World champion Anatoly Karpov has opened the Titan Cup dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the first space flight

SVERDLOVSK REGION

 

One of the largest children's stages of the Russian Chess Cup, the Titan Cup, has opened in Verkhnyaya Salda. This year, the first round of the national stage is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's pioneering space flight. The prize fund of the tournament is 500,000 rubles.

 

The tournament attracted almost 500 chess players from 27 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including representatives from the Donetsk People's Republic, Perm Territory, the Vladimir, Orenburg, Kaluga, and Chelyabinsk regions, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, and others. The delegation representing the Sverdlovsk Region stood as the largest featuring 175 high-rated chess players, the organizers reported to RusBusinessNews.

"It is truly gratifying to see how these intellectual challenges draw such significant participation and continue to popularize this sport across the Middle Urals and throughout Russia. It's worth noting that, along with cash prizes, winners and runners-up of the tournament will be awarded distinctive cups and medals crafted from aeronautics-grade titanium, the material globally used in every civil aircraft," said Denis Pasler, Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region.

 

Anatoly Karpov, the twelfth World Champion, International Grandmaster, State Duma Deputy, and member of the United Russia faction, sent a welcome telegram to the young chess players. Furthermore, he thanked VSМPO-AVISMA, Empathy Charitable Foundation, and personally Mikhail Shelkov (shareholder of the corporation) for their comprehensive support in promoting a healthy lifestyle and advancing chess in the Sverdlovsk Region. The remarkable fact is that the Chess Federation of Russia has declared 2026 the Year of Anatoly Karpov in honor of his 75th birthday.

 

"In chess, just as in life, it's very important to strike a balance between respecting the rules and embracing spontaneous improvisation. Those who skillfully integrate analytical thinking and creative energy tend to achieve the best results. I wish the athletes a winning chain of right choices. May your intuition manifest to the greatest extent and guide you to winning moves," gave his good wishes Mikhail Shelkov, shareholder of VSMPO-AVISMA and founder of the Empathy Foundation.

Dmitry Trifonov, CEO of VSMPO-AVISMA, noted that the Titan Cup organizers, the Chess Federation of the Sverdlovsk Region, the corporation, and the Empathy Charitable Foundation, are striving to make sure the competition is held at a high level.

 

"In collaboration with Mikhail Shelkov's (shareholder of VSMPO-AVISMA) Empathy Charitable Foundation, we are deeply committed to fostering children's chess. Our corporate chess club can boast a winner of the Asian Chess Championships, a bronze medalist of the World Chess Solving Championship, and a winner of the Russian Championship. I'm talking about Aleksey Prokhorov and Maria Kleshcheva. They gained crucial experience at competitions just like the Titan Cup," he reminded.

 

Young chess players will strive to win in the Boys and Girls Under-9, 11, 13, and 15 age categories. The Children's Cup program, which is part of the annual calendar of the Chess Federation of Russia and the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, consists of eight tournaments. Follow the link to watch the live broadcast of the competition. Commentary on the games is provided by Candidate Master of Sports and popular blogger Maya Porozhnyak.