Russian Chess Team to compete under national symbols at SCO event
Russian chess competitors will enter the SCO championship with the national anthem and flag honoring their country. This decision was announced by Andrei Filatov, the president of the Russian Chess Federation, during the federation’s year-end briefing.
Filatov described the current lineup traveling to the SCO championship: team captain Alexander Ryazantsev and Maxim Maklakov, who stood in for the ill Andrei Esipenko, along with Daniil Dubov and Anastasia Bodnaruk. He expressed hope that the squad would secure a medal for Russia, and that their participation would be marked by the national symbols and anthemic acknowledgment, as reported by socialbites.ca.
The SCO tournament is scheduled to take place in Qingdao, China, on December 17–18. In addition to Russia and the host country, teams from Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are set to compete.
Alexander Tkachev, the executive director of the Russian Chess Federation, spoke to the federation’s press service about the potential leadership of the national team. He noted that grandmaster Sergei Karyakin, a former world championship candidate and head of the Moscow Region Chess Federation, had been offered the role but declined due to prior commitments at a commercial event.
Earlier in the year, Russia’s top grandmaster provided commentary on current chess matters by quoting a line from a well-known film during an interview. The remark underscored a moment of reflection during the season, illustrating how players connect popular culture to the game’s competitive spirit.