Central House of Chess Player Reopens in Moscow

Many VIP guests attended the ceremony.

Following a major renovation, the Central House of Chess Player was reopened on December 23 in Moscow. 

The legendary club that celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, was rebuilt with a help and support of Moscow Government. 

The ceremony was attended by a number of VIP guests, including Sergey Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, Chairman of RCF Board of Trustees and Press-Secretary of the Russian President, Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Government, metropolitan Ilarion, bishop of Russian Orthodox Church, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President, Andrey Filatov, RCF President, FIDE Vice-President, Yunus-bek Evkurov, Republic of Ingushetia President, Alexander Zhukov, Deputy Speaker of Russian Duma, Gennady Timchenko, founder of Timchenko Charitable Foundation, Andrey Guriev, CEO of PhosAgro, Boris Mints, Chairman of O1 investment group, Vladimir Vorozheikin, Vice-President of Sberbank, General Director of French-Russian Board of Trade and Industry Pavel Shinskij, Eduard Taran, President of RATM Holding, RCF Executive Director Mark Glukhovsky, 64-Chess Review publisher Igor Burshtein, famous director Andrey Konchalovsky, TV producer Tina Kandelki, world's eldest grandmaster Yury Lvovich Averbakh, Vice-World Champions Sergey Karjakin and Boris Gelfand, grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ernesto Inarkiev, Alexander Riazantsev, Sergey Rublevsky, Vladimir Potkin, Sergey Shipov, Yury Dokhoian, Valentina Gunina, Natalia Zhukova, members of RCF Supervisory Board, and many other honored guests. 

They all listened to welcome speeches of Andrey Filatov, Sergey Sobyanin, Arkady Dvorkovich, Dmitry Peskov, metropolitan Ilarion, Yury Averbakh, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, and Sergey Karjakin. 

The ceremony ended with a concert of the world famous pianist Nikolay Lugansky and cellist Boris Andrianov. “Sergey Rachmaninov recited in this building in the past”, said Andrey Filatov, “and now we have Nikolay Lugansky!”

Photos by Vladimir Barsky