Chess Enthusiast Finds Gadhafi in ‘Razor-Sharp’ Mental State
June 14, 2011, 7:11 PM CET

By Alan Cullison

MOSCOW — Moammar Gadhafi has suffered months of mutiny and a NATO bombardment, but he appears to be in a razor-sharp mental state, says the head of the World Chess Federation, his latest visitor in the capital of Tripoli.

Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s trip to Tripoli “was a meeting of two crazy people,” said Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion who has been trying to unseat Mr. Ilyumzhinov from the chess federation, charging that he is giving the game a bad name. “One is on his way down and the other is on his way to alien worlds.”

Mr. Kasparov noted that Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s visit may signal the Libyan leader’s dimming prospects — Mr. Ilyumzhinov visited Saddam Hussein in 2003, shortly before the U.S. invasion toppled his government. His ties to Mr. Gadhafi’s government are long-standing, and in 2004 Libya hosted the federation’s world championships, making it impossible for Israeli players to compete, Mr. Kasparov said.

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