On March 10, 2005, I played my last professional game of chess. Thirty years after I played my first major event at the national level, nearly twenty years after I became world champion, I retired at the age of forty-one. I left after winning my final tournament in my beloved Linares and still as the top-ranked player in the game, inevitably leading to numerous “Why?” inquiries from all quarters.
Faithful to my own preaching, I had looked deeply at this critical move. This was not a spontaneous move but a logical step. My shift to becoming a full-time member of the Russian political opposition movement reflected both the needs of my country and my desire to make a difference in the world around me. I was fortunate to have attained most of the ambitious goals I had set for myself in the chess world. New challenges and new ways to make an impact were waiting for me in politics and, I hoped, in writing.
One of the constant themes of this book has been how essential it is to continually challenge ourselves. The only way to develop is to venture into the unknown, to take risks, and to learn new things. We must force ourselves out of our comfort zone and trust our ability to adapt and thrive. Everything that I have written here led me to retire from the chess world. I craved new challenges and wanted to be where I felt I was wanted and needed. In fighting for the survival of Russia’s fragile democracy, I found a precious cause, a worthy challenge, and a new way to channel my energy.
This decision was not about running for higher office, nor was it a personal vendetta against Vladimir Putin or anyone else. Mine is a mission of positive change. Putin is only the current symbol of what we are fighting against. I don’t want my ten-year-old son to worry about Russian military service in an illegal war such as Chechnya or to fear the repression of a dictatorship. I want to have a chance to offer my vision, strategic thought, and fighting spirit to prevent those things from happening.
Many go on to ask about the dangers of opposing this Kremlin regime and if this is a foolhardy move. After all, having his father attacked or jailed won’t be of much benefit to my son. To this I can only say that some things must simply be done. Succeed or fail, this is a fight that must be fought. As the Soviet dissidents famously put it, “Do what you must and so be it.” Millions like me in Russia want a free press, the rule of law, social justice, and free and fair elections. My new job is to fight for those people and to fight for those fundamental rights.
To achieve these ends my colleagues and I have formed a broad nonideological coalition of true opposition groups and activists. I am working inside Russia and abroad to bring attention to the decimation of Russia’s democratic institutions. My chess fame and the skills I developed in the chess world have proven equally vital to this task. My hope is that in this book I have managed to pass along some of the wisdom and strategies I’ve learned, and that you too will find ways to use the world’s greatest game to your every advantage.
What we make of the future is defined by how well we understand and make use of our past. Our past creates a map not only of where we have come from, but of where we are going; on it are marked the things we have valued, and the places we have found success or failure. But the most wondrous thing about this map is that vast portions of it are yet to be filled in. With insight and effort we can trace new routes to our own satisfaction.
The next part of my life will contain many new challenges. I have new goals, new people in my life, and I have left behind the only vocation I have ever known. And yet as foreign as this new course seemed at first, my life in chess has left me well prepared. I ask myself, how can I be afraid of a mere KGB lieutenant colonel after overcoming an Olympus of chess champions! Why should my nerves fail me in front of heads of state or CEOs of multinational corporations when I have spent my entire life onstage?
After a lifetime of preparation and self-examination I believe I have the tools I need to adapt to this new struggle. There are new strategies, new tactics, and I don’t expect the transition to always be smooth. My personal map is full of gray areas, and its outer borders are never entirely complete. Most important, I have learned not to fear those unknown territories.
My ten-year-old son, Vadim, is reaching the age where my own childhood memories are vivid. While his life will of course be very different from mine, I dearly hope to provide him the guidance I know my father would have continued to provide me. After a hectic life I was fortunate to meet Dasha, now my friend, supporter, and wife. Above all, I’m infinitely grateful that the same person who guided me through my first career, my mother, Klara, is again with me at the start of my second. Whenever I’m faced with a difficult path, her words inspire me: “If not you, who else?”
The purpose of this book is to inspire fellow explorers. We can all look at our personal maps and cast off for unknown domains where we will encounter new challenges. We can accept that failure is a necessary part of success. The faith that led Magellan to attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1519 is why we remember him. But few remember that he was not among the eighteen survivors who completed the journey.
Like any explorer we must first plan our route, our strategy. Then we must marshal our resources, allocating them carefully while obtaining what we need and discarding any excess. Once under way, we need to maintain a sharp tactical eye by never backing away from conflict unless we are certain it best suits our needs to do so. Remaining alert for dangers and opportunities should not be allowed to distract us from our course. We must at all times be aware of changes in our environment, looking for chances to make positive exchanges that will take advantage of new conditions.
Above all, we must be conscious of every decision we make. Not only in evaluating each future course of action but in looking back to analyze our past choices and the effectiveness of the process by which we made them.
Instead of making us weary, our explorations should energize us, suffusing us with new confidence and inspiration. Our senses are sharpened, and unknown challenges soon become a sight more welcome than a familiar routine. New stimuli develop our intuition. We see the trends forming, the big picture and the details stay in focus at the same time, the dots become easier to connect. When a crisis comes, our instincts serve as an early-warning system. If we are caught by surprise, our reflexes give us the chance to take the offensive instead of playing defense.
Nearly twenty years ago I concluded a precocious autobiography with these words: “Time after time, as I’ve outgrown another problem or defeated another opponent, I have seen that the main battles are yet to come . . . My fight is open-ended.” Now I know this fight wasn’t only with the Soviet Sports Committee or FIDE or the Kremlin, but also with my own abilities and limitations. Our energies can be directed toward taking responsibility for our fates, toward creating change and making a difference. How success is measured is different for each of us. The first and most important step is realizing that the secret of success is inside.