Why has chess been so dominated by players from the former Soviet Union?
Players from the former Soviet Union (Kasparov, of Armenian descent, hails from Azerbajhian) have dominated chess since World War II, with the brief exception of American Bobby Fischer’s reign. Botvinnik’s ascension to champion represents the dawn of the Soviet School of Chess, where players were trained in a disciplined regimen, secrets and innovations were hoarded, and potential champions were heavily funded by the state. Despite the exodus of many grandmasters to Israel, Europe, and the U.S., chess is still very much a part of the Russian culture. Walk up to any émigré today, ask him if he plays chess — and he will at know at least how to move the pieces. Probably he has an uncle who was the hometown champion 30 years ago. The disciplined, mathematical style of Russian education is also thought to be one of the key reasons the country turns out so many world-class engineers, scientists, musicians and chessplayers. With the fall of the Soviet Union, this dominance may begin to erode
