Cletus: If you bother to look through the history, I think you'll find that Vassilyevich not only competed, but was only one entrant among a contingent of five who represented the Commonwealth of Independent States in the championship. Vassilyevich is himself from Georgia, and therefore not even really a Russian. It's a sign of his form that he didn't let this pettiness distract him, in spite of White's persistent attack on his sense of identity. Any lingering insecurity could have cost him the game.