Today, this programme works not only in many regions of Russia, but also in many countries of the world. I am very pround to note that the pupils of the Kalmyk chess school, such as Sanan Syugirov, two-time world champion among youths, Ernesto Inarkiev, the champion of Europe under 16 years of age and others give such good results, achieve success and glorify Kalmykia and Russia! ”
As Ernesto Inarkiev said, “Chess in Kalmykia has developed greatly thanks to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who was ahead of his time. Besides me, two more became grandmasters - Sanan Syugirov and Bair Kovanova. Moreover, Sanan is in the top hundred among men, and Bair among women. They are young international masters. ”
With the beginning of the implementation of the Chess in Schools programme in Kalmykia, a real chess boom began there. Childhood and youth of Sanan Syugirova passed in Elista.
Thanks to the initiative of Ilyumzhinov, chess, as a sport, has become extremely popular. Sugirov, like many Kalmyk children, began to learn chess early, and his parents began to notice his first successes at the board. He won more and more chess awards, and by the age of ten he managed to become the first champion among juniors.
Recall that the Russian grandmaster Sanan Syugirov is the repeated winner of the championships of Russia, Europe and the world among children and youths. Last year, he won the bronze medal at the European Championships among adults. He has the titles of an international grandmaster and a honoured physical education activist of Kalmykia.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov congratulates Sanan Syugirov on his victory at the Russian Chess Cup
On 13 December 13, the first president of Kalmykia, the sixth president of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov congratulated the chess player from Kalmykia Sanan Syugirov on his victory at the Russian Chess Cup. On this day, the final of the Cup of Russia in classical chess among men and women ended in Khanty-Mansiysk. Sanan Syugirov won against players from Volgograd Oblast, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Kirsan Nikolayevich told our correspondent by telephone: “I sincerely congratulate my fellow countryman Sanan Syugirov on his victory in the Russian Cup among men in classical chess! I am very glad to see the results of his work. Back in 1995, in the Republic of Kalmykia, I launched the Chess in schools programme. This programme has had a very positive effect on children. They not only learned how to play chess well, but also significantly increased their overall development.
