13.02.2018

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: " I realized in the 9th grade: I would never be vain"

The first president of the Republic of Kalmykia and a long-standing head of the International Chess Federation Kirsan Ilyumzhinov visited Ulyanovsk last week. This was a real gift for the youth chess community of Ulyanovsk.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov visited the "New Cooperation" forum and later met with chess sections pupils and their parents. The chess player told about his work and life principles, about how, being 9th grade student, he became a champion of the republic and beat famous chess players of Kalmykia.

"The next day, the first lesson was history. From the very morning, they announced on the radio that I had become a champion. My classmates started to chair me, shouting "Champion!" The door opened and the teacher entered. She was very strict. My classmates ran to their desks and forgot about me. That's how I fell from a height of one and a half meters to the bare floor. And then I realized that no matter how high you get, you should never be vain and no matter what heights you reach, you may fall and hurt yourself eventually," the chess player said.
Ilyumzhinov advised children to take seriously the choice of profession.
" I did not go to college after school, because I could not decide who exactly I wanted to be. Then I went to work at the plant and served in the army. And only after that I entered MGIMO and learned the most difficult language – Japanese. I was very interested in Japan. Therefore, do not rush if you are unable to take the speciality that you like at the moment.
Ilyumzhinov often held a number of important positions at same time. Serving as the President of Kalmykia, he was FIDE President at same time.
"If you like what you do, you would not get tired doing it. I've never been on vacation; I work for my own pleasure. The Lord gave us little time – only 24 hours per day, 8 of them for sleep, a little more for meals, road and so on. Thus, there is little active life. Therefore, it is unreasonable to waste time. I'm not just pleased to be a president; the main thing is I can realize my potential. And I give you the same advice."
Ilyumzhinov also told about how he studied at school:" I got my first D in arithmetic in the first grade. And they punished me because I did not study and smoked. After this D, I decided to come to my senses and after that I did not get a single B – A’s only. Although I was not very diligent being engaged in chess and boxing. There was not always enough time to study, but somehow I managed. Chess helped to develop my memory."