I visited Elista on personal matters after having not been there for a long time. I managed to take a walk round my favorite places, could not resist dropping into a chess club and, what’s most important, met with my old friends.Kalmykia’s chess was greatly evolved thanks to the efforts of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who was ahead of time. Apart of me, two more players, Sanan Sjugirov and Bair Kovanova, became grandmasters. Moreover, Sanan and Bair are among the 100 Best Chess Players. There are also young international masters.
Perhaps the major sporting results of that work are still to be expected. There is a lot of promising children in the country now. I recalled those days, the first difficult victories and people’s support... Elista reminded me of a situation when the bets are made but the title is not yet won. I want to thank all the chess fans of Kalmykia: I still remember and appreciate your support!
