GM Evgeny VLADIMIROV
via email: evvl@rediffmail.com

<As is well known, after losing three consecutive games to Karpov, Kasparov accused Vladimirov, his second, of treachery. He repeated his denunciation, at length, on pages 203-208 of "Child of Change". A couple of sample extracts follow:

‘... the logic of the way things developed then, prove, to my mind though Vladimirov denies it – that I was betrayed ...’ (page 204)

‘I have often wondered what drove Vladimirov to behave as he did ... The motive, I think, was a twisted kind of jealousy ... He was having to live through me. I was achieving the sort of success he craved for himself and which he thought his own talents deserved. Deep down he resented my success. He thought it should be his. This kind of feeling makes a man a natural traitor, especially if it is allied to a weak personality with a tendency to self-degradation.’ (page 205)

Kasparov has never offered proof, and fawning journalists have never demanded any. But now, having destroyed Vladimirov’s reputation, the same Kasparov has the gall to write on page 113 of "London-Leningrad Championship Games":

‘... a serious conflict occurred in my relations with Vladimirov after the 19th game. To me he seemed to be behaving strangely – copying out the analysis of openings employed in the match. I cannot assert anything, and I have no grounds for accusing him, but equally I can no longer trust Vladimirov as I used to.’

Note those words carefully:

‘... I cannot assert anything, and I have no grounds for accusing him ...’>

'...I cannot assert anything, and I have no grounds for accusing him, but equally I can no longer trust Vladimirov as I used to.’>

Kasparov began to distrust Vladimirov, whatever his reasons.

Fair enough, and I'm not about to question his feelings or the circumstances, as I wasn't a party to any of this.

Within three months in spring and summer, he <won the closed tournament at Salamanca 1991>, unbeaten ahead of Spassky and Korchnoi who was on holidays (Salamanca included a bunch of Spanish players, and Zapata from Colombia who finished shared last (11./12.),

placed <shared third at Dos Hermanas 1991>, Alexander Goldin won ahead of Julio Granda Zuniga; Dos Hermanas went on to become an elite tournament for some years in the mid and late 1990s (remember, Great Garry failed to win at Dos Hermanas),

and <took the traditional Leon tournament 1991> (then played as a round robin in classical chess), watch out the impressive Albo d'Oro of this series, lasting now for 30 years: http://www.advancedchessleon.com/pa...