SPbPU and Rossotrudnichestvo held a master class for Indian schoolchildren

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, together with the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in India, held a large-scale educational master class for Indian schoolchildren who are passionate about chess.

Chess as a physical education discipline was launched at SPbPU in 2021. Each semester, more than 100 first- and second-year students attend chess classes. The Polytech chess club, named after the great alumnus M.M. Botvinnik, regularly holds both offline tournaments and online events. Our club’s project, Interuniversity, is the largest international online tournament among students in the world (more than 1,000 participants from 20 different countries). The Polytech team is the city champion, the Russian chess champion, and a prize winner of the All-Russian Summer Universiade. In the team’s recent history, its honor has been defended by FIDE masters, international masters, and Grandmaster Kirill Alekseenko, who was a contender for the world chess crown at the time of his studies at Polytech.

The event, dedicated to the development of Russian-Indian cooperation in the field of education and sports, brought together young chess players from India. The program was rich and informative. Polytech presented FIDE International Master and Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences Pavel Martynov, who has more than 10 years of experience as a chess coach, lecturer, and content creator.

Pavel Martynov, known not only as a strong practitioner but also as the author of unique teaching methods, gave an exciting lecture to the children. He revealed the secrets of how chess develops critical thinking, memory, concentration, and strategic planning skills, sharing practical cognitive strategies that are useful both at the board and in school.

The participants of the master class were shown a film about Polytechnic University. The students learned about the history, traditions, modern scientific achievements, and rich student life of one of Russia’s leading technical universities.

The event hosts and Pavel Martynov emphasized the deep connection between the Polytechnic University and the world of chess. Participants were reminded that the legendary Mikhail Botvinnik, the sixth world chess champion and founder of the Soviet chess school, was a 1932 graduate of the Electromechanical Faculty of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (now SPbPU). This fact aroused keen interest among the young Indian chess players, for whom the name Botvinnik is synonymous with chess greatness.

The theoretical part smoothly transitioned into the practical part. Under the guidance of the organizers, an exciting simultaneous chess game session was held between Indian schoolchildren and Pavel Martynov. This allowed the children not only to test their skills, but also to put some of the ideas they had heard into practice.

«It is a great honor for SPbPU to continue the traditions established by such giants as Mikhail Botvinnik,» said Pavel Martynov. «We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our achievements with the young talents of India and strengthen our friendly ties through the universal language of chess. The enthusiasm and level of play of Indian schoolchildren are impressive!»

The Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in India expressed its gratitude to SPbPU and Pavel Martynov personally for organizing and conducting a highly professional and informative event that promotes the Russian language, Russian education, and culture, as well as strengthens friendship between the youth of the two countries.