I saw most of the pics of Russian players posted by batgirl. I always had this question in my mind - why are they so good in Chess? 

Views please. Thank you! 

My grandpa told me that this is becouse the winter is so cold people don't go outside too much so they have to find something to pass time while inside the house all that time, they become chess masters.

I watched in 1 documentary. Thats russia made chess school when there was chance going there was free if the coach sees that you are improwing fastly you would get a personal coach. Russia had practicly everything you needed to improve books , coaches , schools and all was free

Chess hass been a big part of their culture for a long time. It is common to see factory workers playing chess on their lunch breaks, unlike USA. It is common to see people playing chess anywhere. The Soviet Union used to promote chess just like they supported Olympic athletes. You could major in chess at a University and your professors would be grandmasters.  

Thank you all. Hmm... interesting views. 

The answe is quite simple: State Support. At a time when the best western players were struggling to survive financially as professional chess players, the top players in the USSR were all guaranteed at least a decent standard of living. This made an enormous difference.

State support began in the "Pioneer Palaces" where millions of young Russians were given their initial instruction in chess. When promising a young talent was identified. he was assigned a coach and given additional training. This meant that hundreds of talented youngsters were given a thorough training in the endgame and in understanding typical positions. At every level, young talent was identified and promoted.

Compare this with the situation in the United States. In the late 1930's Reuben Fine and Sammy Reshevsky, two of the top five or six players in the world, were both living a hand-to-mouth existence. There was no support system to help them develop even further, or even to feed their families.  ANd later, the young Bobby Fischer, already U.S. Champ at the age of 14, had to go on the TV show "What's my Line" to win enough money to allow him to go to the Interzonal Tournament, where he became the youngest-ever Grandmaster and qualified for the Candidate's Tournament.

Also, many of those great "Russian" grandmasters weren't Russian! Geller, Bronstein, and Boleslavsky were from the Ukraine, Tal was Latvian, Keres was from Estonia, and Petrosian was from Armenia.

There's something in the wat... -- erm, vodka.

In all seriousness, though, this is the reason.  It really comes down to a program that ingrains in into the culture so that you have as large a pool of candidate players as possible, and then both identifies and nurtures talent across that pool.

For very much the same reason, the influence of climate aside, olympic medal showings aren't simply proportionate to country population.

Yes, the Russians aren't very good at basebll.

What with all the time they spend playing chess, I should think not.

I once heard that the great Armenian, Tigran Petrosian, was a good shortstop as well  as 2nd and 3rd baseman. He could also play a little outfield. He was known as a positional player. 

Eddiewsox:

I'm an old Chicagoan (South Side chapter), and a Sox fan since I was eight. Do the Sox have any chance to do something this year?

Thanks Paul.

Not without Shoeless Joe.

Central to Russian culture.

State support. (Soviet era)

Synergy.

paulgottlieb, it's not as simple as saying: "the answer is simple: state support". There is a whole complex of very different reasons for it, including state support at times yes. The Soviet System did give scholarships etc. to chess players, but it was hardly the whole reason.

Soccer players in the US I'm sure get some incentives like scholarships, like the ridiculous amount of money they could get paid if they hit it big. And we all know how "big" that sport is over there...

Why does Netherlands have such a huge chess culture and yet Peru or Ireland has very little? It's not all about state support. 

Because in Russia, chess plays you

Yes, synergy. That is the explanation. State support only supports a preexisting interest and desire to play chess well. But just as all major discoveries in the history of humanity required a number of people being present at the same place, same time, chess flourishes when there is "Chess Culture". You can pour millions of State Support into chess in the US, there are them damn Kardashians who are just too distractive to chess development. Lack of other forms of entertainment or social advancement are also factors.

The culture is created. Nothing a well done advertisement campaing can't do.