World’s 8th best Hungarian chess player to represent Romania?
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The best Hungarian chess player, who is the 5th best in the world, Richárd Rapport, received the sponsorship offer of his lifetime. If he accepts it, he can have a chance to become the world’s best. However, like everything, money comes with a price. He has to continue his career in Romanian colours.
The best Hungarian to become a Romanian chess player
According to Blikk, it is quite likely that Richárd Rapport will compete in Romanian colours in the 2022 candidates tournament in Madrid. Sacha Dragic, the CEO of Superbet, the main sponsor of the 2022 Superbet Chess Classic Romania, approached Rapport with an offer he probably cannot and will not refuse.
The Serbian entrepreneur’s offer can help Rapport reach the top of the chess world within the next few years.
Richárd Rapport (26) won a silver in the 2014 Chess Olympics in Norway. Now he might continue in Romanian colours. Rapport has not given an interview for years, but his father confirmed that the best Hungarian chess player would represent Romania in future tournaments.
“As far as I know, Ricsi decided to accept the offer meaning that he will compete as a Romanian player” –
Rapport’s father told 24.hu. Rapport was 5th on the world list until last week when he fell to 8th place. Interestingly, in 2024, Budapest will organise the Chess Olympics, where Rapport has a chance to become the world’s best.
Possible reasons
Rapport has been living with his wife since he was 18 in Serbia. However, he has never wanted to compete under a non-Hungarian flag before. Tamás Rapport, the father of the Hungarian genius, said his son’s life was very similar to Rocky Balboa’s in the famous movie. In contrast to his opponents’ lavish circumstances, he prepared for the competitions “under nomadic conditions.” That is because the state support of Hungarian chess is way behind other sports. It is like a desert, the father said. In the years of the Olympics, there can be oases.
Otherwise, drought rules.
After the change of the regime, no brand and marketing strategy was created for the Hungarian chess. It is not represented in the news media. Thus, it is not surprising that Richárd Rapport had only two sponsors during his successful career.
So what if he competes under Romanian colours? It is not unusual in sport for this sort of thing, competing under a different flag from that of one’s country of birth. Take for instance Zola Budd, a South African, competing in the 1984 Olympics for Great Britain. Tennis has numerous such cases. A non story.