On the International Children’s Day, which is celebrated on 1st June, the Velvet Seasons hotel complex at the Sirius Federal Territory of Krasnodar Krai hosted the opening ceremony of the final stage of the Open All-Russian chess competition Belaya Ladya (White Rook) among teams of general education organizations, as well as the final stage of the second All-Russian Chess Field competition among teams from rural and small-town general education organizations.
Prior to the ceremony’s commencement, attendees of all ages had the opportunity to engage in photo taking with characters representing popular Arabian fairy tales. A total of 90 teams are participating in this year’s Belaya Ladya final, including 85 regions of Russia and the following countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
In October 2024, President of Russia Vladimir Putin met with Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), at the Russia-Sports Power Forum in Ufa. There, Putin awarded Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan the Order of Friendship. The Sheikh promised that a team from the United Arab Emirates would participate in the final stage of the Belaya Ladya.
The ceremony began with a performance of the musical piece “We Are Cossacks” by the folk song ensemble Zaryanitsa, a winner of international and all-Russian competitions. The programme host took attendance of the teams participating in both competitions, and then read a welcome letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hisham Al Taher (photo above), the Secretary General of the Asian Chess Federation, and Alexander Tkachev, the Executive Director of the Chess Federation of Russia, welcomed the participants and guests. Mr. Al Taher presented Mr. Tkachev with a special additional cup established by the Asian Chess Federation. Sergey Shinkarev, the Deputy Director General of the Velvet Seasons hotel complex, wished the young chess players a good time both on and off the chessboard.
The ceremony ended with a spectacular sand show.
Founded in 1969, Belaya Ladya is an annual all-Russian chess tournament for teams from educational institutions. The competition consists of several stages, culminating in a final stage where the strongest teams from the participating regions compete. The competition is open to teams of schoolchildren under the age of 14.
The Belaya Ladya tournament was extremely popular during the Soviet era, but it ceased to be held after the USSR collapsed. In 2004, Belaya Ladya made a comeback. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the final stage competition in Dagomys in 2014. The final stage of Belaya Ladya has become an international event since 2015.
Teams from each region of the Russian Federation that won the regional stage, as well as winning teams from international children’s amateur competitions, are admitted to participate in the final stage competitions.
Team line-up: four players (at least one of whom is to be female) and one team coach. One of the players is the team captain.
In 2025, Belaya Ladya will be held for the 56th time.
The final stage of the second All-Russia Chess Field competition is underway as well, with 50 teams from rural and small-town educational institutions competing.
From June 2 to 10, the Velvet Seasons hotel complex will host the final stage of the all-Russian team competition “Debut” for first and second graders. In 2025, the competition will include teams representing the 26 regions that performed best in the regional qualifiers.
The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, T-Bank, the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, and Chess Federation of Russia are the Belaya Ladya’s organisers.
The general partner of the CFR is PhosAgro. Aeroflot and the Sirius Federal Territory are the CFR’s partners.
The Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation and the Chess Federation of Russia are the organisers of the Chess Field competition, which is held with support from the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Timchenko Foundation.
Photos by Vladimir Barsky