The board game has been a national pastime in Russia since well before the Bolshevik Revolution.
Question: Why has Russia dominated the chess world?Anatoly Karpov: Because of long time traditions and chess
was... chess was part of intellectual life in Russian Empire. And so
big writers, great writers they were playing chess and so this was
privilege in part of top society, in top society people. And then after
the revolution, new power, they saw in chess the tool of bringing
knowledge and education because it was easy, it was cheap and if you
recall the time when revolution happened, most of educated people and
top society people they left the country. And so new power should work
out something to make new intelligencia and new intellectual people. And
so they believed that with the help of chess they could do it, and
especially it's very cheap compared to any other things. I don't talk
even about sport, but about other subjects and sciences. And that's why
it was supported and even during civil war, when we had civil war in
1920, first championship for Soviet Russia took place. And later it
became part of education system, before World War II. And after all
chess became national game. Like you have here in America, you have
baseball, and so Russia had chess. Recorded on May 17, 2010
Interviewed by Paul Hoffman
Question: Why has Russia dominated the chess world?Anatoly Karpov: Because of long time traditions and chess
was... chess was part of intellectual life in Russian Empire. And so
big writers, great writers they were playing chess and so this was
privilege in part of top society, in top society people. And then after
the revolution, new power, they saw in chess the tool of bringing
knowledge and education because it was easy, it was cheap and if you
recall the time when revolution happened, most of educated people and
top society people they left the country. And so new power should work
out something to make new intelligencia and new intellectual people. And
so they believed that with the help of chess they could do it, and
especially it's very cheap compared to any other things. I don't talk
even about sport, but about other subjects and sciences. And that's why
it was supported and even during civil war, when we had civil war in
1920, first championship for Soviet Russia took place. And later it
became part of education system, before World War II. And after all
chess became national game. Like you have here in America, you have
baseball, and so Russia had chess. Recorded on May 17, 2010
Interviewed by Paul Hoffman
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