Russian chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin on Friday expressed confidence in the growing warmth between New Delhi and Moscow, describing India as a “friendly country” and a key partner for future collaborations. His remarks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India for a two-day state visit.
Speaking in Delhi, Karjakin said, “I hope our relationship will grow. We see a friendly country in India. We hope we’ll have a lot of projects here and maybe also in chess.”
Karjakin also praised the rapid rise of India’s chess talent, noting the strength of both nations’ training systems.
“We have two strong chess schools, both in Russia and in India. There are a lot of young grandmasters here in India,” he said.
Highlighting the competitive challenge posed by India’s new generation, he added, “It will be difficult for Russia to keep this tension… There is not only Gukesh; there are also Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa. One of them can be the next world champion, so it will actually be very difficult for Russian players.”
Despite the increasing competition, Karjakin said he welcomed India’s progress in the sport. “But anyway, I’m only happy and can congratulate India for such strong new players,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his first visit to India in four years, will be in New Delhi until December 5. During his visit, he will hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Experts have also commented on the significance of Putin’s trip, which is expected to strengthen cooperation in defence, trade, science and technology, and culture and humanitarian affairs.
Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri noted that defence cooperation, technology transfer, and trade would likely be key areas of discussion.
“The three or four major areas of discussion would be defence cooperation. In Operation Sindoor, the BrahMos missile—jointly developed by India and Russia—and the S-400 air defence system were really the stars of the show,” she told ANI.
“President Putin has said that he’s willing to offer transfer of technology… These are very important aspects that our government will surely examine carefully. In the trade area, that is also significant, because India has to increase its exports to Russia… All this will be discussed in the context of trade,” she added.
(ANI)
