Jan Gustafsson: National chess coach works for Russians Jan Nepomnjaschtschi

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Jan Gustafsson: Second of Jan Nepomnyashchi

Photo: Lennart Ootes

The German national chess coach Jan Gustafsson works for the Russian World Cup candidate Jan Nepomnjaschtschi at the Candidates Tournament in Toronto. "I'm here with my second Jan Gustafsson," said Nepomnyashchi on Thursday after the first round. The winner of the Candidates Tournament qualifies for the World Cup duel against the reigning world champion Ding Liren.

Even before the tournament began, there were rumors that Gustafsson was working for Nepomnyashchi. The president of the Lower Saxony Chess Association then wrote an indignant message to Gustafsson on

The critical Russian chess news channel “Chess-News,” for example, accused Gustafsson on X of contributing “to the triumph of Kremlin propaganda” and receiving oligarch money in return. Gustafsson has so far left a query from SPIEGEL unanswered.

Nepomnyashchi and the war

The reigning vice world champion Jan Nepomnyashchi condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, among other things, in an open letter in April 2022. Nepomnyashchi spoke of "madness"; the letter spoke of a "catastrophe." Nevertheless, he is criticized. Peter Heine Nielsen, coach of superstar Magnus Carlsen, is calling for all Russian players to be banned. "After saying that you are against the war, you should still be judged by your actions and not just by your words," Nielsen told SPIEGEL.

According to its homepage, Nepomnyashchi is sponsored by, among others, the Russian mining company Nornickel. Its billionaire boss is Vladimir Potanin, one of the richest Russians. He is considered a confidant of Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. Before the Candidates Tournament, Potanin praised Nepomnyashchi highly, according to the Russian agency Tass. The grand master is “reviving traditions of the Soviet era.”

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Canada, Great Britain and the USA, among others, have put Potanin on sanctions lists. In the wake of the Ukraine War, Potanin publicly warned that the turbulent times of the 1917 revolution would be repeated if the country locked out Western companies and investors. According to manager magazin, he has basically supported the Kremlin for years and is considered a loyal friend of Putin.

Nepomnyashchi has also received support from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in the past. With the help of a so-called supercomputer from the institute, Nepomnyashchi prepared for the 2021 World Cup. Today Skolkovo is on the US sanctions list because it is said to have ties to the Russian defense sector. It is not known whether Nepomnyashchi will work with the Skolkovo Institute as part of the Candidates Tournament.

Award from the Ministry of Sports

At the end of December, Nepomnyashchi received a medal from the Russian Ministry of Sports for his contribution as "outstanding personalities in the field of physical culture and sport." Grandmaster Sergei Karjakin, an ardent Putin supporter who also makes propaganda for the Kremlin boss, was also awarded the medal.

The German Chess Federation did not know until now that its men's national coach was now also working for Nepomnjaschtschi. The association announced this in response to a SPIEGEL request. "We would also like to emphasize that Mr. Gustafsson does not work full-time for the German Chess Federation and, according to our contractual agreement, has the opportunity to work as a second for other chess players as long as there is no violation of confidentiality agreements," the answer says: " There is no contractual obligation to inform us about this.”

Gustafsson has already worked with various players on this basis, such as superstar Magnus Carlsen or the Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri. “We therefore know that his work for other people does not have a negative impact on his work as a national coach,” said the Chess Federation.

With regard to the “Ukraine conflict,” cooperation with Russian citizens should be “critically examined.” In the past, Jan Nepomnyashchi had publicly spoken out against the war in the open letter. “According to current knowledge, Jan Nepomnyashchi is not a supporter of war and cooperation is therefore justifiable,” said the Chess Federation.

Jan Gustafsson, known as an opening specialist, has been working as the national coach of the German chess men since April 2023. He previously supported Magnus Carlsen at several World Cups, such as his duel against Nepomnyashchi in 2021. This meant that Gustafsson also dealt more intensively with the Russian's game. Last year, Gustafsson and Nepomnjaschtschi were both active for investor Wadim Rosenstein's team at the World Team Championships in Düsseldorf.

However, it is not known whether this also resulted in the new job of national coach for Nepomnyashchi. It is also possible that he had previously worked as the Russian's second.