FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov met with the Nobel Prize winner, Academician Zhores Alferov in Saint Petersburg

On April 8, the head of the World Chess Federation Kirsan Ilyumzhinov visited the Northern capital at the invitation of the Rector of Academic University of RAS, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, academician Zhores Alferov for a meeting with the students and professors of the Academic University Academy of Sciences and other scientific organizations and universities of Saint Petersburg.
The meeting of two prominent public and political figures began with a visit to the scientific laboratories of the National Research Academic University of RAS. The guest got acquainted with the unique research projects of the University. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov noted that Russian scientists today, as before, make a worthy competition to their foreign colleagues.

In the Pushkin Hall of the Academic University, the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov held a press conference for the journalists of the leading mass media of Saint Petersburg. Speaking about the purpose of the visit, Ilyumzhinov said that he could not miss the opportunity to become personally acquainted with the great scientists of today Zhores Ivanovich Alferov, and thank Alferov for his great service to the Fatherland and his huge contribution to the Russian and world science, and note his significant contribution to the popularization of chess in the Academic University.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had a conversation with schoolchildren, students and professors of the Academic University and delivered a lecture on "Chess and modernity." On behalf of the FIDE Presidential Board Kirsan Ilyumzhinov awarded Zhores Alferov a golden badge of FIDE for his personal contribution to the development of chess, thanking for the great educational work. In addition, Zhores Alferov, who played in his time with Boris Spassky, received a gift from the FIDE President- a chess set of the World Chess Federation. In response, Zhores Alferov noted the great contribution of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to the popularization of the ancient game, the significant role of the FIDE President leading the World Chess Federation for more than 20 years.
The winners of the chess tournament held in the Lyceum "Physical-Technical School" of the Academic University got the letters of thanks and chess sets with an autograph of the Candidates Tournament winner Sergey Karjakin. The winners are Elena Petrova, Zahar Yakovlev and Valery Ryzhik. At the end of the meeting, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov expressed his hope that the declared idea of FIDE – a billion of chess players in the world - will become a reality in the near future. The principles of the ancient game "think one step ahead, and then act" will help to avoid many mistakes and establish a dialogue between people, countries and continents.