Lysyj and Gunina Win Russia’s Chess Super Finals

Lysyj and Gunina Win Russia’s Chess Super Finals held in the Khazine
National Art Gallery
7 December 2014

The Russian Chess Super Finals 2014 concluded with the victory of Igor Lysyj in the open tournament and the triumph of Valentina Gunina, who won the women’s tournament and retained her title. The tournaments were hosted in the halls of the Khazine National Art Gallery, situated in the heart of Kazan’s Kremlin, and were the latest events in the international “Chess in Museums” programme.

Andrey Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, said: “This year’s Super Finals in the Khazine Gallery in Kazan have yet again showcased Russia’s outstanding chess talent. I am particularly glad that as part of the “Chess in Museums” programme we were able once more to combine chess and art by bringing the tournaments to some of the world’s leading museums. In 2012 the FIDE match was held in the Tretyakov gallery and last year the Alekhine Memorial was held in both the Louvre and the Russian Museum. This amalgamation not only provides an impressive backdrop to the dramatic chess matches, but also brings new audiences to the worlds of both chess and art.”

The Super Finals are the ultimate individual competition between Russia’s strongest chess players. The 67th Open tournament attracted a host of outstanding players including: Sergey Karjakin (2770), Dmitry Yakovenko (2745), Dmitry Yakovenko (2745), Petr Svindler (2743), Nikita Vitiugov (2738), Alexander Morozevich (2724), Ian Nepomniachtchi (2714), Igor Lysyj (2686), Denis Khismatullin (2679), Boris Grachev (2669), and Vadim Zvyagintsev (2655).

The 64th Women’s tournament brought together many players at the top of their game including: Alexandra Kostenyuk (2541), Valentina Gunina (2522), Natalia Pogonina (2480), Alisa Galliamova (2471), Olga Giria (2457), Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (2439), Alina Kashlinskaya (2439), Alexandra Goriachkina (2438), Anastasia Bodnaruk (2411), and Oksana Gritsaeva (2335).

“Chess in Museums” is an international programme, created by the Russian Chess Federation jointly with the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation. The idea was first realised in 2012, when the State Tretyakov Gallery hosted the FIDE World Chess Championship match with the support of Andrey Filatov and Gennady Timchenko.

In 2013, the Russian Chess Federation together with the Timchenko Foundation organised the Alekhine Memorial chess at the Louvre in Paris and the Russian Museum in St Petersburg. Later that year, Russia’s Super Final was hosted in the principal museums of Nizhny Novgorod. Chess is a unique game, closely linked to culture and history, and the “Chess in Musems” programme aims to highlight this strong connection. Merging sport and culture, the organisers have found an original format: to host chess tournaments at the world’s leading museums.

The Super Final was hosted in the Kazan Kremlin, at the Khazine National Art Gallery, a branch of the Republic of Tatarstan’s State Museum of Fine Arts. The museum was created in 1958 from the fine art gallery of the State Museum of Tatarstan and is now one of Russia’s largest regional museums. Khazine National Art Gallery was opened in 2005 at the former cadet academy in the Kazan Kremlin, during the celebrations of the city’s 1000th anniversary. Khazine currently boasts a full exposition of fine art from Tatarstan, including works by Nicolai Fechin and other alumni of the Kazan Art School. The Super Final matches took place in the halls permanently dedicated to the works of Fechin.