Сергей Карякин возглавил федерацию шахмат Московской области

Международный гроссмейстер Сергей Карякин избран президентом федерации шахмат Московской области на четырехлетний срок.

Ранее он обещал баллотироваться в одну из региональных федераций. На прошедшем в Домодедове внеочередном общем собрании Федерации шахмат Подмосковья его избрали президентом. Об этом сам Карякин написал в своем телеграм-канале.

Шахматист поблагодарил руководство Федерации шахмат России и министра спорта области Дмитрия Абаренова за поддержку. Министр, в свою очередь, написал в своем тг-канале: «Поздравляю! Впереди много работы!».

Политическая позиция Сергея Александровича Карякина стала причиной прекращения общения с другим известным российским гроссмейстером Яном Непомнящим, который в начале марта 2022 года выступил против вторжения России на Украину, подписав открытое письмо 44 шахматистов Путину. Его взгляды стали причиной полного прекращения общения с Карякиным.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin[a] (born 12 January 1990) is a Russian chess grandmaster (formerly representing Ukraine). A chess prodigy, he previously held the record for the world’s youngest ever grandmaster, (until it was eventually taken by Abhimanyu Mishra) having qualified for the title at the age of 12 years and 7 months.

Karjakin won the European U10 Chess Championship in 1999 and was the World U12 Chess Champion in 2001. He earned the International Master title at age 11 and was awarded his grandmaster title in 2003. He represented Ukraine at the Chess Olympiad in 2004, winning team and individual gold. He competed in two more Chess Olympiads for Ukraine and won the Corus chess tournament in 2009, before transferring to Russia. He has since represented Russia five times in the Chess Olympiad, winning individual gold in 2010. He also won team gold with Russia at the World Team Chess Championship in 2013 and 2019.

Karjakin won the 2012 World Rapid Chess Championship and the Norway Chess tournament in 2013 and 2014. He competed at the Candidates Tournament 2014, placing second. He won the Chess World Cup 2015, thus qualifying for the Candidates Tournament 2016. He won the tournament and earned the right to challenge for the World Chess Championship. In November 2016, he lost the championship match to Magnus Carlsen in the rapid tiebreaks after drawing 6–6 in the classical games. He won the 2016 World Blitz Chess Championship. He participated in the Candidates tournament again in 2018, placing third, and qualified for the 2022 Candidates by finishing second in the Chess World Cup 2021.

Karjakin’s public approval of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted the Grand Chess Tour to ban him for future events. He was also banned from playing FIDE-rated events for six months, including the Candidates Tournament 2022.

Karjakin is known for his defensive skills, which has earned him an informal nickname as Russia’s «Minister of Defense». He successfully defended inferior positions against World Champion Magnus Carlsen – himself known for grinding out wins from slightly superior positions – in the World Chess Championship 2016, especially games 3 and 4. Karjakin has no qualms about entering an endgame with a small disadvantage if he deems it his best option as opposed to playing for complications. He is, however, also capable of aggressive play if the position demands it, such as in a 30-move victory over Veselin Topalov at the Gashimov Memorial 2017.

He is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. Karjakin married Galiya Kamalova, secretary of the Moscow chess federation, in May 2014. They have two sons, one born in 2015 and the other born in 2017. He was previously married since 2009 to Ukrainian chess player Kateryna Dolzhykova.

On 25 July 2009, by the decree of the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, Karjakin adopted Russian citizenship. Later that year he transferred chess federations from Ukraine to Russia. He has lived in Moscow since 2009.

In 2013 he graduated from the Russian State Social University with a degree in social pedagogy.