Caissa Chess Awards in Moscow: Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk is Media Person of the Year 2012!

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk has been declared 'Media Person of the Year 2012' at the Caissa Awards Night in Moscow on December 17. As you know, GM Kosteniuk is in Beijing right now to complete her tournaments at the Sport Accord World Mind Games 2012, where she has already won the Gold Medal in the Blitz event just on December 17. So, you can expect more details on the Caissa Award later on her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com. (Photo: Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk with the women's Gold medal and GM Sergey Karjakin - also of Russia - with the men's gold medal in the Sport Accord Blitz.) 

The 12th Women's World Chess Champion is an extremely Internet-savvy Grandmaster with a verified Twitter account, host of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LiveJournal accounts. Her Chess Blog has been voted best blog in the USA. She is regular at staying in touch with fans and promotes chess around the world with the latest chess news, views, and chess-learning tips. Her summary RSS page with links to all the accounts are at kosteniuk.com: Follow them all for the latest in chess news and World Champion's chess views/training!

The Caissa Chess Awards Night was held at the Central House of Literature in Moscow. The tradition was renewed after a long break in April of this year thanks to the charity Our Heritage Fund, with special thanks to Vladimir Palikhata, businessman and president of the Moscow Chess Federation, and Victoria Korol, president of the fund.

The Award was given to 16 individuals. The splendid glass statues of the Chess Goddess Caissa were given not only to famous chess players, but also to politicians, businessmen and journalists who ensured chess has a place of honour in the life of the Russian capital.

“The Central House of Literature has a long history, a part of which is the tradition of regular chess nights. Last time we opened the intellectual game hall, which is now in use. Our Caissa Award is a sign of gratitude to people who have made substantial contributions for chess, for its development and popularisation, said Vladimir Palikhata in his opening address.

“Chess development is an integral part of our fund’s efforts which we accomplish jointly with the Moscow Chess federation and the Russian and international chess federations. This evening is devoted to the first Caissa Award ceremony for contribution to the development of this wise game in our capital. This ceremony will be annual and we hope the most prestigious in the world of chess,” said Victoria Korol, president of Our Heritage Fund.

Eminent guests on the occasion included FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Russian Federation First Deputy Prime Minister Arcady Dvorkovich, Russian Federation Parliament First Vice Speaker Alexander Zhukov, the First President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, and other famous politicians, businessmen, athletes, members from intellectual circles and the media.

Sergey Karjakin, who has this year won the World Rapid Chess Championships, was recognised as the best chess player of 2012. Valentina Gunina, playing for the Russian National Team helping them take two Olympiad championships as well as winning European Individual Chess Championship titles and the World Blitz Chess Championship, was recognized as the best female chess player of the year.

Hosts Margarita Mitrofanova and Mark Glukhovsky granted awards to former multiple World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov, distinguished Grandmaster and 12-time Moscow Champion Evgeni Vasiukov, Russian Federation First Deputy Prime Minister Arcady Dvorkovich, Russian Federation Duma First Vice Speaker Alexander Zhukov, Moskomsport First Vice President Nikolay Gulyayev, businessman Andrey Filatov. Awards were also given to the company Rosneft and its president Igor Sechin and Businessman Gennady Timchenko.

A special guest of the event was the new Women’s Chess Champion Anna Ushenina. She also was presented a Caissa for Brightest Foreign Chess Player. The statue was handed to the champion by none other than the former USSR president, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. “It’s really nice winning an award like this,” said Ushenina. 

“I would like to thank all those who are selflessly and faithfully supporting the development of chess in Moscow and throughout Russia. It’s just fantastic. It was thanks to the Russian school of chess that there was a nudge of development for the whole chess world. And it’s doubly nice that it is under continued support and development at the governmental level.”

In the course of the evening Anna played two “pair versus pair” games against the Russian Valentina Gunina, European champion. In the first game Ushenina’s partner was Vladimir Palikhata, with Alexander Zhukov playing for Valentina. For the second game, Palikhata joined Gunina against Ushenina and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President of FIDE. The moves were split between the teammates by turns, played in blitz format. The first game ended in a win for Gunina-Zhukov, the second was drawn.

Also of interest was a collection of chess and other cultural rarities open for viewing in the Our Heritage Gallery.

Annual Caissa Chess Award Recipients

1. Best Chess Player – Sergey Karjakin
2. Best Female Chess Player – Valentina Gunina
3. Best Journalist – the Kommersant, Alexey Dospekhov
4. Best Chess Journalist – Sergey and Marina Makarychev
5. Contribution to the Development and Promotion of Chess in Moscow and Worldwide – Anatoly Karpov
6. Mediaperson of the Year – Alexandra Kosteniuk
7. Best New Talent – Yuri Eliseev (World Champion under 16)
8. Partner of the Year – Moskomsport
9. Best Use of Chess Images in the Press – RBC Magazine, Editor-in-Chief Anton Popov
10. Chess Dynasty – Vladimir Yakovlevich Dvorkovich (posthumously), Galina Lvovna Dvorkovich, Arkady Dvorkovich
11. Greatest Contribution to Education of Future Generation – Company Rosneft and its President Igor Sechin
12. Development of “Chess Parliamentarism” – Alexander Zhukov
13. Best Television Coverage of Chess in the Capital – Moscow 24
14. Special Award “Our Heritage” – Evgeny Vasyukov
15. Event of the Year in Moscow – World Championship Match Anand – Gelfand sponsors – Andrey Filatov, Gennady Timchenko
16. Brightest Foreign Chess Player – Anna Ushenina

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

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RSSU Chess in Moscow from Jan 31, 2013

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Remember the Moscow Chess Cup being renamed as the RSSU International Chess Cup? Our previous Chess Blog news:

Moscow Chess Open begins Jan 27, 2012 with new name! It's time to think about the 2013 event now. At the meeting of the President of Moscow Chess Federation, Vladimir Palikhata, and the Honorary President of Moscow Chess Federation, Rector-founder of RSSU, Vasily Zhukov, it was agreed to hold the RSSU International Chess Cup Moscow Open 2013 from 31 January - 10 February 2013. The meeting was held last Friday, 5 October, in Russian State Social University.

The Rector of RSSU Lidia Fedyakina confirmed that RSSU is ready to host the tournament for the eighth time. The prize fund is 3 500 000 RUB. Contacts: Moscow Chess Federation: (Phone/fax: +7 495 945 75 22 Email: moschess@mail.ru)

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More Chess in Moscow, Says City Chess Fed Chief Palikhata

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Muscovites Will Play Chess in Coffee Shops and Parks
MOSCOW, Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Chess, phenomenally popular in the USSR since the 1920s, when the state invested heavily in the game to show the world the prevalence of communism, is back in fashion in Moscow. Soon, young Muscovites will be able to enjoy a game of chess in cafes and parks all over the city.

Moscow Chess Federation President Vladimir Palikhata (left) and Grandmaster Boris Gelfand at the opening ceremony of World Chess Grand Prix in London. (PRNewsFoto/MCF)

Vladimir Palikhata, well-known businessman and philanthropist, became the President of the Moscow Chess Federation in 2012 and was impressed by how popular chess is among young people. “I feared that only people who remember the Fischer-Spassky times play chess and I was thrilled to learn that the game is most popular among 14-35 year-olds. Our next big tournament took place at Strelka Institute, heart of the Moscow hipster culture, and the turnout was phenomenal. Now we are taking chess to cafes,” says Palikhata.

Moscow Chess Federation is also actively involved in promoting chess around the world. Vladimir Palikhata, today called upon London to embrace the sport of chess. In a letter to mayor Boris Johnson, Mr. Palikhata, said that London should build upon the sporting legacy of the Olympics by actively supporting the game in London schools and chess clubs.

He said: “It has been proven that playing chess has a hugely beneficial impact on academic performance in schools and London could play a key role in the revival of the sport in England – a country with a proud history in the sport. And London is nearly as cold and wet as Moscow during the dark winter months. What better sport than chess to occupy our efforts.” Mr Palikhata’s remarks come as London plays host to the first Grand Prix in the new World Chess Championship Cycle.

Mr. Palikhata was present at the opening ceremony for the London Grand Prix, which took place at Somerset House on September 20. The Moscow Chess Federation co-hosted the event, which saw over 300 distinguished guests witness exhibition blitz games between the world’s leading chess players. Guests included FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, and chess enthusiast Lily Cole, the supermodel and actress.

“We are studying other cities’ experience and integrating chess into Moscow’s urban culture. By 2013, chessboards will be in over 500 Moscow cafes,” added Palikhata.

Moscow Chess Federation, established in 1970, aims to develop and popularize chess in the Russian capital.


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Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
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ChessQueenTV

Moscow Chess Fed Chief Sends Surprise Chess Day Gift to Mayors Across the World!

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Mayors of 86 global and regional cities around the world got a surprise gift for the International Chess Day on Friday, July 20 – a competition chess set, with a note from Vladimir Palikhata, President of the Moscow Chess Federation (MCF), extolling the virtues and benefits of chess – "a wise and ancient game," which, according to the release, can "help reduce stress associated with managing a city" and "bring pleasure."

Vladimir Palikhata decided to use this opportunity to reach out to the chief administrators of sister cities of Moscow, including London, Chicago, Vienna, Tokyo, and Santiago, to establish and reinforce relations with the chess-playing community in these cities.

"It gives me pleasure to congratulate Mayors of so many cities on our holiday," said Palikhata. "I know that some are already very good players. Others may yet develop an interest in the game."

First VP of the MCF Nikita Kim added that the gift chess sets were "one of several actions we are planning to strengthen MCF partnership relations overseas." He emphasized that "Vladimir Palikhata sees developing MCF's relations with international partners as very important."

Russian capital has 85 sister cities; Paris is Moscow's "partner city". Moscow Chess Federation, established in 1970, aims to develop and popularize chess in the Russian capital. It is headed by Vladimir Palikhata, successful Russian businessman and philanthropist. Under Palikhata's watch, the Federation underwent rebranding, announced major chess tournaments and nurtured three new chess champions.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com