Answers.Body: <p>He has an RF (Russian Federation) citizenship or, at least, he did at some point. In fact, he was the head of a minor party in RF which even held a few seats in the RF parliament at some point.</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Dmitry Rubanovich
Answers.Body: <p>He did not play under the flag of Azerbaijan in his comeback tournament because he, and many of his relatives fled Baku in 1990, fearing for their lives... Pogroms by lynch mobs of Azeri nationalists.
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqXubG9MV10" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqXubG9MV10</a></p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Dmitry Anisimov
Answers.Body: <blockquote>
    <p>But why did Garry Kasparov not play under the flag of Azerbaijan?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Because <a href="https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=4100018" rel="noreferrer">his FIDE registration is with Russia</a>.</p>
  
  <p>If he wants to change his registration to Azerbaijan then the following also have to happen -</p>
  
  <p>1) He has to have a valid claim like residency, nationality or birth, so birth would do.</p>
  
  <p>2) Azerbaijan chess federation have to agree.</p>
  
  <p>3) An administration fee has to be paid to FIDE and possibly a "transfer" fee also. Because Kasparov is a highly rated GM this would be very large. I think when Caruana transferred from Italy to US it was more than $50,000.</p>
  
  <p>The section of the FIDE handbook which describes the rules is <a href="https://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=13&amp;view=category" rel="noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: Could insert: "0) He has to express his wish to do so."
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Body: <p>Garry Kasparov was born in 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the time part of the USSR, Soviet Union.</p>
  
  <p>According to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/28/chess-champion-garry-kasparov-croatian-citizenship" rel="noreferrer">news</a> he has also acquired Croatian citizenship. </p>
  
  <p>In his comeback tournament in the summer of 2017 he still used the Russian flag.
  However I did see a Croatian flag together with the Russian one on the poster behind him at the signature sessions between the matches.</p>
  
  <p>But why did Garry Kasparov not play under the flag of Azerbaijan?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-08-21T09:34:13.253Z
Comments.Text: As far as I understand Kasparov does not have Azerbaijan citizenship (only Russian an Croatian). Also, being born to an Armenian mother (and Jewish father) and taking the less than friendly relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan into account could play a role...
Comments.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-08-21T15:41:16.293Z
Comments.Text: @user1583209 Just another guess, but him leading a very [politically active](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov#Politics) life in Russia may have something to do with it...
Comments.UserDisplayName: undercat
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Comments.CreationDate: 2017-08-21T16:03:24.843Z
Comments.Text: @undercat: indeed.  If he played for Azerbaijan, this might well be seen as “defection” and undermine his popularity in Russia, and hence his political influence.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-08-21T17:13:55.177Z
Comments.Text: Furthermore, I guess that people with Armenian roots have not been very interested in siding with Azerbaijan in recent decades.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Pere
Tags: <kasparov>
Title: Why did Garry Kasparov not play under the flag of Azerbaijan in his comeback tournament in the summer of 2017?
ThreadText: # Why did Garry Kasparov not play under the flag of Azerbaijan in his comeback tournament in the summer of 2017?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-21)
  
  Garry Kasparov was born in 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the time part of the USSR, Soviet Union.
  
  According to the [news](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/28/chess-champion-garry-kasparov-croatian-citizenship) he has also acquired Croatian citizenship.
  
  In his comeback tournament in the summer of 2017 he still used the Russian flag.
  However I did see a Croatian flag together with the Russian one on the poster behind him at the signature sessions between the matches.
  
  But why did Garry Kasparov not play under the flag of Azerbaijan?
  
  **Tags:** kasparov
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: As far as I understand Kasparov does not have Azerbaijan citizenship (only Russian an Croatian). Also, being born to an Armenian mother (and Jewish father) and taking the less than friendly relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan into account could play a role...  
  > **username_2**: @username_1 Just another guess, but him leading a very [politically active](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov#Politics) life in Russia may have something to do with it...  
  > **username_3**: @username_2: indeed.  If he played for Azerbaijan, this might well be seen as “defection” and undermine his popularity in Russia, and hence his political influence.  
  > **username_4**: Furthermore, I guess that people with Armenian roots have not been very interested in siding with Azerbaijan in recent decades.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2017-08-21. Score: 36 | Accepted answer
  
  > But why did Garry Kasparov not play under the flag of Azerbaijan?
  
  Because [his FIDE registration is with Russia](https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=4100018).
  
  If he wants to change his registration to Azerbaijan then the following also have to happen -
  
  1) He has to have a valid claim like residency, nationality or birth, so birth would do.
  
  2) Azerbaijan chess federation have to agree.
  
  3) An administration fee has to be paid to FIDE and possibly a "transfer" fee also. Because Kasparov is a highly rated GM this would be very large. I think when Caruana transferred from Italy to US it was more than $50,000.
  
  The section of the FIDE handbook which describes the rules is [here](https://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=13&view=category).
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Could insert: "0) He has to express his wish to do so."  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2017-08-21. Score: 3
  
  He has an RF (Russian Federation) citizenship or, at least, he did at some point. In fact, he was the head of a minor party in RF which even held a few seats in the RF parliament at some point.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2022-10-21. Score: 1
  
  He did not play under the flag of Azerbaijan in his comeback tournament because he, and many of his relatives fled Baku in 1990, fearing for their lives... Pogroms by lynch mobs of Azeri nationalists.
  <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqXubG9MV10>
  
  
  ---
  
  