Russian captain blames bad luck

Alexander Bakh spoke to Sport-Express, Alexei Dreev to Sportbox

Men's team captain at the Olympics in Dresden, vice president and executive director of the Russian Chess Federation, Alexander Bakh, believes that Russian team should not have lost the key matches.

"Everything was decided in those two matches with Armenia and Ukraine. We had six better and two worse positions. It was enough to win one of them, to fight for the first place in the last round. But we lost both weaker positions, and didn't win a single one of the six games where we held the advantage."

"While I do not like the term and understand that it sounds hollow, but in a sense, we were clearly out of luck. Indeed, it is a rule, the downsides and advances in this life are approximately balanced. We have lost everything that we could, and gained nothing. None of the opponents presented us with even half a point. This is pure bad luck."

GM Alexei Dreev

Meanwhile, GM Alexei Dreev, three-times Olympic champion and recent winner in Kallithea and Barcelona, warned that players are not the only to take the blame. - "The problem must be considered more deeply and comprehensively, and the federation leadership has to seriously address the causes of failures and draw the necessary conclusions for the future."

Sources: Sport-Express and Sportbox