On July 18, the Turgenev estate in Spassky-Lutovinovo received honoured guests on the eve of International Chess Day. Sixth President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), first President of the Republic of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov came to visit the Oryol region in a company of the famous grandmaster, world champion among youths in 1975 Valery Chekhov. The first Turgenev chess tournament started. Its opening began with a theatrical prologue and greetings of the guests of honour.As Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said by phone, “playing in a tournament on a wonderful July day, in the open air, in the estate of ‘ the best chess player among writers and the best writer among chess players ‘is a real gift for a chess player and a triumph for Russian chess. The organizers are great! To visit the estate of the greatest master of Russian literature Russian literature is a dream and a cultural duty of everyone who cherishes the great Russian culture."
On the same day, a joint briefing by the Governor of the Oryol Region Andrei Klychkov and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov with journalists took place.
First President of the Republic of Kalmykia, sixth President of FIDE thanked the leadership of the Oryol region for their attention to the development of chess. He also expressed his gratitude to the Chess and Checkers Federation of the region, the staff and leadership of the Spasskoye-Lutovinovo reserve and its director Sergei Stupin for a bright holiday of Russian chess and Russian culture.
