Russian Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin tells Martial Arts Academy guests about the beginning of his chess career

On Knowledge Day, Russian Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin told guests of the Martial Arts Academy the story from his childhood of how he became a chess player.

"It was hard to predict anything when you were still very, very little. Yes, it was clear that this is a talented boy, winning against his peers, but no one could say that there were some guarantees of a championship," he said.

Sergey also shared his memories of his parents’ support and faith in his abilities.

"We moved then with my parents, because at that point it was a decision made more by my parents. They took on the responsibility for me, that is, at the age of nine they believed in me, believed that I would have more strength there, more opportunities to work with all the coaches, opportunities to participate in tournaments and simply, you could say, they took a risk, left all their work, left everything that was in my native Crimea and simply moved with me to another city. That is, it was a risky decision," the Grandmaster said.

The famous chess player recalled his first victory and the European Championship, which was significant for him.

"On my seventh birthday I gave myself a present, I reached the First Category. And then there were many successes. I remember a very memorable European Championship for those under 10, where I went with my dad at the age of nine. And we got there by bus, to Greece, took three days, it was very, very tough.And so, they immediately made me play without a break. And I was still quite small, tired. I made a mistake right away, lost a knight, lost the first game. I was terribly upset, because I understood that I was playing stronger than my opponent. But then I won all eight of the remaining eight games and took first place. So, that was a memorable tournament," Sergey said.

On September 1, at the Knowledge Day celebration at the Academy of Martial Sergey Karjakin held a chess master class.