Anatoly Karpov at the opening of the Mayor's Cup: “Kazan has always been a wonderful chess center”

Anatoly Karpov at the opening of the Mayor's Cup: “Kazan has always been a wonderful chess center”

<p> The opening of the Kazan Mayor's Chess Cup took place at the City Hall today. Forty-two Russian chess players will compete for the Cup. The ceremony was attended by Anatoly Karpov, Soviet and Russian chess player, grandmaster, world champion and Vice-Mayor of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova. </p> <p> The event began with the greeting of the participants and the grandmasters of the tournament. According to E.Lodvigova, a lot of attention is paid to chess in the capital of Tatarstan, and interest in this game is only increasing. Chess is actively developed in Kazan. “This game is like our life, in which every step can become decisive”, - Vice-Mayor of Kazan believes. According to her, there all conditions for holding competitions in the city today, and the current event is a clear demonstration of that. </p> <p> Anatoly Karpov, a legend of the Soviet and Russian chess, came to the capital of Tatarstan for the symbolic first move of the chess game, which marked the opening of the tournament. The grandmaster noted that despite the epidemiological situation, the organizers ensured a high level of competitions. “Kazan has always been a wonderful chess center – Anatoly Karpov said. - Many schools have been established, whose graduates constantly compete at various levels”. </p> <p> The grandmaster thanked the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and Tatarstan State Adviser Mintimer Shaimiev for organizing the tournament, and also wished the participants good and remarkable games. </p> <p> Speaking about the future of Russian chess, Anatoly Karpov noted that there are many talented young chess players in our country who will be able to compete with the strongest grandmasters in future. </p> <p> Now the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen heads the world chess. During the last championships, he managed to confidently defeat the Russian grandmaster Yan Nepomnyashchy. “I think we will regain the championship, - Anatoly Karpov said. - Magnus Carlsen is a strong chess player and a worthy champion. Despite the fact that we have lost a lot of time in the development of chess in our country, as well as the connection between generations, the game is developing again, there are many talented young men and women who can become new world champions in the future”. </p> <p> Ten chess grandmasters took part at the tournament in Kazan, including Vladislav Artemyev, who occupies first place in the Russian rating and fifth position in the world, as well as 32 athletes from Tatarstan and other regions of the country. </p> <p> For reference, the tournament is held with the support of the Kazan Mayor’s Office, Tatarstan Chess Federation and the Republican Olympic Sports School. The prize fund of the tournament is 1 million rubles. </p>

2022-01-28T17:50:17+0300