"There will be no split in the chess world"

There has been a two-week pause in the Russian Football Championship related to the national team games. The first spring segment in the RPL ended with a bright match of gold contenders — Spartak Moscow snatched a 2-1 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg at home in the last minutes and equaled it on points. Both teams are in the top three, three points behind the leading Krasnodar.

The current President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was among the honored guests who attended the game Arkady Dvorkovich, who in the past supervised sports as Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and was also a member of the executive committee of the Russian Football Union (RFU) and chairman of the finance committee of this organization.

In an interview with Izvestia, he assessed the competition in the current RPL season, commented on the attacks against him by the star chess player Magnus Carlsen, and also shared his expectations for the upcoming records of Alexander Ovechkin and Artem Dzyuba.

— How do you like the match between Spartak and Zenit?

— Great fight, as expected. That's how Spartak and Zenit should play.

— Do you believe that Zenit can be stripped of the championship this season?

— It's not about faith. All the leading teams are playing to win. The competition is huge: Krasnodar, Spartak, Zenit, Lokomotiv, Dynamo, CSKA — they are all fighting. The championship is unpredictable, which is great. That's the best thing for the fans.

— Was it surprising that Spartak spent more than €30 million on transfers in the winter transfer window, that is, at Zenit's level, and that for the first time in a long time, someone in the RPL started spending at least as much as the residents of St. Petersburg?

— It's not about money, but about the selection of the squad, the interaction of the players. The match between Spartak and Zenit showed that everyone in the Moscow club plays to the end. I had a feeling at one point that I should have made more substitutions, but the coach believes in the players, which is great. The players feel this support and play to win, which we saw in the match against Zenit. So it's not just about investments, although they are important, but also the fact that Spartak has assembled players who are committed to playing for the team until the very end.

— Do you like the current level of the RPL?

— I like that there is a struggle, that several clubs are competing for the first place at once, and there is no obvious dominance of any one team. This allows the players to grow.

— If our football teams return to the international stage in the near future, how competitive will they be?

— I think that competition is the main thing that is needed to improve the quality of the game. And eventually, in 1-2 years, the Russian national team will be able to return to the ability to compete and fight for the highest places if it returns to the international arena, and we all hope and count on this.

— Do recent events in world politics give reason for optimism that the full-fledged return of our athletes is just around the corner?

— I don't want to mix politics with sports. Not in any sport— not in football, not in chess. I think the most important thing right now is that everyone is trying to train, compete, play to win, and hope that someday everything will get better in the world.

— But can we expect that in the near future Russian and Belarusian chess players will be able to compete under their own flags, and Sergey Karjakin, who refused to compete in a neutral status, will return to the international arena?

— I think the most important thing is that sport unites people. And ultimately, everyone has to play. We do our best to make sure that all the players in the world play. I am sure that this will be the case — everyone will fight for themselves, for their national teams, and for their countries. We will definitely come to this.

— How did you react to the February speeches of Magnus Carlsen, who demanded your resignation?

— We have a working relationship with all the players. Everyone has the right to their opinion. But we are doing everything to keep sports out of politics. The main thing is that everyone respects the rules of the game. If everyone respects the rules of the game, then the game will be fair to everyone. And fair play is the key to real sport and the interest of the general public in it.

— Is there no fear that such statements may lead to a new split in the chess world, as it was in the 1990s, when FIDE held one world championship, and the traditional matches for the chess crown were outside this organization?

— There will be no split in the chess world. Everything will be fine.

— You are friends with Alexander Ovechkin. What emotions do you feel from his move towards Wayne Gretzky's record for goals in regular NHL championships? Do you believe that the record will be broken in April, for the rest of this season?

— I think Alexander feels his own power. And most importantly, the team believes in him. She fights for the highest places. He did everything for Washington. I think Washington will do everything for Ovechkin (smiles). In order for him to set a record. And for us, Alexander remains the best Russian player of this century. I hope for his record.

— Another potential record holder, Artyom Dzyuba, has been called up to the Russian national football team after a long break and may soon become the best scorer in the history of the national team. Were you surprised by the decision of her head coach, Valery Karpin, given their difficult history of relationship?

— No, it didn't surprise me. The head coach of the Russian national team sees the success of every football player in those matches that are taking place in the championship and Cup of the country. Besides, of course, he respects Artyom's achievements throughout his career and gives him a chance. It is ok. I hope Artyom lives up to his expectations.