Butterfly effect

Apparently, Russian Grandmaster Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin has no more friends since he has been stripped by FIDE of his right to join in the 2022 Candidates Tournament as a reprisal for his pro-Russia political views with regard to the Russo–Ukrainian war. At the moment, his career seems to be irreparably deadlocked, but he still believes that new autarchic scenarios may be developed. “There are Grandmasters in the top 20 in the world rankings who supported me and Russia — they put it in writing”, TASS quoted Karjakin as saying. “Hence, if invitational tournaments are held in Russia, there will be no risk of stagnation. It is clear that Magnus Carlsen won’t come, but we, as a chess school and as a chess nation, are on the top of the world. We are able to hold tournaments of the highest level, and I, among other things, began to work in this direction”.