In the beginning of glorious deeds
The Moscow Region Chess Federation (MRCF) has signed Memorandum of cooperation with the Chess Association of the Kingdom of Thailand, whose delegation arrived for the historic Buddhist tournament
On September 19th, the first Buddhist chess tournament “Spirit of Dharma” opens in Elista, alongside with the III International Buddhist Forum. In addition to teams from the main Buddhist regions of Russia – Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva – teams from Thailand, Myanmar, India, Laos, Nepal, and the Philippines will participate in the competition.
The competition includes individual and team tournaments in rapid and blitz chess. Each country’s team consists of one chess professional, one female representative and one amateur, most of whom are heads of their chess federations. Several chess players from each country can participate in the individual competition.
Thailand has the largest representation of foreign athletes. Led by the President of the Chess Association of Thailand, Sahaphol Nakvanich, a team of six people arrived in Russia, including experienced players who have repeatedly participated in regional and continental championships, as well as World Chess Olympiads.
On September 17, alongside with the start of the black-and-white battles, Sergey Karjakin, Senator of the Russian Federation, President of the Moscow Region Chess Federation, multiple-time world champion, and Sahaphol Nakvanich,President of the Chess Association of the Kingdom of Thailand and President of the ASEAN Chess Confederation, have signed a Memorandum of cooperation between the two federations in Moscow.
Commenting on the signing, Sergey Karjakin emphasized: «Thailand is a special country for me and for the MRCF. It was from here that we began our international chess cooperation, which we are proud of and make considerable efforts to develop. To date, we have established close ties with many friendly Asian and African countries. Almost every month, we take tangible steps forward in this direction, reaching out to interact with new regions. That is why we must always remember where it all began. Even before the conclusion of the Memorandum, the Federation conducted active humanitarian cooperation with Thailand. On June 20, I held a simultaneous game session for talented juniors from this country, which generated a great positive response. I am confident that with such engagement demonstrated by both sides, future cooperation will be meaningful and fruitful. I am very glad that the visit to Russia of our friends from Thailand has taken place! I wholeheartedly wish them success at the tournament!»
The document contains a wide range of issues related to future cooperation in several chess areas, including participation in joint online and offline tournaments, training young talents from Thailand by Russian coaches, and improving the qualifications of chess teachers and current athletes. The Memorandum is not only a roadmap for future interaction but also a clear plan of action for the near future.
Commenting on the signing, Sahaphon Nawkwanit emphasized: «When I received the invitation to come to Elista with a team, I was very happy. For chess players from Thailand, this is not only an excellent opportunity to improve their level, but also a chance to learn more about Russia, enjoy the beauty of Moscow and Kalmykia. Besides, it is a very beautiful autumn now! I am deeply convinced that only cooperation can move any endeavor forward, and this tournament in Elista, the support from the Moscow Region Chess Federation, the genuinely friendly atmosphere that greeted us in Russia – all this, without any doubt, will contribute to the qualitative growth of the skill of chess players from Thailand. We want to learn and are happy to learn from the best. We very much hope to take more from the cooperation that we will develop after the conclusion of the Memorandum. Thank you for the opportunity to come to Russia for such a wonderful tournament! And I would also like to separately thank the Russian Embassy in Thailand, thanks to which it was possible to prepare and sign the Memorandum in a short time!»
It is worth noting that chess players from Thailand have already visited Moscow in February 2024 to participate in the Open Superfinal of the Moscow Region Championship. For some of them, this chess tournament will be the second on Russian soil.
In turn, the President of the Chess Association of Thailand, Sahaphon Nakvanich, is visiting our country already in the status of President of the ASEAN Chess Confederation, to which he was elected in September 2024.