Kasparov’s new opponents

The ex-world champion of chess will probably never get used to them. Garry Kasparov is fighting a whole new type of opponents in a political career that has only just begun. He's been attacked more than ever happened during his chess life. Yesterday the headquarters of his party United Civil Front was startled by a squad of armed law-enforcement officers on suspicion of "extremist activity".

Kasparov runs The Other Russia, a coalition of opposition groups campaigning for greater democracy in Russia. Yesterday he was hosting a meeting of the All-Russia Civic Congress, a rights group, The Other Russia spokeswoman Natalya Morar said.

"While he was moderating the congress, we received information the police came to his office and began to search for different documents,'' Morar said. "They took away literature, saying they had come to find out if it was extremist.''

During the search, which lasted about two hours, staff at Kasparov's United Civil Front were prevented from making phone calls or sending e-mails, Morar said.

"There are reasons to believe this action is linked to the opposition march planned for Dec. 16," Kasparov told reporters in the party's office in central Moscow. The Other Russia is organizing a "march of those who disagree'' in Moscow on Dec 16.

Russian journalists, ex-spies or other political opponents of Putin are risking their lives. Having dinner in a London sushi bar is enough these days. As a chess player, I'm starting to worry a bit about our greatest player of all time.

More at Bloomberg, Playfuls or DNA.