Vladimir Putin will visit Sirius Center in Sochi

Vladimir Kramnik will be a head of Sirius' new chess department

According to the TASS report, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit today the Sirius educational center for gifted children, as they are opening a new development area – chess.

Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik will be a head of the chess department. RCF assisted in developing the curriculum.

The Sirius educational center was established at Mr Putin’s initiative by the Talent and Success Foundation and uses facilities that were originally built for the Sochi Olympics. The centre’s aim is to identify at a young age, nurture and provide further professional support to gifted children from throughout Russia, who show exceptional ability in the arts, sport, science, and technical fields.

The center works year-round and provides free education to 600 children aged 10–17, accompanied by more than 100 teachers and trainers raising their professional qualifications. Teaching is provided by top teachers from schools specializing in sports, maths and physics, and chemistry and biology, and from leaders in arts fields such as classical music and ballet and the fine arts.

The center offers a 24-day program that includes specialized classes and also general classes to develop leisure activities, master classes, meetings with recognized professionals in the various fields, a program of health and revitalizing activities, and, during the school year, general school tuition.