Kasparov moves to take over chess top job from longtime head and Putin friend, Ilyumzhinov
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Former world champion Garry Kasparov is hoping to oust the head of the World Chess Federation in a bitter contest on the sidelines of an international tournament in Norway.
Kasparov, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, is challenging Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a wealthy businessman known for his friendship with the Russian president.
Ilyumzhinov, who once claimed to have visited an alien spaceship, has headed the governing body of chess for 19 years.
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In a recent AP interview, Kasparov — who at 22 became the youngest chess world champion in 1985 — accused Ilyumzhinov of "working with Russian oligarchs in the Kremlin."
The chess federation will choose the winner in a closed vote Monday in the Norwegian Arctic city of Tromsoe, where the 2014 Chess Olympiad is being held.