Monday in Moscow was rich on chess events, or rather events directly connected to chess.
The meeting with Anna Ushenina planned two weeks ago took place on December 17. The students of the International Center of Chess Education at RGSU were first to see, hear and question the World Champion. Anna prepared a mini lecture for them, in which they've analyzed her 4th round game against Nadezhda Kosintseva.
Most of the questions asked by the future champions after the lecture, made Anna smile.
There were some serious question too. The author of one of them was interested how to improve and win. This is what Anna answered after a short hesitation: "First and foremost you should love chess or your lessons will be a torture; secondly, you should practice a lot in order to lose less, and without preparation losses are inevitable; thirdly - you should believe in yourself, because everything abovementioned is useless without belief in yourself."
Three hours later Anna was welcomed at the Central House of Literature where the Caissa prize for developing chess awarding ceremony was organized. Beau monde of the capital was accompanied by selected music, live saxophone, fragments from the musical Chess translated into Russian as well as delicate dishes and drinks of the traditional Russian cuisine.
First part of the evening was dedicated to awarding ceremony of Caissa 2012 in various categories. Prizes were awarded as follows:
- Best man player of the year - Sergey Karjakin
- Best woman player of the year - Valentina Gunina
- For work in developing and popularization of chess - Anatoly Karpov
- Media persona of the year – Аlexandra Kosteniuk
- "Chess dynasty" – Vladimir Dvorkovich (awarded posthumously), Galina Dvorkovich, Arkady Dvorkovich.
- The event of the year held in Moscow - World Championship Match Anand - Gelfand - Andrei Filatov, Gennady Timchenko
- Most impressive foreign player - Anna Ushenina
Anna Ushenina got her award from Mikhail Gorbachev. Sergey Karjakin thanked everyone from China where he has won the gold medal at the blitz chess part of the World Mind Sports Games.
An exhibition pairs match was held afterwards. In the first encounter the duet of Anna Ushenina and Vladimir Palikhata, the President of the Moscow Chess Federation, played against Valentina Gunina and Alexander Zhukov. In the second game Palikhata together with Gunina played against Ushenina and Ilyumzhinov. First blitz game finished in Gunina - Zhukov's favor, the second game was drawn.
The organizers of the event, the fund "Our Heritage" and Moscow Chess Federation, announced that Caissa award for developing chess would become annual.