RUSSIAN CHESS FEDERATION PRESIDENT AWARDED ORDER OF THE LEGION OF HONOUR

On March 2, 2016, His Excellency Mr. Jean-Maurice Ripert, Ambassador of France in Russia, presented Andrey Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, with the Legion of Honor. The award ceremony took place in the building of the first chess museum in Russia, located at 14 Boulevard Gogol in Moscow.

The decree on conferring the title of Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor to Andrey Filatov was earlier signed by the President of the French Republic François Hollande. The President of the Russian Chess Federation has received the distinction for his contribution to development of bilateral relations between Russia and France. He became the first representative of the Russian sports world to be awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor.

His Excellency Mr. Jean-Maurice Ripert said he was «pleased to present the award, which symbolizes France’s appreciation for an individual working on the rapprochement between our countries and our peoples. The Order of the Legion of Honor is the most prestigious award, established to reward eminent merit for the French nation, and you rightfully deserve this distinction. Your personal and professional life testifies to this.»

«This is a great honor for me», says Andrey Filatov. «I am deeply grateful for this distinction and I am aware that it is above all a reward for the projects in the field of culture and sports. Therefore, I am also very grateful to all those who were essential to the implementation of those projects: my colleagues at the Russian Chess Federation and the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the staff of the Embassy of France in Russia, representatives of the French authorities, as well as organizations that provided massive support to the organization of the Alekhine Memorial in the Louvre, the chess tournament in Normandy and many other projects This high distinction rewards our work and creates a strong incentive to develop new projects in the fields of sport, culture and economy.»

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Andrey Filatov is President of the Russian Chess Federation and member of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFR) Economic Council of French and Russian Enterprises. Mr. Filatov was the initiator and one of the sponsors of the «Alekhine Memorial» International Chess Tournament held in 2013 in the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. In 2003, he financed restoration in Paris of the tombstone of Alexander Alekhine, the famous chess player and the first world champion of Russian origin. In the framework of 2014 celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the landing of allied troops in Normandy, held in Caen (capital of Lower Normandy, France), the Russian Chess Federation organized a simultaneous chess game between the 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov and members of the European Youth Parliament and the leading chess players of the Caen Chess Club.

In 2010, as part of the Year of France in Russia and Russia in France, Filatov supported the exhibition Napoleon and the Louvre held in the Moscow State Historical Museum, as well as the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in France, held in Paris. As part of his publishing project Russia and France, a number of milestone literary and historical works of Russian writers have been translated into French and distributed to public and university libraries in France. In February 2013, under the auspices of the CCIFR, Andrey Filatov became a party to the agreement with the Louvre Museum, envisaging support by Russian entrepreneurs for the development of new Russian art exhibition in the famous museum. In May 2015, Andrey Filatov was awarded the UNESCO Five Continents Medal for his contribution to international cooperation in the field of culture, and the efforts to preserve historical heritage.

The Order of the Legion of Honor is a French national decoration, established by Napoleon Bonaparte on May 19, 1802, similarly to the orders of knighthood. The Order of the Legion of Honor is the highest distinction and symbol of honor and official recognition of special merit in France. The distinction is conferred by decree of the President of the French Republic for eminent merit in military or civil life.

Russian Chess Federation (RCF) is a public non-profit organization that brings together individuals and chess federation of republics, territories, regions, federal cities, autonomous regions and autonomous areas of the Russian Federation. RCF activities are aimed at the development and popularization of chess in the Russian Federation. RCF was established on February 15, 1992. The management bodies of the Russian Chess Federation are the Congress and the Supervisory Board of the Russian Chess Federation. The Board of Trustees of the Russian Chess Federation is a collegial advisory and consultative body, acting on a voluntary basis.

RCF organizes the annual nationwide «White Castle» Children’s Chess Tournament for Schools, the Russian Chess Championship and numerous other chess competitions. The Federation’s «Chess in Museums» initiative has been running successfully in Russia since 2012.

RCF initiates and implements chess development programs, including those targeting children, and promotes expansion of the network of chess clubs and sections in the regions. RCF manages individual and team competitions in Russia, organizes participation of Russian players in international competitions, promotes Russian chess in the international arena, and develops sporting links with national chess federations, national and international organizations, including FIDE.