Best of luck, Mr. Kasparov

I read last week that Gary Kasparov was retiring from chess to become more involved in Russian politics. I had two thoughts-he's either 'in'' with Putin or "watch your back, Gary." It appears that "watch you back, Gary," is the proper advice (from Opinion Journal, HT Lakeshore Laments):

This is a time for ambition. Victory in Ukraine and the reshaping of the Middle East are only the latest symbols of how democracy is dominant in the world today economically, militarily, and morally. We must leverage this ascendancy to set a global agenda and end the era of complacency and concession that is embodied by the United Nations. In politics as in chess, or in the military or in business, when you have the advantage you must press it quickly--or lose it. For the first time in history, we are in a position to checkmate tyranny. Momentum is largely on the side of democracy.

This is not yet the case, alas, in my home. Russia is in a moment of crisis and every decent person must stand up and resist the rise of the Putin dictatorship. Russia boasts too many generals and colonels in politics and too few thinkers. (Even Russia's chess players are in decline, a symptom of the larger malady.) I hope my vision and ability to think strategically can be of help to my native land. We must act now to unite and to create real democratic opposition to the Putin regime. I can now offer not only my name and my advice, but my active participation.

I hope that Kasparov is as deft a political tactician as he is at chess, because Vlad Putin plays KGB style.