A Chess Bridge Between Russia and Thailand
On October 5 in Bangkok, Chulalongkorn University hosted a meeting as part of the international project “Chess Diplomacy in Russian Houses”
The event was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo with support from the Moscow Region Chess Federation, the Sergey Karjakin’s Chess Clubs, the Embassy of Russia in Thailand, Chulalongkorn University and the Partner Russian House “Diplomat”.
In a single day students learned about the history of the Russian chess school, took part in a masterclass and played against a Russian master!
Russian chess player and coach, Candidate Master Ilya Durkin, told students about the development of chess in Russia and the contribution made by domestic players to global chess culture. He paid special attention to the sixth World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik, the twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov and the World Rapid and Blitz Champion Sergey Karjakin. After this brief historical overview, participants moved on to practical work: together they analyzed chess openings, the basic principles of play in the opening phase and key decisions that can shape the further course of the game.
The session continued at real chessboards – though one of the opponents was thousands of kilometers away. Students played an online simultaneous exhibition against FIDE Master Mikhail Korovin, head of the Sergey Karjakin’s Online School. Korovin is a former Russian Youth Rapid Chess Champion (under 16) and now works as a coach, training young players.
But the chess day did not end there. After the simultaneous exhibition, the students themselves played several rapid games. The tournament was arbitrated by Veniamin Yarkin, Counselor at the Embassy of Russia in Thailand and a third-category chess arbiter. Coordination support was provided by Jamie, coordinator of international projects of the Moscow Region Chess Federation in Thailand.
Winners received commemorative gifts from the Rossotrudnichestvo office in Thailand and the Moscow Region Chess Federation.
“Chess has always held a special place in Russia’s intellectual tradition. Here, it is not enough simply to know how the pieces move: you must be able to sacrifice a pawn for initiative, recognize a threat behind a seemingly quiet move, dare to play a gambit, and already in the opening think ahead to the endgame. Every move is a decision. Every decision has consequences. Chess teaches you to look several moves ahead, consider various possibilities, maintain concentration under pressure, and, most importantly, take responsibility for your choices. That is precisely why chess becomes a lesson for life,” noted Alexander Sidorov, representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Thailand.
Chess sets for the tournament were provided by the Partner Russian House “Diplomat” in Pattaya. Since 2025, a Sergey Karjakin’s Chess Club has been operating on its premises, and in August 2026, another such club opened in Phuket. Thus, a whole network of venues is gradually emerging in Thailand where people can play chess, learn, and engage with Russian chess culture.