Helsinki: Former world champion Garry Kasparov failed in his bid to oust the eccentric longtime head of the World Chess Federation in a bitter contest steeped in Russian power plays.


Garry Kasparov 

Kasparov, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, was the sole challenger yesterday against Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a wealthy businessman known to be supported by the Russian president. The vote was held on the sidelines of an international tournament in Norway.