04.02.2017

Ilyumzhinov: "Main Russian TV channels should have chess programmes"

It is necessary to revive the popular chess programmes in Russia, told Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

"In the past, during the Soviet period, the main channel of the country showed chess programmes every Thursday from 16:00 to 16:20. Today, TV cannot find even a single minute for the world's most intelligent game. Everything depends on us. We would develop if the major channels would dedicate to chess at least 15 minutes a day," said the president of FIDE.

Ilyumzhinov also expressed hope that chess may soon be introduced as a compulsory subject in all schools of the Russian capital. According to him, it would be an important step to increase the number of chess players to one billion by 2020.