The Longest Yard

12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov highly praised the performance of the only Russian participant in the Candidates Tournament 2022: “By all rights Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi is leading the tournament, but it is important for him not to relax at the finish line and not miss his chance. He almost did the job”, he told R-Sport. “Ian Alexandrovich was able to overcome the psychological complex which arose from his World Chess Championship match with Magnus Carlsen. Most likely, he developed a complex against Carlsen, while against other opponents Ian Alexandrovich really does play brilliantly”, Karpov said. “He’s a great guy, one can only praise him. But, after all, everyone has his own archenemy — for him, it is Carlsen, and no one else”.