FORMER world champion Garry Kasparov left for Macau the other day following a short stop in the Philippines to campaign for the presidency of the International Chess Federation (Fide).
He’ll be doing exactly the same thing in the vibrant Chinese city, where his busy schedule, unfortunately, won’t allow him to watch Manny Pacquiao’s welterweight match against Brandon Rios.
The chess legend said Macau is one of the stops in his whirlwind Asian trip as he steps up his bid for the Fide presidency in elections set November of next year in Norway.
And as much as he wanted to see Pacquiao fight in the flesh, Kasparov said he simply doesn’t have the time to be at ringside owing to his hectic schedule.
But Kasparov knows fully well the Filipino boxing superstar is also an avid chess player, having organized big, local tournaments in the past.
“I was told,” Kasparov said when asked about it.
If he can’t watch the fight live, Kasparov is hopeful he could have an opportunity to meet Pacquiao in person in Macau.
“Maybe we will have a chance to shake hands in Macau. It’s a small place,” Kasparov said.
Asked about playing chess against Pacquiao, Kasparov answered in jest, “I think he should just concentrate on boxing.”
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