• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Russian Best

Russian Life & People Digest

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Questions and Answers
    • History and Politics
    • Culture and Science
    • People and Language
    • Lifestyle and Attributes
    • Russian Sports
    • Food and Drinks
    • Traveling Russia
    • Economy and Geography
    • Russian Military
    • Books & Movies
Browse: Home / Russian Sports

When did the Russian hegemony over chess start?

Question by Geoffrey T: When did the Russian hegemony over chess begin?
For much of the 20th century Russia dominated world chess. There was, I think, a Soviet policy of using chess dominance as a Cold War weapon, so potential champions were intensively trained. But when did Russia start inching ahead ? Incidentally, any nominations for the best player ever, Russian or other ?

Answers and Views:

Answer by raysny
After World War II.

“An increase in the number of players participating in the tournaments was observed after the World War II.

Russian player Mikhail Botvinnik is the first declared World champion in this era. He won the title in 1948. At the early years of this stage, many Russian players became well-known in the tournaments. The only non-Russian player who succeeded and became a world chess master in 1972 is American player Bobby Fischer who was able to maintain the title until 1975.”
http://www.chessdevelopment.com/unveiling-events-affected-evolution-chess.html

There is a Yahoo group that discusses chess and chess history: the65thsquare:

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

See other posts in Russian Sports

Reader Interactions

Comments ( 2 )

  1. Mark says

    the internet makes it much easier to play chess

    U.S.C.F. prize money is getting higher every year

    an american baseball player can make $ 5,000,000 a year…thats a good reason to avoid chess?

    an american film star can make $ 5,000,000 per movie…thats a good reason to avoid chess?

    a singer that can't sing (no names please – we all know her name) can make $ 5,000,000 per album…that's ANOTHER good reason to avoid chess?

    i cant play baseball, i cant act, i sing like a dying bird……….so i play chess….sue me

    Reply
  2. MountainDew says

    I agree..Botvinnik and his Russian chess school after WW2 started it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

Pushkin's Tatiana writing a letter to Onegin

Onegin’s Tatiana Was Only Thirteen?

Russian shashlik

My Favorite Russian Food

Dacha – Home Away From Home

Subway Dog

Subway Dogs of Moscow

Cape Cod on the Rocks

What is a cocktail with vodka and cranberry juice called?

Categories

Recent Comments

  • Pat on What does Nazdrovia actually mean?
  • Ted on Where can i send free SMS messages to Russian mobiles?
  • PutinPow on What does Nazdrovia actually mean?
  • bigdogg on What does Nazdrovia actually mean?
  • HAMISH A McDONALD on What Russia would be like today if Nicholas II had not been executed?

Copyright RussianBest.com © 2025 · About · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer: RussianBest.com is an informational website, and its content does not constitute professional advice of any kind.