<p>BUCHAREST — Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov strongly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday, calling him a “dictator” who heads a “false political system.”</p>
<p>The former multiple world champion — arguably one of the all-time greats of the game — is a vocal critic of the Russian president and has been arrested in the past following activism against him.</p>
<p>“I do not know what President Putin is doing, I know about the Russian dictator — if you call him president, you give him more credibility in the false political system used in Russia,” Kasparov said at the inauguration of a chess tournament in Bucharest. </p>
<p>“I hope that one day (Putin) will be brought to justice for the crimes he committed,” Kasparov told a press conference. “I am sure that when the regime collapses, the dictator will also collapse. No one will help him.”</p>
<p>In 2012, Kasparov was arrested and charged with participating in an unsanctioned protest following the conviction of Russian punk band Pussy Riot. He was eventually cleared of the charges.</p>
<p>Kasparov was in Bucharest to open the Superbet Chess Classic 2021, a 10-player tournament held between June 5-14, with total prize money of €267,000 ($325,000).</p>
