21 July 2022

Laureates of CFR Golden Badge Awarded in Central Chess Club in Moscow

Simuls with the grandmasters were also part of the programme.


On 20 July, the International Chess Day, the Central Chess Club named after M. Botvinnik hosted a solemn ceremony of the "CFR Golden Badge" winners awarding. CFR President Andrey Filatov and CFR Executive Director Mark Gluhovsky welcomed the guests. They thanked outstanding chess players of the older generation for their many years' service to the art of chess, wished them good health and never-ending stamina.

The Golden Badge was awarded to:

Alexander Bakh, one of the country's most experienced chess organisers for over half a century, executive director of the USSR Chess Federation (1989) and of the Russian Chess Federation (2003-2010). Among his contributions is bringing up of great chess players that span the generations from Anatoly Karpov to Sergey Karjakin. The chess world owes him the introduction of such legendary tournaments as the Tal Memorial and the Aeroflot Open.  

Galina Dvorkovich, head of the Veterans' Commission of the Chess Federation of Russia, who inspires its activities with fresh energy and optimism; hostess of a unique chess lounge named after the famous arbiter Vladimir Dvorkovich, which gathers chess fans from our country's political and economic elite.

Igor  Zaitsev, a strong and creative chess player, nemesis of world champions, and a participant in the USSR championships. He is a coach and second of our country's strongest chess players, T. Petrosian and A. Karpov among them, an ever-inventive author of fantastic opening novelties and paradoxical middlegame ideas, and a chess poet. 

Alexander Kostiev, a prominent organiser, a genuine enthusiast of the all-state chess education program, and head of CFR's Chess Education subcommittee. Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, international organiser, and FIDE trainer. In the 2000-s, he headed the Department of Theory and Methodology of chess of the Russian State Social Univercity, and founded the Youth School of Anatoly Karpov on the basis of this university.  

Posthumous awards were granted to:

Evgeni Vasiukov, for many years he had been one of the leading Soviet grandmasters, winner of over 50 tournaments, including those with the best chess players in the world, and a master of blitz chess. He revived "handicap tournaments" and made them popular. He successfully headed the CFR's Veterans Commission and won the World Senior Championship.

The "CFR Golden Badge" was awarded to his widow Evgenia.   

Evgeny Sveshnikov, a grandmaster, original chess researcher that persisted in his views both in theory and in practice, author of original books and articles, inventor of the opening system (the Sveshnikov Sicilian) that has been adopted by world's strongest chess players. A chess warrior up until his last days, Russian and world champion among veterans above 65 years old.

The "CFR Golden Badge" was awarded to his youngest son Alexander.

The State Duma Deputy Anatoly Aksakov, present at the ceremony, who is in charge of the Organising Committee for preparation and running of the 2022 Russian Championship Superfinals among men and women, reminded that the city of Cheboksary would hold the key tournaments of the domestic calendar from September 10 to 23, and invited all chess fans to this holiday to the capital city of Chuvashia.

Famous grandmasters, coaches of Russian national teams Alexander Riazantsev and Vladimir Potkin gave simuls to young chess players. All participants were gifted with books from the "CFR Library" series. The simul-givers highlighted the following most challenging opponents: Maria Rybakova, Yuri Ambartsumyan, and Stepan Zakharov (vs. A. Riazantsev) and Mark Pavlov, Evgenia Vetrova, and Nikolai Govorun (vs. V. Potkin). These youngsters received additional prizes.  

Photos by Vladimir Barsky