President Ilyumzhinov did much for the preservation and restoration of unique religious shrines. Dozens of built temples, including the largest Buddhist in Europe, are his achievement. In order to see the real contribution of republic head, we will clarify: temples were partially built on money raised from the sale of Ilyumzhinov’s yacht and helicopter.
Chess. It symbolizes life for Ilyumzhinov. At the age of seven he became the chess champion among schoolchildren, and in the 9th grade he became the champion among adults. The guest of "100 questions" show played chess with Muammar Gaddafi, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bashar Assad, Dalai Lama and Pope...
"The most powerful chess opponent was the idol of millions, phenomenal Bobby Fischer. I would like to fight again with him, because I lost all four games played. "
In Ulyanovsk, Kirsan Nikolayevich and Governor Sergei Morozov agreed to work on a programme for popularization and strengthening the interest of schoolchildren in chess. Why this is necessary, how does this game help to develop a child, about doping in chess, the outcome of the game of chess with Gaddafi, about Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's attitude toward the situation with the Russian Olympians, about inclusion of chess as sport into Olympic games, about the reburial of Lenin, about football in the life of our hero – all of these you’ll see in our programme (as well as in Kirsan TV section of the website, - Ed.).
And put chessboard with pieces in a prominent place – this game should be on every table in every house!
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: "I played chess with Gaddafi, Gorbachev and the Dalai Lama but I dreamed of defeating Bobby Fischer"
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s life is endless flights, business trips and meetings. However, since his childhood, he dreamed of coming to Ulyanovsk, Vladimir Ilyich's homeland. He was able to come only now. The guest was impressed by Lenin's homeland. He joined the Young Pioneers organization there and was shown the local places of interest.
"And do you know that Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov’s grandmother was a Kalmyk and gave tasty and nourishing Kalmyk tea to all the family?" Kirsan Nikolaevich asks, smiling.
Of course, our hero shared with us the recipe for Kalmyk tea. He also told the show hostess Diana Kovel about the history of the Kalmyk people during the war and about the restoration of Buddhist temples. Kalmykia is the only Buddhist republic in Europe.
