Saint Petersburg to Host Russian Championship Superfinals-2017

The competition will be held in December.

The Russian Chess Federation together with Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation announced the results of the bidding for the Russian Championship Superfinals 2017 as part of the Chess in Museums programme. 

The Superfinals of 70th Russian men's championship and 67th Russian women's championship will take place in December 2017.
 
The tournament is a part of the Chess in Museums international programme, carried out by RCF together with the Timchenko Foundation since 2012. During this period, a number of high-level chess competitions were organized in museums: World Chess Championship 2012 took place in the Tretyakov Gallery, Alekhine Memorial – in Louvre (Paris) and Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), Russian Superfinals – in Rukavishnikov Estate (Nizhny Novgorod), State Art Museum of Tatarstan (Kazan), and the Novosibirsk State Museum of Local History (Novosibirsk), all-Russian Higher League competition – in Fort #5 (Kaliningrad), the 10th Tal Memorial – in the Museum of Russian Impressionism. 

«Chess is not only a sport, but also an art. This connection becomes visible in museums, where the beauty of chess games is emphasized by aesthetics of exhibits and interiors. The Chess in Museums programme draws people’s attention to this ancient game, at the same time, demonstrating the cultural riches of Russia. We enjoy the fact that every year the museums of different Russian regions express their wish to become the venue for chess tournaments», says General Director of the Timchenko Foundation Maria Morozova.

On March 23, 2017, the Russian Chess Federation and the Timchenko Foundation announced the bidding for the Russian Superfinals 2017. The deadline for the bids was April 24. 

The applications were sent by the Bryansk Oblast Chess Federation (the offer being to hold the event at the Bryansk Regional Artistic Museum and Exhibition Centre), The Yaroslavl Oblast Chess Federation (Yaroslavl Art Museum), and the Saint Petersburg Chess Federation. The latter suggested four city museums.  

The tender was won by the Saint Petersburg Chess Federation. The important selection criterion is not only an appropriate technological infrastructure of the venue, but also the level of support which the regional federation is ready to give, its contribution to the tournament’s organization and financing. 

The name of the museum, which will host the Russian Championship Superfinals 2017, will be announced later.  

Socially significant events together with a museum constituent are important parts of the Chess in Museums programme. On rest days, the organizers usually carry out master classes and simultaneous exhibitions for children of chess schools and sections, as well as tournaments for chess veterans.