Staff shut down speculation about health of Russian chess legend

Anatoly Karpov is recovering in hospital after suffering a head injury

An assistant to Russian chess grandmaster Anatoly Karpov has dismissed speculation about the former world champion’s health, after Karpov was hospitalized in Moscow with a head injury at the weekend.

Karpov, 71, was admitted for treatment at the Sklifosovsky Institute in the Russian capital after reportedly suffering a fall.

A social media post by Andrey Kovalev, leader of the All-Russian Movement of Entrepreneurs, initially claimed that the chess icon – who is a member of the State Duma – was in a coma after being “attacked” outside the building of the lower house of the federal assembly in downtown Moscow.

Elsewhere, it was claimed by Telegram channel ‘112’ that Karpov was “connected to a ventilator” and had suffered multiple fractures and hematomas. It was also alleged that he had been admitted to hospital with a high blood-alcohol level.

However, Karpov’s assistant, Albert Stepanyan, refuted those suggestions as he gave an update on the chess icon’s status on Tuesday.

“Indeed, there was an unpleasant incident,” Stepanyan said, according to TASS.

“Anatoly Evgenievich slipped, fell and hit his head. He was taken to the hospital. There were no fractures, Anatoly Evgenievich was conscious, but received a concussion.

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“The doctors said that he will be discharged within a week… All the reports about an attack, being attached to a ventilator, and fractures are some kind of [lies],” Stepanyan added.

Current Russian chess star Sergey Karjakin said he had been in touch with members of Karpov’s team, who reassured him about his health.

“I am in touch with Anatoly Evgenievich through his assistants. I wish him a speedy recovery,” Karjakin told RIA Novosti.

“It happens that injuries like this occur out of the blue. The weather deteriorated badly, the first snow, and so he fell awkwardly.

“I don’t know details about his current condition, but his entourage is sure that he’s on the mend,” added Karjakin.

Karpov’s wife, Natalia Karpova, confirmed to the Izvestia newspaper that her husband had been hospitalized after a domestic accident, but said that any initial fears over his condition had now passed.

Karpov is widely regarded as among the greatest chess players of all time. He reigned as world champion from 1975 to 1985, and was a three-time FIDE world champion in the 1990s.

He moved into politics after retiring from active competition, being elected to the State Duma in 2011 as a member of the United Russia party.