9 June 2015
Angel Sings for the Winners
Boris Dolmatovsky and Mikhail Arkhangelsky review the event devoted to the 70th Anniversary of World War II Victory.
The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration hosted a traditional annual Winners Tournament, organized by the RCF Seniors Commission. This time it was devoted to the 70th Anniversary of World War II Victory. Interest to this event, which always turns into a festive meeting of friends, grew in this anniversary year. Besides veterans from Moscow and Moscow region, it was also attended by representatives of St. Petersburg (about ten players), Kaluga, Yaroslavl, Tver Region, Lipetsk Region, Republic of Bashkortostan, Stavropol Region, Samara and even Sakhalin Region - battle-front veteran Nikolai Stepanovich Naumov, the oldest participant (96 years), came exactly from Sakhalin. All in all, the Winners Tournament included 14 veterans of the Second World War, including victims of the Leningrad Siege.
Faithful companion of Russian seniors Galina Lvovna Dvorkovich
Ivan Ivanovich Slusarenko from Moscow showed the best result among veterans of the Second World War and received a trophy.
In the men's event, attended by more than 120 seniors, there were several titled players, including such prominent grandmasters as Evgeny Vasiukov, Yury Balashov, and Igor Zaitsev.In the end four players tied for the first: GM Evgeny Sveshnikov, IM Evgeny Kalegin, IM Evgeny Dragomaretsky, and candidate master (not Evgeny!) Vladimir Skorodumov. They all got 7/9 and were placed in the aforementioned order according to Buchholz system. 5th-11th places with 6.5 points were shared by O. Zilbert, A. Nikitin, E. Goltsman, N. Mishuchkov, A. Provotorov, V. Voevodin, and I. Zaitsev.
Participants of the women's event also got their prizes. GM Elena Fatalibekova took a sole victory - 7.5/8! Galina Strutinskaia finished second, Tatiana Bogumil got the bronze, both scoring 6 points. L. Khropova, N. Titorenko, and G. Melnik got 5.5. A group of participants was half a point behind, including a famous Olympic champion Valentina Yakovlevna Kozlovskaya.
Before the start a young singer Ksenia Angel gave joy to veterans singing patriotic songs. At the closing ceremony, Evgeny Andreevich Vasiukov, a representative of Serniors Commission, handed traditional gifts from "Biblio-Globus" (CEO B.S. Esenkin), chocolate sweets from A.N. Chulkov and "64" magazines.
Photos by Boris Dolmatovsky, text by Mikhail Arkhangelsky
