they were trying to teach us. So I've had to study again, this time by myself. I live near Madrid, and in the summer, we're having courses from the Madrid University there. So, I visited these courses for several years, adding to my education. I'm trying to visit Leningrad as often as I can, at least once a year.

Surov: You call the city Leningrad. Is it Leningrad or St. Petersburg to you?

Salov: It's definitely not St. Petersburg, it still remains Leningrad, like the modern Russian Federation didn't become Russia.

Surov: OK then, let's discuss your residence a bit more. There'a another questions: "You're calling yourself a patriot. What's stopping you from returning to the home country? Why do you prefer to love it from afar?" I'd like to clarify: did you publicly claim to be a patriot?

Salov: It's a very interesting question, I've noticed it too. To tell the truth, I've never called myself a patriot. Patriot is actually a strange term. As far as I know, it was introduced into Russian language by Peter Shafirov, one of the ministers and diplomats of Peter the Great. This man was, should I say, of Babylonian descent, an embezzler who was executed for corruption.  Sounds very modern, isn't it? So, he introduced this term into our language. Today, it has both very positive and very negative connotations. Perhaps the person who asked the question meant it in the negative way? Anyway, patriotism was something almost incomprehensible for Russians of the 18th or even early 20th century. What is patriotism, exactly? What do you mean by it? Love towards some territory? Love towards fathers' graves? Love towards a political system? Love towards the state? Right now, even supporters of football clubs call themselves "patriots". If you support your national football team, you're a patriot.

Surov: I'll go even further. Many people in Russia think that patriotism is total loyalty to the authorities. If you aren't loyal, you're not a patriot.

Salov: This was born out of the Soviet patriotism. Soviet patriotism is, frankly, an oxymoron. The Soviet way of life was based on some kind of cosmopolitism, the world revolution. I can't understand how can you be both a Soviet patriot and a communist. But what I want to say is even in Peter the Great's time, and later, when religious identity was displaced by some kind of patriotism... it was a horrible loss of cultural level. When someone lives their life according to some higher spiritual ideals, they don't have to explicitly state that they love someone or something, because it's already obvious. If you live somewhere, you like the place where you live, don't you? Even animals defend their territory; it's natural, it's not human level. But we were all brought down so hard that we perceive patriotism as something high and lofty - because we're looking at it from below. Yes, it's honourable - to defend the homeland, especially the Soviet Motherland, to be loyal to the authorities, to support a football club, etc. In actuality, compared to the Russian Orthodox worldview, patriotism is something incomprehensible. So no, I've never called myself a patriot. Firstly, I don't think this is what any human should aspire to be. Humans should be something bigger than patriots. They should ascend to some spiritual level, understand the problems of humanity. That's when they become human. Also, if we define patriotism as loyalty to the authorities, then there's another question: what do these authorities stand for? It's another tricky moment.

Surov: To be honest, your term "Russian Orthodox worldview" is probably as incomprehensible to me as "patriotism" is to you.

Salov: In other words - the Christian faith. Even Count Uvarov's famous triad, "For the Faith, the Czar and the Fatherland!", the Fatherland is only in the third place, because there are higher priorities.

Getting back to the topic of whether I'm a patriot and why I'm living abroad, I should say that our wishes don't always correspond with our options. I would like to live in Russia, but I don't have enough money for that.

Surov: So, it's more financially sustainable to live in Spain than in Russia?

Salov: Not "financially sustainable". It's simpler: I have a family here. And in St. Petersburg, I have nowhere to live and no work. To go back in Russia, I'll have to leave my family behind. Perhaps someday I'll do so.

Surov: And that's when you'll finally get called a patriot!

Salov: They'll be mistaken. To be honest, I'm feeling uncomfortable in the state that calls itself Russian Federation. I published a series of articles explaining why this state is so named. There are Kabbalistic underpinnings, they're very interesting, but it's very hard to explain on the radio, because these mysteries are very deep. And I feel very uncomfortable when I come here, because I feel that this is not Russia, it's a simulacrum. Everything here is not real, it's fake, and people live in the state of a total spiritual catastrophe. Europe doesn't feel much better now, but in Russia, I feel it more sharply, because I love Russian culture, I love what Russia used to be and what it should have been.

Surov: But if it's uncomfortable for you in the modern Russia, perhaps you could join the opposition and try to change something in your country?

Salov: I am in opposition, but in the Russian Federation, there is no political process at all, the opposition is completely fictitious, it doesn't exist. It doesn't exist in the West as well, because the entire system is based on creation of a series of simulacra. All political and social institutes are purposedly created fake. It's a forged reality. And it's impossible to fight against this system because the political process doesn't exist. And the masses don't even know that the political process doesn't exist. People are totally deceived. This system is based on total conscience manipulation. And you can fight it only with self-education, with great efforts spent on thinking what's happening and where we are going. But the people don't want to do that, they just want to earn money and be deceived. You know, there's a great book Velikorossia: the Life's Way by the archpriest Lev Lebedev. I recommend everyone to read it. The last chapters are dedicated to the Soviet and post-Soviet period: what really happened to the land and where are we now.

I'm closely watching both the new publications and the people who imitate political struggle, including, of course, Kasparov. I have a lot of articles about the Essence of Time movement. Do you know it?

Surov: I've heard the name, but can't remember anything else.

Salov: Do you know the name Sergei Kurginian?

Surov: Yes, I do. So, what's your take on that movement and Kurginian?

Salov: I wrote a whole book about it. I've been analysing his political position. This is another simulacrum; he's imitating the so-called "new left opposition". Sadly, it's all not real. But he's the man of theatre, a director, and many actors are actively involved in the imitation of politics.

Kasparov also imitates. Do you know about Kasparov's opposition to Putin? The heaviest blow we could possible deliver to Putin would be disqualifying Kasparov for rigged matches. This would be a mortal blow to Putin and his regime.

Surov: Could you please explain what do you mean by "disqualifying Kasparov" and "rigged matches"?

Salov: Everyone was waiting for this moment, weren't they? All I said before was just an introduction.

Surov: I wanted to tell you that our program's length is limited. I'd gladly dedicate a whole program to discuss Russia, the current situation and politics in general with you. But I'm afraid that people expect something different today.

Salov: Of course, everyone expects us to discuss the matches between Karpov and Kasparov; not everyone knows - a whole new generation has grown up since that time - that I took part in these matches as well. I was Anatoly Evgenyevich Karpov's second at the 1985 and 1986 matches. So, I know this situation from the inside. And I've been suspecting that there's something wrong with these matches for a number of years.

Surov: When did you become suspicious?

Salov: Back when they were still playing. Something was wrong. But in these matches, you just can't see the motives without knowing a whole complex of disciplines people usually know nothing about. Recently, I've had a discussion with GM Ivan Sokolov on Facebook, who immediately said that there was nothing strange, all the matches were normal. In other words, Ivan knows nothing. And so, I've started explaining the nuances - in English at first. I've started with Kasparov - Anand match, which is more important for the Western public because it's connected to a much more well-known event - September 11, 2001.

Surov: We'll discuss the 9/11 later. Back to these famous matches...

Salov: I'd like to ask you one thing, Evgeny...

Surov: I've been learning chess with these matches! Reading books...

Salov: But look, this was a worldwide phenomenon, getting a lot of attention from the entire world. Why? Because the matches were played by two communists with almost identical names. The names seem to be almost cognate. Kasparov and Karpov. It's almost like a football world championship final with two best goalscorers, Pele and Pelele, playing against each other. This would be strange. By the way, "Pele" means "miracle" in Hebrew, which is no accident as well.

Surov: If you should mention that word... Do accidents really happen in life?

Salov: There's a lot of accidents in life. But if these accidents, these series of facts are connected by very clear causality, one has to conclude that these are not accidents, but rather a pattern, because they correlate too well. Sadly, I've spent too much time to explain the underpinnings of these matches, and I think that we're long past the stage when you have to prove anything. This isn't a hypothesis or a personal opinion anymore, this is a proven fact. Because all the coincidences I've unearthed just can't be accidental.

Surov: So, your research shows that there are too many coincidences in these matches, and you call that proof?

Salov: Well, the entire body of science is based on that. Scientists analyze facts and random events, and then connect them based on some common law.

That's the deal. It's purely scientific approach. I'm not saying that I'm a prophet who discovered some law of God. It's science, it's scientific research. If someone finds a better explanation, we'll examine it as a new hypothesis. Because science never states absolute truths, it only puts the experience in order and finds the best possible explanation for this experience. What's passed as the real history, as true events, is just senseless. It's not science, it's propaganda. And all our views - not only in chess, but in politics and history too - are based on propaganda, not on any kind of scientific research; they're based on repetition of the same false conclusions or conceptions ad nauseam. On the contrary, I'm trying to scientifically analyze our reality and find out the true laws that control it.

Surov: When talking about Karpov - Kasparov matches, you're usually mentioning a lot of different things, including the aforementioned 9/11 and the entire reality, am I correct in assuming that what you're talking about are the "ritual fixed matches" - let's use this term, it wasn't mentioned yet.

Salov: Yes. The ritual fixed matches - that's the name I prefer, because this is the best explanation of the nature of those matches. It wasn't me who dreamed up the connection between life and chess. Kasparov published a book called Chess as a Model of Life.

Surov: And you agree with him?

Salov: A very good name. The book itself is meaningless though, it doesn't say anything serious. But the name is very correct. In English and Spanish, it's even more correct and clear: How Life Imitates Chess. This is a paraphrase of Oscar Wilde, How Life Imitates Art. But Kasparov had to explain in his book how exactly life imitates chess, and he didn't.

Surov: Perhaps you could explain then?

Salov: I'll explain, but I'll show you only a few examples, because it's impossible to explain it in half an hour on the radio, without using any visual props, videos, photos, etc. So, the 9/11 is a great and convincing example. Because the Kasparov - Anand match began on 11th September 1995: the first game was played exactly six years before the event. There was an advertising booklet in London, which was reprinted by Roshal in 64. Kasparov as a King Kong is perched atop one of the twin towers, and Anand, as in the famous movie, shoots at him from the plane. This alone is a very interesting parallel that should make you wonder where coincidences end and patterns begin.

Surov: I do wonder now, but can't think of anything concrete. You can consider me stupid. In what direction should I think now?

Salov: Look at how the match went. Do you remember? The first eight games were bland draws. And then, interesting things started to happen. First, Anand won a beautiful game in Scheveningen with White by sacrificing a Rook on d5. Do you understand? Ninth game, with a Rook sacrifice! Then Kasparov won the very next game, again with a Rook sacrifice. And in the eleventh game, he won with Black, again sacrificing a Rook! Three Rook sacrifices in three World Championship games in a row! This just cannot be. I can't remember anything like that. And these were not just any games, but 9th, 10th and 11th. This is the date - 09/11! Also remember that in many languages, the Rook is called a tower. Do you understand now? Three towers were sacrificed, from game 9 to 11. I've even made a photo analogue: chess diagrams with twin towers and the third tower, the trade center, so-called "Solomon Tower". These three towers were destroyed by two planes. The third tower, as we know, fell by its own accord, seven hours after the plane attack. Officially, by its own accord - the building had a steel frame, and it fell because of some internal fires or something. I don't know, maybe some chairs burned? This sounds like a bad joke. That's the difference between true history and mythology. This is the one of the most scandalous facts in the modern history, and it attracts a lot of attention. That's why the "Movement for the Truth about 9/11" is now so strong in the U.S., it consists of more than 2,300 architects and engineers. They have officially signed a petition that the official version is completely nonsensical, it defies the laws of physics and mechanics, it's just absurd. And we are made to believe in this absurd. But when you analyze this absurd along with some chess facts, which are obviously unknown to these engineers and architects, the picture becomes much clearer.

Surov: What are your conclusions? So, you saw that the numbers 9 and 11 weren't accidental, and the tower sacrifices weren't accidental too. Then what? What do you conclude?

Salov: The main conclusion can be made even without chess: both modern history and politology don't consider the two most important factors influencing history and politics. These factors are Talmud and Kabbalah. And any historian who's trying to describe the events of the 20th century without considering these two factors is a charlatan. All official historians are charlatans, because they do not consider these two factors, nobody analyzes Kabbalah's influence on the modern politics and history, even though it's a very important factor!  Because Kabbalah is the philosophy of the freemasonry, and freemasons are the main political power in the world for hundreds of years. All specialists know that, but they're afraid to write about that. This is not a conclusion I made from studying the chess games; it's a scientific fact, and you have to consider it.

Surov: So, some conspiracy exists, and everyone is complicit? Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, who else?

Salov: In politics, everything is conspiracy. What's the official version of 9/11? This is a version that says that 19 Muslims led by Bin Laden conspired somewhere in the caves of Afghanistan, deceived everyone - from the anti-air defence to airport police control - and did something that's utterly impossible even for a million-strong army. This is a conspiracy theory, the most absurd you could imagine. And we're told to believe into this absurd conspiracy theory. And this means that someone is trying to deceive us, that in actuality, all happened very differently.

You know, when these events happened, I wrote a short story for the journal Shess Satyricon, called The Middle-Eastern Gambit, and it was published a week or so after 9/11. Even back then, it was obvious that the real underpinnings of these events have nothing in common with what the press says. I wrote the short story when I didn't know anything about the Kabbalistic stuff. I had no knowledge to understand what was that. But even back then, it was obvious. I haven't researched the 9/11 events for several years after that, because I thought that everything was already analyzed.

Surov: Let's go back from the 9/11. I'm more interested in the chess stuff. If I understand you right, chess is connected to all the processes that happen in life. Can you be more specific? What was Karpov's part in that? Who else was complicit?

Salov: We discussed these moments. Our analysis suggests that Karpov deliberately took part in all that. And if his participation wasn't deliberate, then he was just controlled from outside, like a puppet. The PCA, the match organizers, Anand were complicit too, no doubt. There's an example for you. Last year [2014], during the Tromso Olympiad, I logged in to ChessBase. I used my real name, just to say hi to Kevin O'Connell, the Irish master, international arbiter and my old friend. I've never wrote there before, I just said hi to him and added that if he wanted to discuss any questions, he could do that at our Spanish forum. And my completely innocuous message was deleted immediately. Immediately!

Surov: Well, that's censorship.

Salov: This is censorship, and it's unexplainable. Why does it happen? It's not just unmotivated - it's absurd. It's like an old Soviet joke. A man goes to the visa center to get a permission to go abroad. "Zdravstvuyte [Hello]!" "Hello! Do you have any relatives abroad?" "No." "Are you interested in foreign literature?" "Yes." "Goodbye!" The second man goes to the visa center. "Zdravstvuyte!" "Hello! Do you have any relatives abroad?" "Yes." "Goodbye!" The third man goes to the visa center. "Zdgavstvuyte!" [In the Russian jokes about Jews, the Jews are depicted as completely unable to pronounce the Russian trilling R.] "Goodbye!" A Jewish joke about Rabinovich.

Surov: And so, you got these immediate "Goodbyes" at many platforms?

Salov: Yes, it's enough for me to say "Hello" to hear "Goodbye!" So, I'm playing the role of Rabinovich.

Surov: I just want to hear more concrete facts, because I think there are many people who are listening or will read the transcipt later who never thought of things you describe. Some did read your articles, some didn't, it's not important. But still, I'd like to hear more names. Who's complicit? Karpov is possibly not complicit, possibly he is, possibly he was under control. Kasparov is obviously complicit, isn't he?

Salov: Kasparov is complicit, there's no doubt. Just look how actively he participates in politics in the last years, especially now that he's gone to New York. He was even inducted into the Bilderberg Group. Did you cover that story?

Surov: No, we didn't.

Salov: This is one of the biggest mondialist structures in the world. A very prestigious international organization. Kasparov was inducted for his services in fanning the flames of the World War III. That's what he's doing now. Why I'm so insistent that he should be disqualified as quickly as possible? Because that's the only way to stop him. If you just criticize his political views, he'll immediately respond that you're just envious of him, or that you're Putin's goon, or something.

Surov: What exactly do you mean? He's already been disqualified in Russia, he doesn't come here anymore. What you you mean by disqualification?

Salov: He doesn't need to be in Russia. He's good where he is. He's campaigning in the press, very actively, he takes part in debates, he's calling for isolation of Russia and shipping weapons to Ukraine. That's not a joke! It's all very serious. And by disqualification, I mean the most direct one: to out him as a fake, phony chess player. It's very important to show that his matches with Karpov were rigged from the start. This is proven - mathematically, logically, historically. But to understand that, you have to dedicate a lot of time to that, you have to think deeply about what's happening in the world. But chess players don't do that. Chess players never pay attention to politics or world events. They're completely immersed in their profession, in the opening theory, they want to memorize and win. I know that because I was one of them too, even though I have my education as a politologist. Despite all that, I was very far from any politics.

Surov: You say that this is proven and should be investigated. Does anyone besides you investigate the ritual fixed matches in chess?

Salov: Of course. We have a group of people interested in these questions. We've been discussing that for years. It's not just me coming up and saying, hey, the games were fixed.

Surov: Does anyone beside you know the proof that the matches were rigged?

Salov: Of course, many people know that. But there's a lot of conflicting interests, so all that is kept secret. They don't want this information to be out. This is a group interest, a corporate interest, a party interest - not to allow this information to become public. I personally think that Karpov and Kasparov's rituals were ones of the most harmful Kabbalistic rituals of the 20th century. They did unbelievable harm! And what's currently happening in the modern politics was largely predetermined by the successful completion of these rituals. They have fooled everybody. That's why I'm calling to everyone to wake up, think of what's happening and take some degree of responsibility for that.

Surov: Valery, if you're calling to everyone to wake up, you still have to explain, in simplest terms possible, why should we wake up, from what should we wake up, what to struggle against when we wake up, and what was the harm done by those ritual fixed matches? I want you to explain it more clearly. One program isn't enough for that, of course, but please try.

Salov: To understand that, we'll have to look at many issues simultaneously. This isn't one isolated match that was thrown for money. Very serious interests are behind it. But still, the people should have wondered why this match attracted so much attention.

I cited an example. Why the prize fund for Kasparov - Karpov match was 500 times higher than, say, the first prize in Linares?

Surov: Who or what is behind all that?

Salov: I already said that. It's philosophy, metaphysics, and a certain ideology. The two most important factors in the history of the 20th century that nobody wants to talk about. I recommend you to visit the site shekina.mybb.ru, open the "Literature" section and look through the topic "Forbidden Literature". I've compiled a list of very important materials you have to read through. I can't explain much over the radio, you have to study for years.

Surov: OK, let's try an even more concrete question. Who, other than Kasparov, should be disqualified?

Salov: Right now, I'm explaining things to the Spanish amateurs at the Madrid forum. And I give them four names: Kasparov, Karpov, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Anand. Though our list is wider, it includes eleven players.

Surov: Can you name them?

Salov: This will distract us from the discussion.

Surov: I've tried to ask that question for a couple of times, and I'm afraid to ask it again: what exactly do you mean by disqualification? Does it involve any criminal activity?

Salov: Evgeny, I think you should just get used to it.

Surov: Get used to what?

Salov: At first, people are shocked: how can that be, it's two greatest geniuses of chess! But there's nothing special about that. In the sports world, even more serious things happen. Remember how Ben Johnson was disqualified in Seoul 1988 after winning 100 meters with a world record. He was disqualified three hours after the event! And nothing happened. Remember how Lance Armstrong was recently disqualified - the 7-times winner of Tour de France, the greatest bicycle race in the world! Armstrong is a much more important figure in the sports world than two chess players whom nobody would know nothing about if their matches weren't an elaborate Kabbalistic ritual. That's what you have to think about.

Surov: OK, by the examples you cited, I can assume that disqualification entails stripping them of all their titles?

Salov: And a big money fine. That's necessary! There are big fines for failing a doping test in the cycling sport. Alberto Contador was recently banned for two years and fined 4 millions Euro. And he didn't even peep, he took it for granted. We should do the same thing in chess. Because we should punish fixed matches, we must fight corruption. But we have to constantly remind and educate people about that.

Surov: Let's imagine that I'll give you airtime tomorrow, after tomorrow, and for ten days after that, and you'll repeat everything you've said now. Do you think it'll become clearer to anyone? I'd prefer an explanation that works right from the first time.

Salov: I think that the best way is to read, and to do that thoroughly. Every fact I cite is accompanied by a photo or video, it's much easier to perceive it that way. It's very hard to understand when it's all spoken, because governance is a very difficult topic. I've already said that everyone talks about politics without understanding anything. People do not know how the world is governed. Who governs the Russian Federation? Nobody even knows why is this state named so. Why was USSR named so? Nobody thinks about it. Only Moscow's head rabbi Pinhas Goldschmidt (by the way, the president of European Jewish Congress) talks about that. He said explicitly in an interview that the Soviet Union has the same gematria as Egypt - which is called Mizraim in Hebrew. That's why, the rabbi said, the processes in USSR were very similar to the processes in Egypt.

Surov: That's why you're always calling Russia the "Egyptian Crocodile"?

Salov: The Egyptian Crocodile didn't materialize from thin air, it was born of Egypt-Mizraim and USSR. This is a long story. You should know the entire history of European occultism, which nobody knows. That's why nobody can really know what's happening in the world, but they're still trying to understand things - without necessary knowledge, skills or experience. I'm trying to gather as many facts as I can, and I've got a lot of them. In the West, there are publicists and writers who research the European occultism very thoroughly.

Surov: I must honestly admit that my head isn't too fresh anymore, but still, I want you to explain another thing. Among others, you named Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. What's his role in all that?

Salov: I wrote an important article about Kirsan 10 years ago. In 2005, I asked a question that any chess fan should have asked. How did Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a 33 years-old nobody, became a president of a third-biggest international sports federation in the world? Why the vote for him at the Paris congress on 22th November 1995 was almost unanimous?

Surov: And how do you answer that question?

Salov: I'm asking everyone that question. Everyone is unhappy, they criticize him, say that Ilyumzhinov is bad and has to be replaced. And then I ask: how did he become the president in the first place? And if you don't understand how he became the president, how can you ever replace him?

Surov: Then help us understand!

Salov: I've got an article published at Shekhina 10 years ago, I've already explained all that. But the chess community knew nothing about that article for ten years.

Surov: Can you tell us now, or we can only read the article? How do you answer the question of how he became the FIDE president?

Salov: Of course not because of his merits. And not because of money or bribes. There was some interest to make him the president. Interest of the people who have the power to install the FIDE presidents. And so, they were interested in making the 33 years-old Kirsan Ilyumzhinov the FIDE president. A "double president", as Vanga predicted to him.

I understand that everyone is waiting for a concrete answer from me, but I can't explain these things live on the radio, without any facts to show and cite. You have to see it. Without seeing it with your own eyes, it's very hard to believe. You should see it, you should think about it, gather the facts, ask questions, think about these questions. You have to learn to think - that's the first thing chess amateurs and professionals should do.

Surov: They do think over the chess board. Or you think that this application of thinking is too narrow?

Salov: They don't think over the chess board. They're calculating variants and remembering their opening analyses. They never think over the chess board. This is the greatest secret of chess: it's allowing you not to think. The great Russian writer Ivan Lukyanovich Solonevich was the head of trade unions' chess section back in 1920s despite not playing chess at all - he was a lawyer. And in those years of work, he understood a very important thing: chess is useful because it freezes the mind. It allows not to think. And we have to change that. Do you know where the slogan "Chess is gymnastic for the mind" comes from? Do you think Lenin actually came up with it? No, he never said that. The phrase was coined by Yakov Gerasimovich Rokhlin. The trade unions asked him to come up with some flashy catchphrase and attribute it to Lenin. And he did. He told me that himself, when he was in his eighties. We should abandon the failed gymnastic program for the mind - chess - and embrace the true gymnastic that allows the mind to develop.

To be concluded in Part 2.