On February 15, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and the Vice Chairman of Centrosoyuz Council Sergei Gritsai signed a cooperation agreement. It was done at the forum "Entrepreneurial Campus", which was held at the Russian University of Cooperation in Mytishchi.Besides, Centrosoyuz and the FIDE would be able to jointly hold tournaments and other events. The common goal is raising chess culture and interest in ancient game all over Russia and abroad.
"At a recent meeting with the Chairman of the Board of Centrosoyuz Dmitry Zubov we have agreed that, with our support, chess will become an integral part of activities and development of cooperatives. The purpose of the FIDE is to increase the number of chess players of the world to one billion by 2020. Now there are about 600 million players and we are pleased that our ranks will be joined by many million members of Centrosoyuz", said Kirsan Ilyumzhinov after signing the document.
"Chess is not just a game or a sport. It is a kind of personal development, a way of thinking that forms the best human qualities, including the entrepreneurial ones. Centrosoyuz intends to intensely develop chess movement in all its structures and, especially, in the educational system - universities, technical schools and colleges," stressed in turn Sergei Gritsai.
