Russian Championship Superfinals Opens in Satka

Lots are drawn.

 
The Opening Ceremony of the Superfinals of 71st Russian men's championship and 68th Russian women's championship took place on August 24th in the Magnezit Palace of Culture in Satka, Chelyabinsk Region. 

The ceremony started with a theatrical and musical performance which represented the history of Satka and its connection with chess. Young dancers accompanied by chorus “replayed” a game Larsen – Spassky, 1970, on a gigantic chess board.

A film about Chess in Museums program and representations of participants were shown on a big screen, as well as video congratulations from the legendary 10th World Champion Boris Spassky and the RCF President Andrey Filatov.

Boris Dubrovsky, Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, Mark Glukhovsky, Executive Direcor of the Russian Chess Federation, and Maria Morozova, Director General of Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation, delivered speeches at the Opening Ceremony.  

Chief arbiter IA Vladimir Staratorzhskiy held the drawing of lots. The players got the following starting numbers: 

Men:

1. Dmitry Andreikin, 2. Mikhail Kobalia, 3. Dmitry Jakovenko, 4. Ian Nepomniachtchi, 5. Alexey Sarana, 6. Grigoriy Oparin, 7. Ernesto Inarkiev, 8. Daniil Dubov, 9. Nikita Vitiugov, 10. Evgeny Tomashevsky, 11. Vladimir Fedoseev, 12. Denis Khismatullin

Round 1 pairings:

Andreikin - Khismatullin, Kobalia - Fedoseev, Jakovenko - Tomashevsky, Nepomniachtchi – Vitiugov, Sarana - Dubov, Oparin - Inarkiev

Women:

1. Anastasia Bodnaruk, 2. Oksana Gritsayeva, 3. Alisa Galliamova, 4. Valentina Gunina, 5. Alina Kashlinskaya, 6. Elena Tomilova, 7. Natalija Pogonina, 8. Aleksandra Goryachkina, 9. Anastasiya Protopopova, 10. Alexandra Kosteniuk, 11. Olga Girya, 12. Polina Shuvalova

Round 1 pairings:

Badnaruk - Shuvalova, Gritsayeva - Girya, Galliamova - Kosteniuk, Gunina - Protopopova, Kashlinskaya - Goryachkina, Tomilova – Pogonina

The organizers are the Russian Chess Federation, Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation, Government of Chelyabinsk Oblast, and Magnezit Group. The competition is also supported by Renault Russia Company, Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System (FGC UES), and PhosAgro. Logistics partner of the Russian Chess Federation is Russian Post.

Total prize fund is 9,000,000 roubles. Besides, the winners of both men's and women's tournaments will also receive a special prize – bright and stylish city crossover Renault Kaptur. 

The tournaments are round-robin events with 11 rounds. The match days: August 25-30 and September 1-5. Free day - August 31. The rounds start at 1 p.m. (Moscow time), the final 11th round begins at 11 a.m. (Moscow time).

Tournament page

Tournament on Chess-Results (Men)

Tournament on Chess-Results (Women)