Russian Team Lineup for FIDE Online Olympiad Defined

The event will start on July 22.

The first FIDE Online Olympiad is scheduled for July 22 through August 30. As per tournament Regulations, the Russian team is to begin from the final stage on August 19. 

Representing the Russian team are: 

Men: Alexander Grischuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Daniil Dubov, Vladislav Artemiev

Juniors: Andrey Esipenko and Alexey Sarana

Women: Kateryna Lagno, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina

Girls: Polina Shuvalova and Margarita Potapova. 

The team captain is GM Alexander Motylev.

All junior players of the Russian team (A. Esipenko, A. Sarana, P. Shuvalova, and M. Potapova) took training courses in the chess department of the Educational Centre "Sirius".

The Online Olympiad is a national teams event in which all federations affiliated to FIDE have the right to participate. More than 120 teams, including the world strongest ones, have already registered. 

Each team consists of six players, in a mixed format with a minimum of three female players and two junior players. The teams may have up to six reserves, plus a team captain. 

This is the first time in history that an international sports federation holds a crucial world competition online. Head coach of the Russian men's chess team, President of the Chess Federation of Russia Andrey Filatov believes this Olympiad to be a milestone event in the history of sports:

"During the coronavirus pandemic, chess was the only sport actively developing in online mode. If the upcoming FIDE Online Olympiad proves a success, other international sports federations may take this experience into account. 

At one time, chess players made up their mind to introduce the concept of a world champion: the first official title was decided between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort in 1886, which was the first such experience in the history of world sports. There is little doubt that the FIDE Online Olympiad, in which representatives of more than 120 countries are to participate, will be a vital milestone in the history of world sports. The Russian chess team is looking forward to doing their best in this innovative event."