"The horse was not lying": There is another scandal in Russian chess

This has never happened before, and here it is again! The former Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov reacted to the words of chess player Volodar Murzin. Earlier, the eighteen-year-old Russian grandmaster, who won the rapid World Championship at the end of last year, said that he was invited to the United States, but he sees no point in changing the country with the current support of his sponsor.

"I watched an interview with Volodar. He says that he does not plan to change the federation now (as long as there is a sponsor), but he will not participate in Russian tournaments in principle, as well as deal with the FSH. Federation change is obviously about the country. In other words, if they give him more money, then he is ready to sell himself to another country, for which he will speak. A rather cynical approach.

The guy is only 18 years old, and I think he doesn't really understand what he's doing yet. I sincerely wish him to grow up and not do things that he will regret later. And to those adults who are now monetizing his talent, I want to remind you that the future of a person is in your hands.

As for the words (rather, even accusations against the FSH) — didn't this federation also help in solving Volodar's problems? Thanks to the preparation in In Russia, fees, salaries, payment of coaches (and there were more than 20 of them in his entire career, and among them are great grandmasters), he became world champion. Well done," Kolobkov wrote in his telegram channel.

In turn, the executive director of the Russian Chess Federation (FSHR) Alexander Tkachev reacted to the words of Murzin, who stated that he had no desire to play in Russia, because all Russian competitions are held under the flag of the FSHR:

"You live in a great country, the country has given you an education, an apartment that is departmental. You are on a bet in the Ministry of Sports, you receive a salary. That is, you enjoy all the social benefits, including the fact that you have a large family — these are also social benefits, guarantees. Everything that all ordinary normal people use is citizens of Russia. And at the same time you hum and spit on Russia… How can this be? Two incompatible things are simple.

And refer to the fact that the child is 18 years old… At the age of 18, I served with a Kalashnikov assault rifle on the border of the Soviet Union. So to refer to the fact that he does not understand something… He understands everything perfectly. You can not spit into the well from which you drink."

Well, and now a word to the world rapid champion Volodar Murzin himself:

"I do not know where Pavel Kolobkov got the idea that I was "ready to sell myself to another country." This is just his personal judgment, very far from the truth. But to quote the lies of the executive director of the Russian Chess Federation Alexander Tkachev and take it at its word? Let's turn to the facts.

Why to the World Cup in A delegation of the Ministry of Sports was sent to New York, but I did not join it, although at the last similar World Championship in Samarkand I showed the best result in rapid chess among all Russians, sharing third place (taking fifth as a result)?

I get my salary at the Sports Training Center of the Ministry of Sports, but not at the FSH. And even more so it is not personally paid by Kolobkov, Filatov or Tkachev.

It's funny to hear about coaches in general. I didn't study with Kramnik, I had a couple of online group classes with Gelfand. With Ryazantsev and Yanovsky, there are also single classes, the topics of which I don't even remember now.

As for other coaches (first of all, my personal trainer Mikhail Kobalia), almost all of their payment was made by a personal sponsor. For some time, the ProfChessClub near Moscow also helped, thanks to which I still live in a service apartment. But, I repeat, the FSR has an extremely distant relation to all this.

And I don't have any cynicism, I just want to do what I love. But I don't want to have anything to do with the leadership of the FSH, which supports only "its children and athletes," and they simply don't care about the rest. Therefore, chess is bent in the regions.

I was just lucky that I met good people and established myself as a chess player. But many other children, unfortunately, do not have such an opportunity.

After such statements by the FSH and the former Minister of Sports, I have no desire to play in Russia, because all Russian competitions are held under the flag of the FSHR. And I will not have any cooperation with the current leadership of the FSR."

And at the end of the bright controversy — the comment of the President of the ROC and the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev:

"I have already congratulated our grandmaster Volodar Murzin on his victory at the Rapid World Championship. Volodar showed character, proved that he is a fighter. I am sure that, despite the chatter of various former, current and future, he will withstand all the blows and injections, will not go off course and will move to new sports heights to the delight of all Russian fans. Its results confirm that there are real masters in the younger generation of our chess players, and the Russian school remains one of the best in the world."

And here only one conclusion suggests itself: We don't need any enemies in the IOC and international federations. We do just fine without them, periodically arranging federal-scale squabbles with showdowns.

Moreover, everything, as a rule, revolves not around the prestige of the country or even the final result of the athlete, but ... you guessed it. Money, official credit of federations and regions, quotas and allocation of subsidies.

And, apparently, Volodar will go to where today already in the rank of a two-time world championship in the pool "nine", the most talented billiard player Muscovite Fedor Gorst is playing for the American national team.