Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, together with the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in India, held an educational master class for Indian schoolchildren who are passionate about chess.
Chess as a physical education discipline appeared at the Polytechnic University in 2021. Every semester, chess classes are attended by more than a hundred first- and second-year students. The Polytechnic University Chess Club, named after a university graduate, the first Soviet world champion, grandmaster Mikhail Botvinnik, regularly holds tournaments, including online ones. Our club's Interuniversity project is the largest international online tournament among students in the world (more than 1,000 participants from 20 different countries). The Polytechnic University team is the champion of St. Petersburg and Russia in chess, and winners of the All-Russian Summer Universiade. The honor of the team was defended by FIDE masters, international masters, and grandmaster Kirill Alekseenko, who was a contender for the world chess crown at the time of his studies at the Polytechnic University.
The event, dedicated to the development of Russian-Indian cooperation in the field of education and sports, brought together young chess players from India. The program was rich and informative. Polytechnic University was represented by Pavel Martynov, an international FIDE master and candidate of pedagogical sciences with more than 10 years of experience, speaking via videoconference. He gave the children a remote lecture on how chess develops critical thinking, memory, concentration and strategic planning skills, and shared practical strategies that are useful both at the board and in studies.
The participants of the master class were shown a film about the Polytechnic University. The schoolchildren learned about the history, traditions, modern scientific achievements and the rich student life of the university. The children were reminded that the legendary Mikhail Botvinnik, the 6th world chess champion, the founder of the Soviet chess school, was a graduate of the Electromechanical Faculty of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (now SPbPU) in 1932. This fact aroused keen interest among young Indian chess players, for whom the name Botvinnik is synonymous with chess greatness. The children got acquainted with his biography at a photo exhibition dedicated to outstanding chess players.
The theoretical part smoothly turned into the practical. Pavel Martynov held a session of simultaneous play with the schoolchildren. The children were able to test their strength and apply some of the ideas they heard in practice.
"It is a great honor for the Polytechnic University to continue the traditions established by such giants as Mikhail Botvinnik," noted Pavel Martynov. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to share our developments with young talents of India and strengthen our friendly ties through the universal language of chess. The enthusiasm and level of play of Indian schoolchildren are impressive!"
The Rossotrudnichestvo Representative Office in India expressed gratitude to SPbPU and personally to Pavel Martynov for organizing and holding a highly professional and educational event that promotes the popularization of the Russian language, Russian education and culture, and also strengthens friendship between the youth of the two countries.
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