Karpov Chess School marked its eleventh year

Anatoly Karpov International School of Chess
106 South Main, Lindsborg, KS 67456
www.anatolykarpovchessschool.org
 
Release: Immediately
Contact: Irwin “Wes” Fisk – 785-342-1009
Or fisk@anatolykarpovchessschool.org
2013 Karpov Chess School Recap
 
The Karpov Chess School marked its eleventh year by engaging in several firsts: The first time a group of Russian students attended the Karpov summer chess camp; the first time a Karpov school director traveled to Russia to compete in a chess tournament; and the first time the president of the Karpov Chess School addressed students at a Russian university. “I think this has been an incredible year for the Karpov Chess School,” said Marck R. Cobb, president of the International Chess School of the Midwest (ICIM). ICIM owns and operates the school.

Gabriel Purdy, manager of the chess school recently returned from his trip to the 1000 year-old city of Yaroslavl, Russia, where he interacted with chess players at the Demidov State University, which has over 7,800 students. “Several of students from Demidov State University attended our summer camp in Lindsborg, and they invited me to visit their university,” said Gabriel Purdy, manager of the Karpov Chess School. “They will return to our chess camp next summer, so I think this is a good opportunity to promote a bond of friendship and understanding between us.”
 
“Yaroslavl has a population of 600,000 and is called, ‘The City of Churches’, named for its many churches.” said Purdy. While in Yaroslavl, Purdy participated in an international tournament in which he tied for second place out of the 40 players who participated. It turns out chess wasn’t the only thing on their minds. The students, upon discovering that Purdy played football, suddenly were asking him to give them some pointers on American football. Purdy became somewhat of a celebrity when the television crew from Yaroslavl interviewed him.

Earlier this year, several Karpov School students played chess with the Demidov students via the Internet. Additionally, Grandmaster Var Akobian played a simultaneous exhibition with the Demidov students.
 
President Marck R. Cobb also traveled to Yaroslavl and lectured the students at Demidov University on “The Game of Business and Chess.”

“I basically compared the conservative and analytical thinking of Anatoly Karpov with the business thinking of former IBM president Thomas Watson, Jr. I further compared the creative but risky thinking of Bobby Fischer to that of Steve Jobs,” said Cobb.

Manager Purdy, in cooperation with the Virtual School, established a successful online chess course for Kansas students. Purdy also teaches two students from Singapore.

In March, Purdy and Cobb took two four-person teams to Chicago to compete in the Intercontinental Chess Teams Championship, which was sponsored by former Lindsborg resident Mikhail Korenman. Three Russian teams and nine other U.S. teams participated. Team Lindsborg placed third in the under 16 division.
 
In May, Grandmaster Timur Gareev, the youngest Grandmaster ever, from Asia, came to Lindsborg. Many Grandmasters can play a few games blindfolded, but Gareev is among those who have the amazing ability to carry on dozens of games in his mind while blindfolded. Marc Lang, who set the record of 46 games in Germany, holds the world’s record. Gareev successfully played 40 opponents in Lindsborg while blindfolded. Although it was not a world record, it was a U.S. record.

In June, Grandmaster Var Akobian taught at the Karpov summer chess camp. Six students traveled from Yaroslavl, Russia to attend the camp. “This was the first time students from Russia attended one of our summer camps,” said Marck Cobb. “Previously, we have had students from Canada, but these are the first from Russia.”

The chess school concluded its activities with the annual Lindsborg Open Chess Tournament that was held on December 13 in Lindsborg.

Additional information about the Karpov Chess School can be found at www.anatolykarpovchessschool.org or the Karpov Chess School on Facebook.