The Stuttgart tournament is the eighth in the nine-event Masters Series, the most lucrative and the most important tournaments after the Grand Slam events.
Vladimir V. Pozner, a veteran television host who was serving as the event's master of ceremonies, said the speech was startling precisely because Mr. Parfyonov is a cautious man who "has always been part of the corporate structure".
"To the man sitting in the Sunshine State, I feel sorry for that man," said Shamas us-Zaman, the event's master of ceremonies, referring to Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who gained worldwide attention for threatening to burn Korans.
Related event: Chopin Master Class with Byron Janis, with five piano students who will perform and then be critiqued by Mr. Janis, tomorrow at 2 30 p.m. (Chopin's music was a favorite of Gielgud).
The organizer of the event and master of ceremonies was none other than Sher Muhammad Akhundzada, the five-foot-tall ex-governor of Helmand and probably the country's most infamous drug trafficker.
The organiser of the event, Anthony Seldon, master of Wellington College, says that World War One retains an enduring fascination for teenagers - more so than World War Two.
If the total number of these events was >25, we used the 25 events closest to the master event.
Best start with the new event, Frieze Masters, for historical perspective, and because, while extensive, it is the smaller show.
Tickets for all the events and master classes start at £15 and are available here.
I was recently at a world famous spiritual event where "masters" from all over the world were invited to share their knowledge with dedicated seekers.
The Paris tournament, formerly the Paris Open, is the last of the nine-event Tennis Masters Series.
