The term “Great Game” conjures up characters from Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, along with larger-than-life historical figures, predominantly from Britain, such as Charles Stoddart (of the ill-fated mission to Bukhara), Sir Arthur Conolly, among others. They were gentlemen, adventurers, historians, spies, geographers, and academics all at once; most of the alter-egos over at Coming Anarchy fit this mold. Most accounts aggrandize the British and vilify the Russians during this struggle. But the British were not the only ones with this sort of hero.
One such figure that stands out is Sultan Vali Khan, or Valikhanov. In the early 1850s Russia had begun to educate loyal Russianized Kazakhs for the purposes of spying; their knowledge of Central Asian culture and appearance made them much more effective operatives, and Valikhanov was one of the more successful products of this endeavor. Like many of his British counterparts, he was a scientist, historian, ethnographer, geographer, economist, traveler, army officer and diplomat.

In 1857, China was losing its hold on Kashgaria, and as a result Russia was becoming more interested in the region due to unrest and the possibility of colonization. Valikhanov was sent on a mission to obtain intelligence on the political climate in Kashgaria, a mission that would be impossible for any Russian. He posed as a Tatar-Andizhani from Kokand, and made many influential friends on the journey that were able to provide him with strategic information.

His descriptions of Kashgaria were published in the Imperial Geographical Society Journal. The practice of publishing in scientific journals was fairly standard for gentlemen-adventurer-spy-academics; British adventurers frequently sent reports to the Royal Geographic Society for publication. He published further works devoted to history and culture of Central Asia, including works on shamanism, nomadism, and histories and ethnographies of Kazakh life, customs and culture. He wrote the national epic poem “Kozy-Korpesh and the Bayan-Sulu”. Ultimately, Valikhanov became disillusioned with Russia’s treatment of his kin, and left espionage in favor of a life of scholarship.

There isn’t too much information on Valikhanov published in English. Parts of his narratives have been translated, and Gerald Morgan describes his Kashgaria adventures in Anglo-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia 1810-1895, (London: Frank Cass, 1981). Finally, this site has a brief biography.