Chess diplomacy in the Russian way

10 Russian houses will open Sergey Karjakin’s chess clubs in the near future

On September 22 a start of a new huge international project was started in Moscow. It was called “Chess diplomacy in Russian houses”. The initiative is realized by Rossotrudnichestvo and Sergey Karjakin’s chess club under the support of the Moscow Region Chess Federation. The major goal is to develop the Russian chess movement and strengthen cultural ties between countries and nations.

The start of the project was marked by a press conference in the international press center of “Rossiya Segodnya” (“Russia Today”). The participants included the Russian senator, multiple world champion, the Moscow Region Chess Federation president Sergey Karjakin, “Rossotrudnichestvo” director Evgeny Primakov, the project manager of “Sergey Karjakin’s chess clubs” and “Chess diplomacy” projects, the MRCF executive director Albert Minnullin while the Russian ambassador in Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova joined online alongside with the leaders of the Russian houses in Kazakhstan, Jordan, Tanzania, India and Hungary together with the leading managers of Sergey Karjakin’s chess clubs in Tatarstan and Mariy-El republics.

The chess clubs from the first wave of the project will be opened in Hungary, Egypt, Zambia, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mauritus, Tadjikistan, Tanzania and Chile. The list will be constantly completed by new countries.

“We can say that this is a brand new chapter in the development of the Russian chess school. This brings it to an international arena. And I am glad that it is done using the Russian houses that unite people. The idea didn’t show up at once. It started two and a half years ago when me and my team started managing the Moscow Region Chess Federation. Then we understood that one single region is too small for us and we launched a federal project and opened 80 chess clubs carrying my name all over the country and now we are opening chess clubs in other countries as well.

The Moscow Region Chess Federation will provide methodology support, the club work standard, educational programs and chess inventory. It is planned that I will perform international simultaneous games, tournaments and educational events” – Sergey Karjakin said.

“Opening chess clubs on the base of Russian houses is most essential and reasonable thing that we can offer in the year of 100-years anniversary of the people’s diplomacy” – commented Evgeny Primakov. 

“We are launching a new international stage – Sergey Karjakin’s chess clubs will start working abroad. The Russian houses will become the centers where chess will unite children, families alongside with Russian speaking and local people. This is not just chess development but also strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties of Russia and friendly countries. Each country was chosen on purpose: there’s an interest toward chess everywhere and firm cultural ties with Russia.

We have already signed memorandums of cooperation with chess federations of Thailand, Columbia, Togo, South Africa, Myanmar, Laos. We have already prepared the memorandums with chess federations from Mali, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Costa-Rica. We have opened Sergey Karjakin’s chess club in the main building of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the support of the Council of young diplomats. There were many tournaments and simultaneous games organized. We have supported an online lecture performed by the 12-th world champion Anatoly Karpov during the World Youth Chess Olympiad in Colombia. Today the First Buddhist chess tournament ended in Elista”, – said Albert Minnullin.

“In September 2025 the Russian house in Kazakhstan opened a chess club. We have found those who want to play and formed three groups: beginner kids, beginner adults and professional players. A local coach was found. Gulzhan Nurpeisova is a candidate master, a member of Kazakhstan chess federation, teacher and psychologist. In October 2025 we are planning to open Sergey Karjakin’s chess club in Astana” – said the manager of the Russian house in Kazakhstan Olga Filonova.

On June 2025 during the opening ceremony of a traditional chess tournament in the Russian house in Lusaka the president of Zambian Chess Federation Leslie Chikuse mentioned a big help of the Soviet Union in chess popularization in Zambia, the role of Russian chess books that helped to bring up a generation of Zambian chess players and thanked modern Russia for the development of chess movement abroad. He also showed his interest toward seminars and trainings performed by the Russian grandmasters alongside with tournaments together with methodology support.

“On the name of all chess amateurs in Zambia and these are not only ethnic peoples of Zambia, but also chess players with Indian and Chinese origin, the Russian compatriots would like to express their gratitude for the attention towards this African country where we keep the memory about the Soviet Union and connect the further development of chess with modern Russia”, shared her thoughts the leader of the Russian house in Zambia Svetlana Kovaleva.  

After the press conference Sergey Karjakin offered Evgeny Primakov his signed memorable chess board. Such boards will be sent to all Russian houses where Sergey Karjakin’s chess clubs will be opened.