80th Ukrainian Chess Championship
The twelve participants of this round robin event are all grandmasters, three
with a rating above 2700 and six other participants with a rating higher than
2600. The average rating is 2650.5, which corresponds to a Category 17 tournament,
making it the strongest Championship ever in the history of independent Ukraine.
The games are being played in the center of Kiev at the hall “Kobzarska
Svitlytsia” at “The Ukrainian House” (Kiev, European Square).
Round starts at 14:00 CET (15:00 Ukrainian time), the last round on June 21
starts at 10:00 CET (11:00 Ukrainian time). The zero-tolerence rule will not
apply and players may arrive late at their boards, by a maximum of fifteen minutes.

The center of the city of Kiev – Independence Square

The Flower Clock near Independence Square

“The Ukrainian House” where the Ukrainian Chess Championship
is taking place

The official part of the opening ceremony

Drawing of lots with fountain pens: Ruslan Ponomariov got the number three

Friends Pavel Eljanov and Alexander Moiseenko were sitting together during the
opening ceremony and drew each other as opponents in the first round

Press officer Anataloliy Yavorskiy and GM Mikhail Golubev

Ruslan Ponomariov gives an interview to a Ukrainian TV channel…

... and Yuriy Kryvoruchko follows him

The unofficial part of the opening ceremony took place at the restourant
"Dnipro"

The President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation Viktor Kapustin

GM Georgiy Arzumanian and GM Evgeniy Miroshnichenko with his picture in
the background

A friendly match between two chess fans: Pavel Kuftirev, vice-president
of the Ukrainian
Chess Federation, and Aron Maiberg, a former organizer of Aerosvit Super tournaments
in Foros

FIDE's Geoffrey Borg (right) and participants wait for the beginning of
the first round
The exciting round one game Ponomariov-Korobov ended in a favor of "Pono"

The tough game between Moiseenko and Eljanov, who had an advantage, was
drawn

Yuriy Kryvoruchko scored his first victory against Alexandr Kovchan in round
one

Two-time champion of Ukraine Evgeniy Miroshnichenko

The playing venue

Spectators can follow the games in the same hall as the players

Former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov in the sole lead

Another 2700+ Pavel Eljanov in second place

Former Ukrainian Champion (2004) Andrey Volokitin, equal 2-5

Former Ukrainian Champion (2006) Zakhar Efimenko, 2701

Another former Ukrainian Champion (2002), Anton Korobov

Vysochin Spartak, who qualified as a winner of the semi-final
of the Ukrainian championship in 2011

Chief arbiter of the Championship Bodankin Leoonid Markovich

About the author
Anastasiya (Nastja) Karlovich was Ukrainian champion
and vice-champion among girls under 16, 18 and 20. She was European
Champion with the Ukrainian team in the Youth Team Championships. She
is also
- a candidate officer in the National Law Academy “Yaroslav the Wise”,
- a member of the chess club “Law Academy”
- a member of the German club Grosslehna
- one of the organisers of WGM and GM closed tournaments “Cup of
Rector”.
- a Woman Grandmaster since 2003
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