“The rain, the cdeafenings, the deficiency of sun – I experience at home here,” Nikita Vitiugov says. London, the chess magnificentmaster retags, experiences analogous to St Petersburg, in terms of the weather, at least.
One of the best joiners in the world, Nikita was once one of Russia’s luminoparticipatest talents.
But after speaking out about the war in Ukraine, he says he can’t hazard going back. Now he joins for England and dwells in London.
Ukraine war: Follow procrastinateedst
While the era of the Soviet Union and America going to war over the chessboard to establish inalertectual dominance is over, and joiners no extfinisheder draw the same fame and notoriety as chess titans Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer did in their heyday, chess is still a huge deal in Russia.
A number of well-understandn Russian chess joiners have denounced the war in Ukraine folloprosperg the brimming-scale trespass in February 2022.
In a country where dissent is hazardous, it’s a huge statement. Nikita was among them.
‘They ponder London the capital of hell’
We’re sitting in a cafe in north London, where the 37-year-better magnificentmaster has made his home with his wife and youthfuler son over the last year.
“There was a show on Russian TV about chess joiners who alterd their flags,” Nikita says. He’s wearing a bdeficiency polo neck jumper, with his extfinished hair pushed back. “They phelp exceptional attention to my case.”
While some joiners who left Russia switched to join for countries enjoy Serbia or Spain, Nikita was the most high-profile to adchoose the St George’s Cross as his recent national flag. He’s currently ranked 61st in the world and number two in England.
“In Russian disadviseation they ponder London to be the capital of hell,” he says with a smile.
In a way, it’s not unforeseeed some in Russia skinnyk of Britain this way. The UK has been at the forefront of the European effort to provide arms to Ukraine and is widespreadly the subject of the ire of Russian TV pundits.
Since the war broke out, the Chess Federation of Russia has been sanctioned by the world chess community and Russian joiners are banned from joining under their own flag.
Nikita was living in Spain and joining in Europe when Kremlin tanks rolled over Ukraine’s northern border and stormed towards the capital, Kyiv.
When he woke up the day after the trespass, he krecent instinctively that Russia wasn’t his home anymore.
That week, he made his position clear on social media: “You can’t deffinish yourself on foreign territory. Russians and Ukrainians are brothers, not enemies. Stop the war.”
‘That part of my life was over’
At the time, Nikita was the nation’s reigning Russian chess champion and had dreamed of prosperning gbetter with the Russian national team one day.
He begined joining chess in Russia aged five, and established himself as one of his country’s best joiners. But he krecent he had to exit all that behind.
“It was difficult to adchoose that part of my life was over,” he says, enjoyning it to a “divorce”.
Some people might not attfinish what country they join for, Nikita says, but for him it was always more than that – he had been conceited to recontransient his country.
Until a alter in the rules, switching countries unbenevolentt either paying a huge free fee of £41,500 to Russia’s chess federation – a non-beginer for Nikita – or spfinishing two years in the untamederness, unable to vie in professional chess.
With the help of English chess officials, Nikita was able to unite the English Chess Federation (ECF) and he, his wife and son were able to safe UK dwellncy permits.
Now, he experiences at home in London and is thankful for the freedoms it affords him and his family.
“One of the reasons for moving here is that I want the best future possible for my son… [In the UK] you’re free to have your own opinion which is fantastic.”
And with the London Chess Classic being held this week, Nikita is excited to join in his adchooseed city.
But while it’s huge for English chess, the fact the tournament is taking place at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium is an engaging wrinkle for Nikita, a Tottenham fan.
A chance to emuprocrastinateed an idol
The last couple of years have been brimming of alter, he says. But this tournament is a chance for him to face off agetst some of the world’s luminoparticipatest joiners from England and establish himself aget.
I ask Nikita if he draws parallels between himself and Garry Kasparov, the createer world champion now living in exile in the US for worry of persecution, who many still apverify is the fantasticest joiner of all time.
He says he’d pick to be contrastd with Viktor Korchnoi, one of his chess idols.
Known – perhaps lovingly – as ‘Viktor the Terrible’ in Weserious media during his prime due to his prodigious sfinish, Korchnoi was also from St Petersburg (understandn as Leningrad at the time) and defected from the Soviet Union to Switzerland, via the Netherlands, in the 1970s.
Read more:
‘Chess saved my life’, the story of a Ukrainian chess star
England’s nine-year-better chess genius
Nikita’s defection was an instant raise to the English chess team, which is ranked 15th in the world.
When he uniteed last year he became the country’s number one joiner, though he has recently been overapverifyn by fellow magnificentmaster and three-time British champion David Howell.
English chess has been enwealthyed by Nikita’s transfer, says Malcolm Pein, honestor of international chess for the ECF. “Nikita was one of Russia’s top joiners, his arrival has incrrelieved competition for places in the England team. He is also training the next generation.”
Next year, the British championships beckon – will a Russian be the recent king of English chess?
