Kasparov swipes at Rahul over Rae Bareli, retracts move

Lucknow: Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov has made a curious move and waded into India's poll pyrotechnics with a comment aimed at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

In response to an X post, the former world chess champion wrote: "Tradition dictates that you should first win from Rae Bareli before challenging for the top!" He later dubbed his comment a "little joke on Indian politics" and hoped "it does not pass for advocacy or expertise".

The remarks followed Rahul posting on his Insta handle on May 1 a video of himself playing chess. He described Kasparov as his favourite player, a "non-linear thinker" who "puts a lot of psychological pressure on the opponent". "In chess as in politics, every move your opponent makes can be used to your advantage," wrote Rahul.

This drew a searing post from an X user who tagged Rahul's video and wrote: "Feel so relieved that Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand retired early and didn't have to face the greatest chess genius of our times." Kasparov's "Rae Bareli win" remark followed this and went viral.

On Saturday, Kasparov appeared to have second thoughts when he dubbed his comment a "little joke." "But as an 'all-seeing monster with 1000 eyes', as I was once described, I cannot fail to see a politician dabbling in my beloved game," wrote Kasparov, who became the youngest world champion in 1985 at 22 after beating compatriot Anatoly Karpov. Now a political activist and a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kasparov had a keen contest with Vishwanathan Anand for the world title.