For several months now, the Russian ex-world chess champion has not been given a visa to the USA

Former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov is not given a visa to the United States. He was invited to teach at the New York Chess Academy Summer School, but his visa application has remained unanswered for several months. Writes about this Voice of America.

Russian grandmaster Anatoly Karpov for several months can not get a visa to travel to the United States.

This was announced by his friend, the owner of the New York Chess Academy, who invited him to teach there at the summer camp.

The 68-year-old Karpov, who is considered one of the greatest chess players of our time, has regularly visited the United States since 1972 of the year. He applied for a non-immigrant visa in March 2019, but his application has not yet been approved, said Maxim Dlugi, the owner of the Chess Max Academy school.

“He was suddenly called for an interview at the embassy in Moscow and asked: “Are you going to talk with American senators and congressmen? We need to check this,” Dlugi said.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Senator Chuck Schumer, who contacted the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on behalf of Karpov, were told that his application was still pending.

“This procedure cannot be ignored or expedited, as it is important for making a final decision on issuing a visa,” the July 2 Communications Department letter sent to Maloney’s office said.

“Mr. Karpov will be notified as soon as this process is completed. Be sure that today he does not need to submit additional documents or take additional actions, ”the embassy said.

US State Department spokesman Noel Clay said in an e-mail to Reuters that he could not answer questions about the status of Karpov's application for a visa, since such information is confidential under federal law.

Dlugi said that Karpov has helped coach the best young American chess players at Chess Max Academy for the past two years, and during his long career he had no problems getting a visa.

“I sincerely hope that in order to improve relations between Russia and the United States, a gracious welcome is better than a cold delay,” Dlugi wrote in a letter to Schumer.

“When such a legendary person expresses a desire to raise the level of America’s most talented chess players, this is a sign that some kind of good will is possible between us,” he said.

According to the US Embassy in Moscow, the waiting period for an interview for a visa in the United States is 300 calendar days, so the consideration of the Karpov case is still within the normal range.

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