Actually more players in the top 100: 13 US grandmasters vs 12 from Russia, down from 22 five years ago. But even the total is closing: In total Russia still has 246 grandmasters, compared to 101 from the US. Many Russian GMs from the older generation, like Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, have dropped out of the rating list, but the main reason for the decline is the reaction of players to Russia's war invasion of Ukraine. | Newsweek photo Getty
The Saemisch Variation is a very stable response to the King’s Indian Defence. And the Benoni can also be answered with the same setup and the same underlying ideas. Jan Werle presents the white setup thoroughly on his DVD. Philipp Hillebrand has looked at the FritzTrainer just as thoroughly!