Karpov and Kasparov - Soviet Politics questions

The St. Petersburg Times says that a man named Anatoly Oruzhev is the head of Petromir, and there are some doubts as to the actual value of the oil field.  Petromir Russia is apparently owned by Petromir UK (a holding company whose principal shareholder seems to be the British company WEMICO) and a Russian construction company, Stroytransgaz.  Karpov is not listed among the shareholders.

By the way, did you know that Russian SuperGM Alexander Morozevich is married to Gerri Halliwell, one of the Spice Girls?  Or so I read.

Andropov was being kept alive on machines though, so I am not sure how much attention he paid to the letter. 

Karpov said Kasparov was beneath contempt when he changed his name from Weinstein to Kasparov to facilitate his future chess career with a more Russified name. A loving son, who loved his father and his fathers memory, would not do such a thing.

Has anyone ever heard a logical response from Kasparov. 

Garry's father died when he was seven years old.  Garry's mother and other living relatives all had the last name, Kasparian, the Armenian form of Kasparov.

 "When my father died, I went to live with my mother's family. When I began to have public success in chess, it seemed natural to take her family name. My teacher Botvinnik, himself of Jewish ancestry, added that it wouldn't hurt my chances of success in the USSR not to be named Weinstein."

--from Kasparov's book "How Chess Imitates Life," page 55.

How important was Kasparov's mother in his life?  Was she super controlling---deciding all the important issues?  Was it possible to have a sucessful marriage with such a dominant mother? How many marriages and failures did Kasparov experience? When you get down to brass tacks---Kasparov was pretty much a momma's boy, dont you think?

In Soviet Russia, Politicians vote you out of office

That says more about Karpov than about Kasparov. One shouldn't be too quick to say that someone is below contempt for such a thing. And the logical response would be that all his remaining relatives were named Kasparian and it was natural to have the same name as them (in its Russified version). Botvinnik also advised using Kasparov instead of Weinstein since having a Jewish name never made life easier in the Soviet Union. I know people who love their fathers and still have changed their family name, one doesn't have to be beyond contempt for doing something like that.

I don't remember who it was, but someone that was a member of Karpov's team in many matches wrote that it was impossible to persuade Karpov to continue playing at 5-3. He just couldn't play more. Kasparov can't have known that it was that bad, but I think he would have won 6-5 if it had been possible to make Karpov continue. Rules are rules so Karpov should have lost instead of being given a lifeline, but such a great player deserves to lose in a better way than through exhaustion so maybe the 0-0-solution was a good one.

Fabelhaft, what are you a Russian scholar? Dont you think Karpov was aware of Russian customs? Obviously he thought it was a dishonorable thing to do and so do I.  I think many people on this site think it is dishonorable to cast your fathers name aside if it means some extra, easy greenbacks in your pocket. I think you must be mistaken when you say all his remaining relatives were named Kasparian.  All his dads relatives were named Weinstein.  Kasparov's attitude seems to be---hey, if its going to ease my way up the chess ladder---lets do it! You bring up Botvinnik?   Botvinnik wasnt a saint either. His role in the absolute Russian championship of 1941 was a case in point.  He was stictly dishonorable in that instance and many others. I dont recall Botvinnik suffering much because he was Jewish. Please point out those instances---it may refresh my memory.

In most of Kasparov's books, he makes somewhat veiled charges that Karpov's minions were trying to assure that he not play in 1983-4.  In Kasparov on Modern Chess Part II, he claims that at the height of the crisis, the propaganda department apparatchik Stakulin even told him "You are young.  You can afford to wait three years."  In Child of Change, he makes similar accusations saying that Nikolai Krogius, the head of the Sports Committee told him "we have a world champion, and we don't need another one."  Child of Change was released just before his match with Karpov in Seville 1987, and must have marked the nadir of their relationship.  Karpov was apparently steaming, and in his book, Karpov on Karpov, he spends a long time trying to defend himself against Kasparov's charges.

As I noted above, the tournaments where Korchnoi played were indeed boycotted by Soviet players, and Korchnoi was quite surprised when Kasparov was willing to play against him in the blitz tournie in Niksic.  This was probably the beginning of the rapprochement that ultimately led to the lifting of the boycott.

Kasparov grew up with his mother and his mother's parents, her dad was named Shagen Mosesovich Kasparov. The latter didn't have any sons, and after a few years Garry chose to take the Kasparov name, something both Botvinnik and Nikitin allegedly influenced him to do. If you or Karpov prefer to see it as beneath contempt, dishonourable and just a question of "extra, easy greenbacks in his pocket" you're welcome, but one shouldn't be too quick to judge people that harshly. These things are in no way unusual, Kramnik's dad was born Sokolov, Radjabov never used his dad's name Sheinen, etc.

 Well, Kasparov grew up with his dad until his dad died. He said it was a very close relationship. You've named a couple chess players who changed their names---I think you will concede that I can name a thousand who didn't.

Who said I judged Kasparov too quickly. I thought about it for years and my considered opinion is ---Kasparov is dishonorable (concerning his father).

As a father I can tell you that it would hurt me deeply if my sons changed their last name, which is also mine, and was my father's and his, and his....... etc. Are there any fathers here who wouldnt be hurt ? 

Kasparov was 12 years old when he took the name of his mother's family, I doubt it was his own idea but let's just agree that he was beneath contempt for doing it and discuss something more interesting instead :-)

Ok wow....I thought we lived in the 21st century...in a more enlightened frame of mind that values women equally with men.  How is it dishonorable for Kasparov to take his MOTHER's name?  It's his mother. I realize that it is still traditional in our still very patriarchal society to value the father's name more than the mother's name, but come on.  It is not dishonorable for Kasparov to take his mother's name. His father's name is no more valuable than his mother's name. 

[SOMEONE SAID THE SAME EARLIER]

 Supports your earlier description of him as a Russian nationalist more than a communist. One does not get to have a stake worth billions in an energy company without Putin's approval. Putin is not wont to give such approval to those who are not of a similar political mind.

 I am also a father and respect your view but, FWIW, it wouldn't bother at all. I am rather unsentimental and pragmatic but if it made life easier for my sons after my passing, I would expect them to take my wife's name. One shouldn't pass judgement on Kasparov for this - a son of 2 different cultures, born in a country with a distinctly different culture to either and under the Soviet regime to boot. Life cannot have been easy.

 Well said, Nick!