28 October 2018

Andrey Filatov: Caruana Has More Chances to Win Than Carlsen

RCF President's interview to Izvestia.

RCF President discusses the chances of contenders for the title of world champion, the technique of opponent’s “personality annihilation”, preparations for the 2020 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, and the Kokorin and Mamayev case.

Autumn 2018 is a busy time for world chess. In October, the Chess Olympiad and the election of the FIDE President, which yielded a victory for the Russian Arkady Dvorkovich, took place in Batumi. In November, London will host the match for the title of world champion between the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, current titleholder, and the American Fabiano Caruana, winner of the Candidates Tournament. Izvestia discuss all these events and developments with the President of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF), senior coach of the men's national team of Russia Andrey Filatov.

- The main event in the chess world in October was the election of FIDE President. What can you tell us about the victory of Arkady Dvorkovich?

- We are very proud of this victory. Few believed that a Russian candidate could win with such a landslide - 103 countries voted for Arkady Dvorkovich. Above all else, this indicates great confidence in Russia and rewards strong achievements in the area of chess development in our country, including effective operation of the chess branch at the Sirius Centre, revival and restoration of chess clubs and introduction of chess lessons in schools in many regions of the Russian Federation. The chess world took notice and showed great confidence in our candidate. In addition, Arkady Dvorkovich had brilliantly conducted his election campaign, quickly convincing all delegates of the viability of his program.

- Why do you think the renowned British grandmaster Nigel Short withdrew his candidacy in favour of Arkady Dvorkovich?

- Short realized that there was a strong candidate who shared his views on world chess development. And it was that same understanding that contributed to the decision of Dvorkovich to offer Short the position of FIDE Vice President.

- Arkady Dvorkovich said he intended to amend the FIDE Statutes to ensure no president could be elected for more than two terms. What do you think about that?

- I heard his statement, which was positively received by the delegates, but the issue was not put to a vote. Therefore, from a legal standpoint, no decision has been made. Were the amendment to be effectively made, I would say it is the right thing to do. In the meantime, considering the status quo, the current president can be re-elected an unlimited number of times.


- Have you considered inviting Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to assume a position at the Russian Chess Federation?

- Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is a chess legend. His experience and knowledge could benefit not only the Russian Chess Federation, but also all Russian sports. We will always be happy to receive him as a guest and discuss any of our activities with him. I would like to emphasize that it is also thanks to his clout and some support from his team that many countries supported Arkady Dvorkovich in Batumi.

— You have already commented on the results of the Chess Olympiad, where our men's and women's teams took third place. As senior coach, can you tell us why two of our top grandmasters, Alexander Grischuk and Peter Svidler, had not made it to the men's team?

— The national team has coaching staff. It had made a collective decision, which we explained in detail to the entire chess community. I have nothing more to add.

- Hypothetically speaking, could the team have delivered a better result, had they been enlisted?

— I guess we’ll never know.

— The next Chess Olympiad will be held in 2020 in Khanty-Mansiysk. Have you already started preparing for the tournament?

— Of course, preparations are underway. Russia is an effective organizer of all kinds of sporting events. Therefore, we will carry out our mission and organize a wonderful Olympiad.


— Sergey Karjakin performed quite well at the Olympiad in Batumi, but he remains 14thin the FIDE rating, which is quite modest. What do you think about his prospects?

— I think you should ask Sergey himself.

— The match for the title of world chess champion between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will take place from 9 to 28 November. Whom do you prefer?

— I think that Caruana has more chances to win. I’d say the odds are approximately 60 to 40 in favour of the American. The main reason for this prediction is that Fabiano understood how he could annihilate Magnus’ personality.

— Can you explain?

— As senior coach, I can say that today we are seeing a new trend in chess. All professionals seek above all else to annihilate their opponent’s personality. They tend to choose openings and game styles that cause opponent’s discomfort; they try to identify his weak spots and relentlessly hit him right there. That is, in addition to working on oneself, a lot of attention is now being paid to working the opponent’s personality.

Let’s take mixed martial arts. Habib Nurmagomedov, although he won the battle against Conor MacGregor, was destroyed as a person. He could not withstand all the invectives coming from the Irish and his team, resulting in an emotional outburst with his jump outside the octagon, which cost our fighter very dearly. Without that jump, a victory over McGregor would have been much sweeter. MacGregor understood that he had no chance of winning the Russian in the ring, so he attacked him at the personal level outside the ring, berating his family, religion and nationality...

— Can you provide a similar example from the history of chess?

— The match Vladimir Kramnik vs. Garry Kasparov (in 2000 – Ed.). The latter believed he would easily overwhelm his opponent, but Kramnik picked up his openings in such a way as to break Kasparov psychologically, by applying pressure to all his sore spots. In the end, Kasparov ended his career in chess after that match, having crashed against the Kramnik’s “Berlin” of  Ruy Lopez.

In modern sports there is such factor as an “uncomfortable opponent”. How can that be if you are a professional and play chess, tennis or football every day? Well, it is all about psychology and weak spots identified by your opponent...


— Do you think the Russian cinema industry could show interest in the fate of one of our world champions?

— I think Anatoly Karpov deserves a feature film about him. What he did for Soviet sports in general is incredible and deserves attention. I would be happy to see such a film in wide release.

— You mentioned football. We cannot but ask you about the incidents involving Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamayev in the centre of Moscow. Do you think it could happen if they were chess players?

— The story of Mamayev and Kokorin has nothing to do with their profession. People behaved illegally and should be punished for it. And it is up to the court to decide how severely. It doesn’t matter whether they are football players or chess players.

— An exhibition of chess dolls entitled "Game Personification” has opened in Moscow in the Central Chess Club in Moscow. What makes this exhibition singular? 

— I know for certain that it is the first ever exhibition of chess dolls in the world. Although the world’s first chess doll - Baron von Kempelen's famous Turk or Automation Chess Player - was created 250 years ago, it was a mechanical illusion that allowed a human chess master hiding inside to operate the machine and beat amateurs at the game. The dolls exhibited in Moscow are a completely different story: real works of art, they have been executed masterfully and with love. I think doll makers all over the world will learn about this exhibition and will want to replicate the magnificent work of our masters.


Original in Russian


Photos by Eteri Kublashvili, Anastasia Balakhontseva and Boris Dolmatovsky