President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady
Dvorkovich and the 14th world chess champion Vladimir Kramrik will take part in
a discussion on ‘Chess after COVID-19’, organized by the Roscongress Foundation
and FIDE and set to take place at 11:00 on 29 June in an online format.
«We will discuss the latest trends in the world of
chess, FIDE’s initiatives to develop online chess, and the explosion of
interest in the game during the pandemic. We will also look at the gradual
return of offline tournaments, the potential and benefits of introducing chess
to educational programmes, the legacy of major competitions and other
interesting topics. We have worked alongside the Roscongress Foundation for a
long time, hosting chess lounges and other sporting projects at major economic
forums, and are now continuing our cooperation in the virtual space,» said
Arkady Dvorkovich.
Other participants in the discussion will include CEO
of the Russian Chess Federation Mark Glukhovsky, rector of the Russian State
Social University Natalya Pochinok, State Duma Deputy Alikhan Kharsiev, and
Director of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Primorye Territory
Jean Kuznetsov. Moderator — Deputy Prime Minister of the Udmurt Republic
Mikhail Khomich. Telesport Media will offer its studio facilities to assist in
the production of the event.
It is worth noting that the Roscongress Cup chess
tournaments, which have enjoyed the participation of the political and business
elite, have become a staple event at the St. Petersburg International Economc
Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok and the Russian Investment
Forum in Sochi, and have continued in on online format during the pandemic.
Vladimir Kramnik and Guinness World Records holder for
blindfolded chess Timur Gareyev held a simultaneous game session for Forum
participants and young chess players from St. Petersburg as part of a FIDE
initiative taking place within the sporting programme at SPIEF 2019. Vladimir
Matlakov won the debut Chess Express blitz chess promo tournament, which was
held in a high-speed Sapsan train travelling from Moscow to St. Petersburg on
the sidelines of SPIEF 2019. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, World Chess
Championship runner-up Sergey Karjakin and other eminent grandmasters were also
among the participants in the SPIEF sporting and business programmes. One of
the top grandmasters in the world, Yan Nepomnyashchy, was joined by First
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov and Governor of Khanty—Mansi
Autonomous Area—Yugra Natalia Komarova in a presentation of the World Chess
Olympiad at the Russian Investment Forum 2019.
