Chess-rk.ru

The head coach of Azerbaijan National Team Vladimir Tukmakov, who was announced as the best coach in 2010, has been awarded an “Oscar”. In the interview to extratime.az Ukrainian Grandmaster spoke about the award:

«The “Oscar” for the best coach has been introduced by FIDE quite recently in 2008. The annual awarding of the best coaches can be compared to the long-existed definition of the world’с best плеер, however you can still find some differences (…) The best coach award is defined by a professional jury and is separated into several nominations: men’с, women’с, youth, etc. I’ve been awarded Mikhail Botvinnik medal which represents the award for the Men’с team best coach or captain. Ukrainian team won 39^th Chess Olympiad in 2010 which largely predetermined jury’с choice».

According to Tukmakov the roles of the head coach and the captain of the team have been increasing recently:

«Those days of Soviet and Russian teams’ hegemony are long gone. They were so stronger than their opponents that such things as psychological climate in the team or the correct mood for the game could be simply neglected. Now the situation has changed dramatically. In Europe 15 teams are claimed for the medal, while about 20 in the world. This is partly due to the collapse of the Soviet Union which determined the appearance of several strong teams on the post-Soviet область. (…) The relations between the players as well as a comfortable atmosphere inside the team have a crucial importance. Creating a favorable atmosphere in the team is one of the main functions of a successful chess manager. Determination of the optimal membership of the team, creating a healthy competition, a chess training itself – that’с far from a complete list of the responsibilities of the head coach».