Antimatter

Russian Grandmaster Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin told Sputnik he is seriously thinking about creating a new chess association to be alternative and rival to FIDE. Apparently, there would already be friends and sponsors willing to follow and help him, even though it is not yet given to know whether they are Russian or foreign. It’s a big difference, but only to a certain extent. If by any chance the memory of the Professional Chess Association (PCA) comes to Karjakin’s mind, he might wonder why both its illustrious founders ended up switching over to the enemy’s army. In fact, following the money is not enough. That is what chess pros do. But political élites need proxies more than pros. And at present FIDE, however monolithic it may appear, is still a stargate to almost any country in the world. It is probably not a coincidence that Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov, who is the press secretary for Russian President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, as well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Chess Federation, showed skepticism about the possibility of a breakthrough: “I think at the moment this is hardly possible”, he said. “FIDE is the most ancient and authoritative organisation, even though it stained its own reputation by engaging in politics, which makes barely possible, especially now, to have a calm confrontation on any level”.