Moscow ? The former world chess champion is awaiting his opponent’s next move.

Garry Kasparov, released from jail after serving a five-day sentence for leading a protest against Vladimir Putin, acknowledged Friday he holds the weaker position in his confrontation with the Russian president.

But Kasparov predicted the upcoming election season, which begins with Sunday’s parliamentary vote, will force the secretive Putin to reveal his strategy in the nail-biting political game gripping the country as Putin’s time in the Kremlin runs out.

As the campaign for the March 2 presidential vote gathers pace, Kasparov said, the Kremlin’s beleaguered, fractious opponents can regroup for a new push aimed at “dismantling Putin’s regime.”

He hopes their ranks will be strengthened following Sunday’s vote, which will also push dissenting voices further to the margins.

With Putin leading the ticket of the main pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, government authorities have made an all-out effort to secure an overwhelming victory. Watchdog groups alleged this week that government officials across Russia have been using their powers to intimidate opposition campaign workers and candidates.

Putin has cast the election as a crucial vote for continuity – and suggested that a convincing United Russia win would give him a popular mandate to retain influence after the presidential vote, in which he is barred from seeking a third term.

Kasparov labeled Sunday’s vote a farce that will push the country toward dictatorship.