The final matches of the First ROSATOM Regional Chess Tournament, organized in cooperation with the Turkish Chess Federation (TSF) and the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom, were held in Gülnar, Mersin on 24 December.
Final round, AKKUYU NUCLEAR A.Ş. It started with the opening speeches of NGS Construction Deputy Director Dmitry Romanets, TSF Deputy Chairman Aşkın Keleş, Mersin Chess Provincial Representative Ömer Faruk Ercan. Silifke District Governor Abdullah Aslaner, TSF Deputy Chairman Ömer Asım Ötegen and one of Turkey's strongest female chess players, Female Grandmaster (WGM) and National Chess Athlete Kübra Öztürk Örenli were also present at the ceremony.
10 athletes who successfully passed the qualifying rounds held on December 18-36 in Mersin Merkez, Tarsus, Silifke, Bozyazı, Erdemli and Aydıncık districts qualified to compete in the final competitions. Approximately 800 players participated in the tournament, which is the first special regional chess championship among young chess players in the Mersin region and one of the biggest tournaments in the region.
Mert Şahin from Mersin became the champion in the Age 8 and Under Category, while Kaan Ege Kaya from Tarsus and Miraç Karakurt from Mersin came in second. Kayra Tamer Şen from Tarsus became the champion in the Age 12 and Under Category, Yusuf Timuçin Şeyhanlı from Silifke and Ilgın Deniz Eroğlu from Mersin came in third. Prizes and gifts were awarded to the champions of the tournament. Deniz Yaramış from Tarsus, the youngest athlete competing in the tournament, received a special award from AKKUYU NUCLEAR. In addition, chess sets and chess clocks were given as gifts to be sent to the districts where the tournament was held.
TSF President Gülkız Tulay: “Every step taken for chess is very valuable for our future”
TSF President Gülkız Tulay addressed the athletes and participants with a video message at the ceremony. Congratulating the athletes who won the "ROSATOM Mersin Regional Chess Tournament", Tulay said, "We are happy to have a meaningful cooperation with Rosatom, one of the strongest technology leaders in the world, in Mersin. Russia is one of the first countries that come to mind when it comes to chess. Fortunately, one of the countries that comes to mind when talking about chess is Turkey. Rosatom is now a member of the Turkish chess family. I believe that this friendship that we started with Rosatom will strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in chess and will evolve into new projects. I heartily congratulate all of our athletes who put up a great fight in this championship, which was held with great participation.” said.
Thanking those who contributed to the realization of the tournament, Tulay said: “Mersin is a city that stands out in chess and raises many champions that make our country proud. For example, in the 2022 World Age Groups Chess Championship, our national athlete Senem Gül Başsarı from Mersin made Turkey proud by being the second in the world with the same points as the first in the 10 Year Old Girls category. This city plays a pilot role in many of our projects. The great interest and excitement created by this tournament, which we organized with the support of Rosatom, shows how much this city loves chess. Turkey is on its way to becoming a chess country. We are the federation with the most licensed athletes in the country. According to the data, one out of every 10 athletes in our country is a chess player. Our goal is to introduce more of our children to chess and to make this sport more popular. Chess is a sport that opens the doors of a new world for children and opens new horizons. Our children, who are introduced to chess, learn to fight for their goals and dreams, strategy, planning, disciplined work, and not giving up. Success is the reward of those who work hard and don't give up. The real success of chess is the positive change in the lives of children who are introduced to chess. Every step taken for chess, every support given is very valuable for our future. We see the investment made in this sport as an investment in the future of this country. We sincerely believe that as Turkish chess grows, this country will win and its energy will always be alive.”
AKKUYU NUCLEAR INC. NGS Construction Deputy Director Dmitry Romanets: “We will continue to support Mersin in chess”
AKKUYU NUCLEAR INC. NGS Construction Deputy Director Dmitry Romanets stated that the people of Mersin showed great interest in the tournament and said: “Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom is an information institution, developing the intellectual potential of our employees is one of the important missions of the company. Therefore, we are pleased to organize such a chess tournament with the Turkish Chess Federation. We are very happy to have such a remarkable and unprecedented regional tournament in terms of number of participants. Russia is one of the strongest countries in the world in chess. Many Russian chess masters are role models for chess players. However, with more than 75 years of experience in the nuclear industry, we are also the strongest country in nuclear technologies. Today, we were happy to witness the unity of these two important fields. With this tournament, we saw how much the people of Mersin, and especially the younger generation, love this sport. We want to support the spread of chess in this city and the emergence of new champions. Turkey's first nuclear power plant, which we are building in our city, is to make big investments for the development of both the region and the country, and the tournament held today is the best example of this.”
TSF Mersin Provincial Representative Ömer Faruk Ercan: “Rosatom's support makes us proud”
TSF Mersin Provincial Representative Ömer Faruk Ercan also noted that the support given by Rosatom is very meaningful for those living in this region and said: “The tournament, in which nearly 800 athletes participated, broke new ground by being played in 6 different districts in two categories. This tournament started at a different end of the Mediterranean and spread like a fan to Antalya. During the tournament, which took place in six stages, parents and athletes stated that they were very happy about the tournament, that they wanted the tournament to be held every year, that the contribution given was very important, and that giving medals to everyone had a great impact. As I find it very meaningful for our children to play chess for their mental sports development, I also attach great importance to their visiting and observing Akkuyu NGS standing next to us as an indicator of development. We believe that this project implemented by Rosatom will lead the way in the development of our country and region in the coming years. As Mersin Chess Family, we would like to express our thanks and gratitude to Rosatom and Akkuyu Nuclear officials.”
Famous Grandmaster created a stir
WGM Kübra Öztürk Örenli, the special guest of the tournament, had a colorful and exciting conversation with the athletes after the tournament. Successful national athlete Örenli, who broke a record that is hard to break by becoming the European champion two years in a row, told the youth of Mersin about his 'grand master journey'. Stating that he started playing chess at the age of 7, the master athlete said: “When I started playing chess, I had to struggle through impossibilities. I didn't have a computer and I used to study chess alternately with my friends from a limited number of chess books. The chess center opened in front of my house was the turning point in my journey. The center gave me free chess training and supported me to participate in the championships. As in every sport, sponsors are very important in chess. You are more glorious than us in reaching chess and receiving chess training. Besides, the people of Mersin have a very important supporter like Rosatom. Organizing such a championship, providing material support to each district, such as chess sets and clocks, is very meaningful for Mersin chess. The only thing left to the athletes from Mersin is to work harder and participate in tournaments. With the support of Rosatom, I am sure that chess will reach very different points in Mersin and that our master players from Mersin will take their place in Turkish chess history.”
AKKUYU NÜKLEER A.Ş organized a special visit to Akkuyu NPP construction site for all finalists and their parents on 25 December. After the participants received information about occupational safety, they participated in the field tour. Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş Construction Department Manager Maxim Kucherenko, who guided the tour, showed the Eastern Cargo Terminal, where ships from different countries brought equipment for the nuclear power plant, and the Liebherr LR 13000, the world's most powerful crawler crane. Construction experts taught the children how to use construction equipment such as dump trucks, excavators, loaders. The guests of the construction site also had the opportunity to see the fire department of AKKUYU NÜKLEER and the enormous scale of the construction from the hill 200 meters above sea level. During the tour, AKKUYU NÜKLEER General Manager Press Secretary and Communications Director Vasily Korelsky made a presentation about the social, cultural and sports activities of the company within the scope of Akkuyu NPP Project. Korelsky emphasized that Akkuyu NPP contributes not only to the economic development of the region, but also to the social life of the society, and that they support many environmental and educational initiatives.
Şahin, Champion of 8 Years and Under Category: “My goal is to be Mersin's first Grandmaster”
8-year-old athlete Mert Şahin, who won the 8 Years and Under Category and participated in the tournament from Mersin, expressed his feelings as follows: “I am happy. I was the first. I was most excited in the first round because I was afraid of losing. Subsequent tours went well. I got 4,5 points. Organizing such a tournament in Mersin made me both excited and happy. I will continue with chess. My goal is to be Mersin's first Grandmaster. I will go to Antalya Championship and represent Mersin.”
Kayra Tamer Şen, the champion of the 9-12 Age Category and participating in the tournament from Tarsus, said, “I would like to thank Rosatom for organizing the tournament. I am very happy, I hope to win other tournaments. Finally, I am on my way to become the champion of Turkey. My goal is to become the World Champion. I want to be a chess player when I grow up. My advice to those younger than me is to work hard.”
Athlete Yiğit Yone said the following about the Akkuyu NGS field trip: “We would like to thank Rosatom and Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş for organizing the chess tournament and this trip to the nuclear power plant. We are very happy. I was most interested in the big cranes and the fire department”.
Athlete Yağız Efe Birçek also said about the field trip, “The Akkuyu NPP field is huge. I would like to work here as a firefighter.” said.
Serhat Toklu, parent of Atlas Toklu, one of the competing athletes, said the following about the tournament: “As a chess family, we came here from Bozyazı and Anamur. I would like to thank Rosatom and the Turkish Chess Federation for the interest shown in us. Indeed, there is a very different ambiance here. It was a different atmosphere for our children as well. We have seen a lot of benefits from chess in terms of socializing children.” Regarding the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NGS) site tour, Toklu said, “We had very different feelings because it was the first time we saw such a large construction site. It is not possible for everyone to visit this place, it was for us. That's why we thank the authorities," he said.
Duygu Demir, parent of Kuzey Demir, one of the athletes who participated in the tournament, expressed his feelings with the following words: “We would like to thank Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş and Rosatom for organizing a tour for us at Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. It's a great experience. This is a huge project. We listened to the information given with excitement. The tournament gave us the opportunity to visit Akkuyu NPP and gave us unforgettable moments. It doesn't matter whether it is ranked in the tournament or not, we had an incredible trip. Children are happy, we parents are happy," he said.
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