Illinois Chess Bulletin Julio - Agosto 2002 | Page 18

Memorable Meetings
Tupikin, ”This is for you, Garry; we will get another one
for Leonid Alexeevich…”

Memorable Meetings
By Leonid Bondar
(translated from Russian by Maria Stul)

Clara also told me that her husband died of cancer
when Garry was only 5. Garry had demonstrated great talent
in chess, and began training with Michael Botvinnik
himself. The young chess player had already been to the
junior world championship in Paris. Mom was not permitted
to come with him, and there was no one to take care of him.
He only ate once a day, and as a result, took sixth place.
Clara Shagenovna told me of another problem that stood
before them. She was advised to change her son’s last name
to her maiden name, since a Jewish last name could create
many obstacles in Garry’s carrier. I found out then, that
Garry Wainshtein was to become a Kasparov.

Garry Kasparov: Champion in the making.
I first met the now world famous chess player
in Petergof (a suburb of St. Petersburg), during the
summer of 1975. A junior chess tournament, the
“Spartak”, was being held there, and I was coaching
Oleg Tilichkin. The rules of the competition were such
that the winners of the two semifinals got into the final,
keeping their previous scores. In the very first round,
my pupil won against a 12-year-old opponent from
Baku, Azerbaidzhan, Garry Wainshtein. Next morning,
a curious episode occurred. While Oleg and I were
having breakfast, someone brought a fruit basket to
our table. Astonished, we realized that it was a present
from yesterday's opponent and his mother. This was
an incredible gesture of friendship and hospitality, after
which we not only met, but became good friends.
When there were no games, we went
swimming and visited museums together. There was
one episode that especially highlights the emotionality
of the young boy. It happened at the time when I
started a collection of chess pins, which I showed to
new acquaintances. One day, Clara (Garry's mother)
was telling us about how she met Tupikin, an important
government official in St. Petersburg. Because Tupikin
was a great fan of chess, he personally invited the
Kasparovs to his home. He showed them the chess set
that was used by Anatoly Karpov (the world champion
of the year), and gave Garry a pin made in the honor of
Karpov. In great excitement, Garry exclaimed, ”Oh, this
is a pin for Leonid Alexeevich!” “No,” answered
18

Garry and his mother. Photo signed
The semifinals ended, Oleg and Garry made it
to the finals along with Michael Gurevich and Leonid
Yudasin, who later became famous grandmasters. In
the finals, the oldest player, Desyatkin, took first place,
second place was taken by Gurevich, and Garry
finished better than Oleg. At parting, we exchanged
addresses with the Kasparovs and wrote to each other
there after.

Illinois Chess Bulletin