On May 8, a closing ceremony was held in Chernivtsi for the classical chess tournament, which took place as part of the Ukrainian Championship for boys and girls under 12.
In a festive atmosphere, the participants of the national championship were greeted by: Ihor Boiko, Deputy Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration; Volodymyr Mytsyk, Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Donetsk Regional State Administration; Ivan Heshko, Head of the Department of Youth and Sports of the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration; Yuriy Khalavka, Vice Rector for Research at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University; Ivan Bilich, President of the Chernivtsi Regional Chess Federation, and Oleksandr Martynkov, Member of the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian Chess Federation and First Vice President of the Donetsk Regional Chess Federation.
“I sincerely congratulate the medalists and winners of the competition, who have earned the right to represent Ukraine at the European and World Championships. Special words of gratitude go to the parents of these young athletes, who support their children every day on their path to new achievements and help them realize their full potential. I bow low to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whose courage and heroism make it possible for us to hold such sporting events today and nurture the younger generation. Chess is a unique intellectual sport that fosters logical thinking, quick wit, and perseverance. It is intellectually developed youth who form the foundation of a strong and successful Ukraine in the future. Therefore, our common task remains to create conditions for the comprehensive development of children,” noted Ihor Boiko.
The classical chess competition was held using the Swiss system over 9 rounds and brought together more than 150 participants from 23 regions of Ukraine. According to the tournament results, Artem Kucher (Vinnytsia), Pavlo Uzun (Mykolaiv), and Dmytro Solinskyi (Poltava) took first through third place, respectively, among the boys, while Daria Kravchuk (Bucha), Maria Kinash (Lviv), and Anna Horodna (Lviv) took first through third place, respectively, among the girls.
The winners and prize winners were awarded medals, diplomas, and commemorative statuettes.
The Ukrainian Chess Championship for players under 12 is organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Chess Federation, while the competition is directly managed by the public organization “Donetsk Oblast Chess Federation.”
Following the conclusion of the classical chess tournament, rapid and blitz competitions will also take place in Chernivtsi on May 9 and 10.