“Such a triumphant victory for Dvorkovich was not expected”
— The results of the FIDE presidential election can be called positive for our federation. How predictable were the results for you?
– I believed in the victory of Arkady Dvorkovich, but the score was extraordinary – 157:16. Such a victorious victory was not expected. We thought and believed it would win, but we didn’t think it was that cool.
– Will Dvorkovich be as successful in his second term as FIDE as the first?
– We will evaluate the second period according to the results. According to the first period, we can say that it managed to show effectiveness – this is evidenced by the votes of more than 150 countries in the elections that supported it. The second point is that it introduced new technologies to chess and managed to organize an online Olympics in times of covid. It was impossible for athletes to travel, to play in tournaments. The Online Olympiad is a successful example of Dvorkovich’s work, he is an innovator and I hope other federations will follow our example.
– How is the FSR currently living? What are their main tasks for the near future?
– We are currently under restrictions, so our main task is to return our athletes to international competitions. This task is multi-stage and we have an action plan.
First, we insist on accepting disabled chess players. They are the most affected group. It is not good if they are deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Chess Olympics and World Championships. Second, the return of veterans. There are many senior tournaments in the world, for many it is an integral part of life and not giving them the opportunity to play and realize themselves is simply inhumane.
And of course, we are waiting for the return to the children’s and youth competitions, then we are waiting for the return of the national team. We raise these questions, the governing bodies have already been created: on August 7, FIDE vice presidents were elected, and a complete reorganization of the organization began. It will last until October, in parallel with this we will discuss the removal of all restrictions from our national team, then we will start discussing the issue of organizing international competitions in our country.
— How does international isolation affect the development of chess in Russia?
– Any isolation affects. You cannot grow unless you compete with the strongest. The world is different today: for example, chess players from China do not leave the country due to the epidemic. They live their lives, we live ours, but in the end everything will be fine – I am convinced of this.
– Will there be new tournaments to keep Russian players fit?
– We regularly host tournaments with the participation of chess players from China, our athletes have international training. But we don’t stop there. There is an idea to organize a monument to Averbakh, a tournament in honor of the oldest grandmaster on the planet, who has lived for more than a hundred years. The debate is at an early stage, but it’s ongoing.
“The salary of a chess coach is comparable to that of a math teacher”
– Much more has been said about chess in recent years. What do you attribute the new popularity of this sport to?
– My job as head of the RSF is to popularize our sport and we have several criteria to monitor the effectiveness of our work. One of the criteria is the salary of a chess coach. If it grows, comparable to or even higher than the level of a math and English teacher, it means that chess is growing in popularity. The second criterion is the medals that chess players have won for our country in various competitions. In children’s championships, youth championships, handicapped tournaments and, of course, in tournaments where the national team of the country plays.
We are doing good work here too, God forbid, we will continue. The next step is to talk on an individual level. The last big success was with Vladimir Kramnik, our chess fans awaited victories that resounded among both men and women. In April next year, Ian Nepomniachtchi will challenge the chess crown for the second time. We also hope that one of our girls will qualify for the world championship match and in 2023 there will be two chess crown matches with the participation of Russian athletes.
– Russian chess is developing rapidly, we know the stars of this sport – Ian Nepomniachtchi and Sergey Karyakin. From the youth – Daniil Dubov, who was in Magnus Carlsen’s team before last year’s world championship game. Does the Russian national team have a reserve and is it worth waiting for the emergence of new stars?
– I will say this: we have young people, although not so many. There is Andrei Esipenko, there are younger guys, for example, Volodar Murzin, but if you look at the near future from the point of view of the national team and elite sports players, then there are questions.
This is because if a child comes to play chess at the age of five, it takes 20-25 years to catch up with the national team. Our team has aged, today we are reaping the fruits of the 90s and 2000s, when chess was not very popular and parents rarely sent their children to sections. Accordingly, the next ten years will not be so easy for our national team. But there are players and we will believe that they will delight chess lovers with their games and victories.
We will see the result of our work in 2039, in 2041. Therefore, I hope that the next leaders will be more fortunate in this regard. But we are not complaining – we are currently the reigning world champions and winners of the Chess Olympiad, Nepomniachtchi will challenge the chess crown. And in children’s chess, we even surpass the signs of the Soviet Union at some moments.
– Tell me, how is Jan preparing for his second match for the world championship?
– I am communicating with him, he is currently recovering from the exhausting Candidates’ Tournament in Madrid, where he showed an outstanding result. In the history of such tournaments, there has never been a chess player who has beaten his closest opponents without allowing a single defeat. This will go down in chess history forever, Jan – well done.
“Leave the crown if you don’t have the strength.”
– Could it be Russia’s own Magnus Carlsen – an unshakable legend who held the chess crown for ten years?
– It’s hard to say. Carlsen appeared on the ice – in Norway, where chess was not popular. It is impossible to predict the emergence of such a chess genius.
– Are you surprised by Magnus’ decision to refuse the second match for the world championship with Nepomniachtchi?
– No, it didn’t. It was expected. This is a great act of a great personality that I respect. I hope he returns. Every match is a crazy load and playing the sixth match for the world championship is insanely difficult. Many of our chess players are far from being at their best psycho-emotional level, experiencing overloads and being unstable. Carlsen has played five games and looks in shape (laughs).
– After Carlsen’s refusal to win the championship game, dual power may emerge in the chess world. While Magnus has the highest rating of all grandmasters, he will not be able to claim the title of world champion. So how is the strongest chess player determined?
A world champion is a world champion. If you’re Robert Fischer and you didn’t come to the game with Anatoly Karpov, you’re not a champion. But you also remain an outstanding chess player. You can play some games but to be the strongest you have to win the championship match. If you don’t have the energy and strength to play a world title match, then you drop the crown like Magnus did.
— Is it necessary to reform the format of the World Championship match? Isn’t it boring to run a multi-game tournament with a single opponent?
— I think the current format should be preserved. The world championship match is always different from the others and requires a special approach. Chess players have the opportunity to realize themselves in other formats, and the crown match should be held according to the classical system.
– Can Russia currently organize the world championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren?
— As you know, the Chess Olympiad was moved from Russia. We hope that all restrictions will be lifted and the World Championship match will be played in Moscow. Among women, for example, St. It is also possible to organize a championship match in St. Petersburg. If the management system is properly established, we will have a chance to consider these issues in the council. We must return the flag, coat of arms and anthem of Russia at international tournaments. We hope that we will be the first federation among the national federations that can do this and return to normal sports life.