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Why Russia has so many chess grandmasters?

Question by ptau: Is the enormous popularity of chess within Russian the only reason that she has so many grandmasters?
Most previous world chess champions are Russian. The ruling champion is V. Kramnik, also from Russia (though having a time defending his title now). Russia also boasts the hugest number of grandmasters in the world. Why exactly?

Answers and Views:

Answer by William B
After about Stalin Chess became popular because:
1) it was cheap to buy sets
2) people playing chess are not organizing counter-revolutions
3) it could be used to “prove” that communism made people “smarter” than Nazi-ism, capitalism, etc.

That is about 50 years of state sponsored chess. Eventually it will even out.

Oh, before Botnivik in the 1950’s the world champions were often of German decent. (Although Steinz lived in New York, and Lasker moved there, they are often thought of as German for some reason.)

Oh, after the collapse of the Soviet Union there was an influx of guys from Russia that you never heard of but were good.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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Comments ( 2 )

  1. chessale says

    Chess in the Soviet Union was popular for much of the same reasons basketball is popular in America. It was a path to privlege, wealth and position. Althought the top USSR GMs did not rise to the monetary level of US Bball players most started far, far lower on the scale (being poor in the USA, while no picnic, beats by a large margin, being poor elsewhere) of living.

    The state poured money and resources into the "scientific" game to help prove the superiority of the "scientific" ideology. Once a critical mass was achieved much of the chess production became self sustaining and spontaneous. Its like getting soccer (sorry, football) players out of Brazil.

    Reply
  2. ackmondual says

    Sounds about right. That due to historical reasons.

    E.g. Korea has such a huge following of the PC game Starcraft b/c it was difficult for that nation to get console systems due to some set of imports laws. Good access to PC games and broadband helped make SC VERY popular there.

    I'm no Russian historian, but communism and other factors helped make ches popular

    Reply

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