Yuri Averbakh Awarded with CFR Golden Badge

Central Chess Club opens the exhibition in anniversary celebrant's honour.

February 8, head coach of the Russian national teams, GM Sergey Janovsky, visited the world's oldest grandmaster Yuri Averbakh. He presented the hero of the day with awards, gifts, and numerous congratulations. There came a letter of thanks from Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin. Yuri Lvovich received the Chess Federation of Russia's Golden Badge as recognition of his distinguished service in promoting chess; CFR has also published a colorful photo album to honor the celebrant. S. Yanovsky says that Yuri Lvovich's phone would never stop ringing that day as they called from all over the world. 

The same day, the Central Chess Club at 14 Gogolevsky Boulevard opened the exhibition dedicated to Averbakh's centenary anniversary. It displays numerous photographic materials of different years and the celebrant's personal belongings, some books and magazines written and edited by him. Delivering speeches at the exhibition opening were Sergey Janovsky, the CFR Chess Museum's curator Dmitry Oleinikov (the album's author in honor of Averbakh), a writer Vladimir Linder, journalists Evgeny Atarov and Stanislav Zhelezny, a publisher Murad Amannazarov, and WGM Galina Strutinskaia. They unanimously praised Yuri Averbakh's diverse talents and his outstanding human qualities: compassion, wisdom, and kindness.  

The 13th world champion Garry Kasparov, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, and GM Igor Zaitsev congratulated the birthday celebrant by video messages.  

The Chess Federation of Russia congratulates Yuri Lvovich Averbakh on his 100th anniversary one more time! We wish you good health, well-being, and more creative achievements to come!

Pictures by Chess-content Production, Sergey Janovsky, and Vladimir Barsky