No wonder they say that it was after this Olympics that Kalmykia discovered the world and the world discovered Kalmykia. Chess City, which became the centre of international chess tournaments, was built on the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in record time.
Its central object is the City-Chess Hall, which outlines resemble a Kalmyk wagon. The Chess Olympiad and the 69th FIDE Congress were held there. After several international biennials, Chess City has become a traditional venue for international and national forums, competitions, business symposia, exhibitions, scientific and cultural meetings.
All genres are represented in Chess City: there are Palace of Chess, Museum of Chess Glory, Buddhist Stupa of Enlightenment, Orthodox Chapel, and even heroes of a book written by Ilf and Petrov. The rest of the town looks like an elite but rather deserted cottage village, richly decorated with all kinds of chess sculptures.
In recent years, when nothing much happens there, it is used as an expensive place for accommodation, where tourists are invited to rent housing for at least several years.
By the way, the top ten extraordinary cities in Russia include the railway city of Novosibirsk, the city of the Russian Leaning Tower of Pisa Nevyansk, the European-style Russian city of Vyborg, the city chosen by Dostoevsky Staraya Russa, the number One city of Ancient Russia Rostov Veliky, the city of power Arkaim, the city of the wooden history Shirkovo from Tula region, the city of diamonds Mirny and Laikovo.