The President said, in particular, in his message:
“This competition has a longstanding history and brings together talented young people from many parts of the country, those who remain committed to the ideals and values of this ancient game and art, those who find the only true solutions to the toughest tasks in intense intellectual duels.
It is good to see that the competition is drawing in participants from more places now, gaining greater standing, and this year, has become an international event. For the first time, our guests from Armenia, Belarus, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan will compete alongside their Russian counterparts for victory. Of course, what is also important is that this major competition helps to develop chess in Russia and promote the game, especially among young people.”
The final of the Belaya Ladya chess tournament will take place in Sochi on June 1–9. More than 5,500 schoolchildren under 14 from around Russia took place in the regional rounds of competition in 2015.