I have been to Russia more than once. And I speak Russian well enough to travel there on my own, with no support from any travel agencies or guides. On one occasion a couple of guys wanted to steal my suitcase, because I foolishly left the airline stickers on it so they knew it had to contain something worth stealing. But they didn't grab it. They didn't pull out a weapon. Instead they smiled and laughed and try to talk me into going with them to some place nearby. It was like a game of cat and mouse. Or chess. I have heard of other people who ran into similar thieves. Rather than using force they try to outwit you. If you don't fall for their tricks, then you are free. That is how chess works. So I think that the multilevel strategic and tactical thinking of chess is more widespread in Russian society than you claim.
Yes, you've been to Russia a couple of times and you've encountered a couple of Russian con men. That makes you an expert in all things Russian and gives you deep insight into Russian soul and Russian politics. And gives you the right to tell people who grew up there how it really is. I get it.
