The winner of the main tournament of the 2016 Moscow Open RSSU Cup told about his way to success in the conversation with Eteri Kublashvili. 

- Yura, congratulations on the victory! What can you tell about your performance?

- I am very glad with the tournament, I succeeded in passing smoothly through it, without any breakdowns. It’s quite a rare event in my practical activity, unfortunately. In spite of this fact, some weak spots were discovered, in particular, a bad position I received in the game with Artyom Timofeev. It means there is much to do about the beginning with the black and a number of other aspects. 

Monday the final tournament of the program of the 12th International RSSU Cup, the 2016 Moscow Open – RSSU Cup in blitz chess was held. All wishing to participate could do it. as a result 218 players took the start.

Young grandmaster from Omsk Vladislav Artemiev with 8 points in 9 rounds became the winner of the competition. two more participants showed the same result. They are international master from Moscow Vladimir Seliverstov and grandmaster from Ukraine Eldar Gasanov, but according to the additional index they won second and third places correspondingly.

Denis Khismatullin (Ufa) and Daniil Linchevsky (Leningrad region) remained half a step behind the medal winners.

Final review commentator Alexander Kalinin dedicated to the game, which has become decisive in determining the winner of the Russian Cup Moscow Open 2016 stage.

Exciting tournament race with the constant change of leaders finished with the triumph of the young chess players from Moscow – grandmaster Urii Eliseev and FIDE master (!) Dmitry Gordievsky! Additional index allowed Urii Eliseev to celebrate the victory. We will finish our creative sketches with the game of the 2016 Moscow Open winner.

The representative of the Russian National Team Anastasia Bodnaruk clinched victory in the 2016 Moscow Open Women’s Cup of Russia stage, confirming the status of the ranking favorite of the competition. In 9 games the player from St. Petersburg managed to score 7,5 points and outran two chess players with the same result according to the additional index. Swaminathan Soumya from India won a silver medal. We should also mark the success of the 14-year-old Alexandra Obolentseva from Moscow, who won the bronze medal.

Baira Kovanova (Saratov), Stavroula Tsovlakidou (Greece) and Irina Utiatskaja (Moscow) remained one step behind the medal winners.

Urii Eliseev from Moscow was ranked first in the Moscow Open Men’s Cup of Russia stage. He scored 7,5 of possible 9 points. Another chess player from the capital of Russia Dmitry Gordievsky scored the same number of points, but he became second according to the additional index. We should mark that both chess players are 19 years old.

In the final round Eliseev was playing with the black and defeated Gergel Antaly (Hungary), Gordievsky with the white outplayed Ernesto Inarkiev (Moscow).

The bronze medal was won by the ranking favorite of the tournament Anton Korobov, who scored 7 points. 

Vladimir Kachar with 7,5 of possible 9 points became the winner of the RSSU Veterans’ Cup. In the final round the champion gained a plus as his rival grandmaster Evgeny Sveshnikov was more than a half an hour late to the start of the game.

International master Anatoly Kremenetsky, grandmaster Evgenii Vasiukov, FIDE master Victor Cherny, international masters Vladimir Kozlov (all from Moscow) and Evgeny Kalegin (Ufa), as well as FIDE master Evgeny Ilyushkin (Samara) were half a point behind the winner.

According to the additional index Kremenetsky became a silver medalist and Vasiukov won the bronze.

According to the result of the RSSU Amateurs’ Cup with the participation of more than 350 chess players FIDE master Pavel Toropov (Republic of Tatarstan), Grigory Malyshev (Pskov region) and FIDE master Kirill Shubin (St. Petersburg) scored 8 of 9 possible points. 

According to the additional index Toropov became the winner of the tournament, the silver belongs to Malyshev. Shubin is awarded with the bronze medal. Sergey Galakhov (Ukraine), Vitaly Kovalev (Tomsk) and Arnold Minasyan (Armenia) scored 7,5 points.

We should remind you, the Tournament C is the qualification competition to the World Amateur Chess Championships that will be held in Eretria, Greece in the period between April 18 and 26, 2016.

The permanent commentator of the Moscow Open festival grandmaster Alexander Kalinin answered the questions of the website editor Eldar Mukhametov.

-Alexander, how many years have you been working for the festival already?
- I don’t remember exactly, but it seems like it’s my seventh year.

- What can you tell about the course of struggle in the main tournaments of the festival?
- This year, especially in the beginning of the distance young chess players set the fashion. The performance demonstrated by Urii Eliseev and Alexandra Obolentseva leaves a pleasant impression. As for the creative part of struggle, being a commentator I can’t complain about the absence of work, there is enough interesting material. 

February 5 & 6 the seminar for organizers, teachers, post-secondary employees and college teachers was organized within the frames of the RSSU Cup under the guidance of the President of the International Chess Union, Director of the festival Alexander Kostiev.

The seminar with the participation of 12 teachers, including the representatives of Kazakhstan, was held in the form of lectures. According to the words of Alexander, “the main idea of such seminars – to get teachers acquainted with the main existing principles of chess education in school. There are a lot of textbooks and books by different authors, and teachers are not always aware, what book to choose or ask questions on some certain guidelines.”

In the Round 8 Alexander Kalinin again selected the duel of the leaders of the Men’s Cup of Russia event.

The leader was changed in the main tournament. The winner of the last Moscow Open tournament grandmaster Ernesto Inarkiev took the lead. He’s been chased by six more participants – an exciting finish is waiting for us. We offer the central game of the Round 8 to your attention.  

Saturday, Feb 6 the Ceremony Closing of the competitions for school champions and students was held in the RSSU assembly hall. The competitions were run during 9 days within the frames of the 2016 Moscow Open festival.

Director of the Department of the state policy in the sphere of education of children and youth of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Alexander Stradze, the RSSU Rector, Doctor of economic sciences, President of the National Student Chess League Natalia Pochinok and President of the International School Chess Union, Director of the 2016 Moscow Open RSSU Cup Alexander Kostiev took part in the ceremony. They addressed the audience with the speeches.

One round before the finish the leader was substituted again in the 2016 Moscow Open Men’s Cup of Russia stage, held these days in the RSSU. The new leader is the winner of the last tournament Ernesto Inarkiev. Today in the Round 8 he won over Artyom Timofeev from Kazan and scored 7 points.

Six chess players are following the leader: Anton Korobov and Alexander Moskalenko (both from Ukraine), Artyom Timofeev (Kazan), Urii Eliseev and Dmitry Gordievsky (both from Moscow).

It’s hard to predict the winner of the Women’s Cup of Russia event.

GM Alexander Kalinin continues to introduce us to the brightest games of a certain game day.

- In the Round 7 of the Men’s Cup of Russia stage the leader was substituted. Now the race is headed by the grandmaster from Kazan Atryom Timofeev, who won over the hero of the previous part of the competition Urii Eliseev. The central game of the round turned to be exceptionally bright and fascinating, and we thank both grandmasters for it!