Ex-world chess champion A. Karpov meets with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church press service

Anatoly Karpov believes chess should occupy an important place in the work with children and youth at parishes, since this game is not only exciting but also accessible for people of any age. He said that during his meeting with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church press service staff. In his opinion, this game is given to people as a way of developing their mental abilities.

‘Chess became a culture long ago. Incidentally, humanity has also known of the Old Russian chess called ‘tavreli’ since the time of the Kievan Rus’, A. Karpov explained.

He also shared some memories of his life: ‘Much has linked me with Orthodoxy. I owe my life to the Sacrament of Baptism. I was seriously ill when a boy. It was difficult to have a child baptized at that time, the more so that my father was a party member and a director of a plant. However, my mother and grandmothers took me to church, and after Baptism I was healed miraculously’.

He also told his listeners that he participated in the celebrations on the occasion of the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia, and asked His Holiness Patriarch Pimen and His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II for the blessings upon his chess battles.