10 April 2017
Maestro and Chess Players
Boris Dolmatovsky's exhibition opening and album presentation in the report of Eteri Kublashvili.
The presentation of a picture album "Chess through the camera of Boris Dolmatovsky" and an exhibition of the well-known photographer took place on April 6 in the Central House of Chess Player.Even though it is only habitual for Boris Georgievich to never let go of his camera, in this situation he himself was a man of the hours so that no chance of taking a hundred or more pictures ever presented itself to him this time around. However, he still had his camera at hand and ready to go!
Indeed, peers of Boris Dolmatovsky's devoted commitment can be counted with the fingers of your hand. He has been picturing highest level matches and tournaments, celebrities and world champions, and simply anything worthy that came his inquisitive eyes' way for more than 50 years now. Nevertheless, it is never enough for him! There is always some exciting story that he is ready to produce for each of his pictures. Besides, Boris Georgievich has been a many-year employee with the "Transmash" plant, which, however, is a detriment to his hobby by no means at all. By the way, the exhibition gathered quite a number of his co-employees.
A "narrow" circle of Boris Dolmatovsky's friends and relatives, convened at the Central House of Chess Player on the evening of April 6, counted what looked like more than a hundred people. Even the Big Hall failed to admit every attendee. It goes to show what recognition, respect, and success really stand for.
The program hosts were the historian and writer Sergei Voronkov and the editor-in-chief of the RCF website Vladimir Barsky, who narrated about meticulous and lengthy work that had prefaced the "Chess through the camera of Boris Dolmatovsky" album's seeing the light of day.
The evening program heard speeches delivered by President of the Russian Chess Federation and FIDE Vice-president Andrey Filatov, Boris Georgievich's cousin Marina Studentsova, world's oldest grandmaster Yuri Lvovich Averbakh, merited coach of the USSR Alexander Nikitin, grandmaster Yury Balashov, historian Vladimir Linder, department head of the JSC MTZ Transmash Sergey Borisov, as well as by RCF Executive Director Mark Glukhovsky.
Both program hosts Sergey Voronkov, Vladimir Barsky and all guests alike would recall the years of being in touch with Boris Dolmatovsky and his such unique professional and human qualities as kindness, generosity, sociability, and commitment to duty. Vladimir Linder read poems dedicated specifically to the hero of the day.
Boris Georgievich was at first embarrassed by compliments, but then took over to hold the audience with a fascinating story of his creative path and to comment on selected pictures. When describing a picture of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov mounted on a horse, Dolmatovsky congratulated FIDE President on his recent birthday.
At the hero of the evening's suggestion there was announced a minute of silence over victims of the terrorist attack in the metro of St. Petersburg.
Speeches of friends and colleagues were mixed with acts of creative performance. Pieces of music were performed by the Merited Artist of Russia and actor of the Academic Theater of E. Vakhtangov Alexander Pavlov, an old friend of Boris Georgievich's, a pianist Mathew Glukhovsky and grandmaster Maria Manakova.
An official part gradually merged into a lesser formal one, during which guests could indulge in socializing, snacking and playing chess. The "grandmaster of photography", however, was kept busy by having to put signatures to albums of almost every guest present as a queue of those willing would not lessen even by ten o'clock.
A holiday of photography and chess unfolded in an extremely warm and cordial atmosphere. I wish we had more evenings like this! We welcome those who wish to visit the exhibition into the Central House of Chess Player as the exhibition is scheduled to last till July 15.
