Grandmaster Nepomniachtchi announced his unwillingness to play for the Russian national team

Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi in an interview with the publication “Championship.com” said that he was not going to change sports citizenship. At the same time, he noted that with the current relations with the Russian Chess Federation, he “does not really want to play for the national team.”

“I don’t want to change sports citizenship. And in general, I do not want to change citizenship. At the same time, I don’t really want to play for the national team in the current relationship with the federation, ”Nepomniachtchi said. He considered the change of region to Asia by 80% a PR move.

Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, speaking on July 19 at a meeting of the State Duma, declaredthat Russian athletes who decide to compete for another country lose a lot of social guarantees in addition to material ones.

At a press conference in Astana on April 8, Nepomniachtchi, speaking about his chess style, saidthat “on bad days he plays like a monkey.” “I want to say that he did not deceive. On bad days, he is even a monkey with a grenade,” said Andrey Filatov, head of the FSR, ten days later.

Read about the transition of the FSR to Asia in the publication “Kommersant” “Knight’s Crossing”.

Maria Fedotova