The Autumn of the Patriarch

At his annual year-end press conference held today in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin answered – as usual quite evasively – a grand total of 47 questions on Russia’s foreign and domestic policy, including less serious matters such as chess. He publicly praised the challenger to the World Chess Championship Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin: “Karjakin indeed played brilliantly, well done”, Putin said. “Our chess player very worthily represented Russia, our chess school. He is a fighter, I am sure his main victories are ahead”. As for the World Chess Champion, the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, Putin called him “the Grandmaster of our time”.

Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin during his end-of-year press conference. Photo: Alexei Nikolsky/TASS.

Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: World Chess by Agon Limited