The Opening Ceremony of the Superfinals of 71st Russian men’s championship and 68th Russian women’s championship took place on August 24th in the Magnezit Palace of Culture in Satka, Chelyabinsk Region.
Boris Dubrovsky, Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, Mark Glukhovsky, Executive Direcor of the Russian Chess Federation, and Maria Morozova, Director General of Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation, delivered speeches at the Opening Ceremony.
Chief arbiter IA Vladimir Staratorzhskiy held the drawing of lots. The players got the following starting numbers:
Men:
1. Dmitry Andreikin, 2. Mikhail Kobalia, 3. Dmitry Jakovenko, 4. Ian Nepomniachtchi, 5. Alexey Sarana, 6. Grigoriy Oparin, 7. Ernesto Inarkiev, 8. Daniil Dubov, 9. Nikita Vitiugov, 10. Evgeny Tomashevsky, 11. Vladimir Fedoseev, 12. Denis Khismatullin
Round 1 pairings:
Andreikin – Khismatullin, Kobalia – Fedoseev, Jakovenko – Tomashevsky, Nepomniachtchi – Vitiugov, Sarana – Dubov, Oparin – Inarkiev.
Live game with analysis will be provided daily with the best chess software competing in the Top Chess Engine Championship – Komodo, Houdini, and Stockfish.
Women:
1. Anastasia Bodnaruk, 2. Oksana Gritsayeva, 3. Alisa Galliamova, 4. ValentinaGunina, 5. AlinaKashlinskaya, 6. ElenaTomilova, 7. NatalijaPogonina, 8. Aleksandra Goryachkina, 9. Anastasiya Protopopova, 10. Alexandra Kosteniuk, 11. Olga Girya, 12. Polina Shuvalova
Round 1 pairings:
Badnaruk – Shuvalova, Gritsayeva – Girya, Galliamova – Kosteniuk, Gunina – Protopopova, Kashlinskaya – Goryachkina, Tomilova – Pogonina
