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An American Chessplayer
in
Moscow
A Photo Essay
by Hanon W. Russell
Earlier this year, in March, I had the opportunity to
make my first-ever visit to Moscow. I traveled there with my brother
Carl, who was making his third business trip to the Russian capitol. I
did not know what to expect in a post-Soviet Union Moscow.
So, you think this is a gray city of doddering
babushkas? Think again. What I discovered was a thoroughly modern, (and
fairly expensive) bustling city with a fashion-conscious crowd with
everyone having one ear attached to a cell phone.
We stayed at the famous five-star Metropol Hotel,
situated across from the main entrance to Red Square, at the beginning
of Tverskaya Boulevard, Moscow's version of Fifth Avenue. True to the
commitment to complete the transition to capitalism, right around the
corner from the hotel was a new car dealership selling Bentleys,
Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Okee dokee...
Make no mistake, there are still considerable social
issues and political problems, as the controversies leading up to the
recent elections demonstrated, but this is not your grandfather's
Russia. Not any more.
We arrived Sunday afternoon, March 16, after a long
ten-hour flight from New York. Sheremetyevo International Airport, one
of two servicing Moscow, is located about 50 kilometers from the city.
Even on a Sunday, the highway traffic was fierce and it took us over an
hour to get to the hotel.
On Monday, we had the pleasure of taking a leisurely
three-hour lunch at the magnificent Genatsvale restaurant in Moscow's
Arbat section. Featuring authentic Georgian food, the brothers Russell
were splendidly hosted by Mark Dvoretsky and Oleg Pervakov. (The
respected chess instructor has joined forces with the strong grandmaster
on a new book that should be available in English in 2009.) We then went
to the famous Moscow Central Chess Club, which had effectively been the
center of the chess world for decades.
Tuesday morning featured productive meetings with
octogenarian Russian historian Isaak Linder and his son Vladimir, a
rather well-known sports journalist in his own right, while that
afternoon a terrific walking tour of Moscow, lasting almost six
hours(!), led to aches and pains in places I was not aware I had. It
however was worth the soreness and ibuprofen...
Lunch on Wednesday with long-time friend and legendary
grandmaster Yuri Averbakh was followed by his personally guided tour of
the newly developing chess library, which is part of the Science and
Technical Library, conveniently located a brief walk from the Metropol.
The end of the week saw meetings with Murad
Amannazarov, head of the Russian Chess House, the major chess book
publisher in Russia and Sergey Abramov, who runs the Russian software
firm Chess Assistant. Another walking tour on Friday, this time limited
to the Kremlin, and a return visit to the Moscow Central Chess Club,
this time with Averbakh, put the finishing touches on a great week in
Moscow.
We took almost a hundred photographs during our stay.
I would like to share a modest selection of them with you...
The City of Moscow was founded in 1147 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Stalin
had this monument to Prince Dolgoruky erected in 1947 to commemorate the
800th anniversary of the founding of the city.
The Bust of Karl Marx, located in a small square immediately across from
the Metropol Hotel. My brother Carl is standing in front.
St. Basil's Cathedral, perhaps the most well-known of all of Moscow's
sites, at one end of Red Square. That is me in front and yes, I am
smiling.
The famous vaulted ceiling in the main restaurant in the Metropol Hotel.
Lenin gave some of his most famous speeches in this room, and movie
buffs may remember it from several scenes in Dr. Zhivago.
One of Moscow's 200+ metro stations. These are elaborate affairs, each
with its own unique design and construction. Located in some instances
as many as seven levels underground, many were used as bomb shelters
during World War II.
Mark Dvoretsky and I in front of the building that houses the Moscow
Central Chess Club, the Russian Chess Federation and the offices of
"64." The plaque behind us says The Russian Chess Federation.
Mark Dvoretsky, Misha Savinov and I at the offices of "64." Though it
started out many years ago as a weekly chess journal published on
newsprint, it is now one of the best chess monthlies in the world, with
slick production, many popular features and full-color photos
throughout.
Tuesday evening we had a wonderful dinner at the Boris Gudonov
Restaurant located across from the Metropol. Wandering minstrels in
authentic Russian historical garb added a unique Russian touch.
One of the house specialties, Beef Stroganoff, served in the shell of a
loaf of bread. We also felt we were duty-bound to give the local wines
serious testing.
Our guide recounted an interesting story of this rather large Statue of
Peter the Great. Apparently this was originally supposed to be a statue
representing Christopher Columbus and was intended as a gift to the
people of New York. However, for reasons that were not completely clear,
the gift was not made, the head of Columbus was replaced by that of
Peter, and voilà, a tribute to the great Russian Tsar who did so much to
bring his country into the modern world.
The Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer was originally built in the
mid-19th century to celebrate the victory over Napoleon's armies, which
were successfully driven out of Moscow in 1812. However, it had been
destroyed on the orders of Stalin in 1931. The current cathedral was
rebuilt in the last decade of the 20th century. The Statue of Peter the
Great may be seen in the distance in the lower right corner.
One of the great museums of the world, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum,
located across from the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer.
Gum (pronounced "goom"), is the largest shopping center complex in
Russia. There are dozens of upscale shops including all the finest
American and European retailers. There are several levels of shops. Here
we see the interior of the Gum Department Store complex.
The vast expanse of Red Square, seen from St. Basil's Cathedral. One of
the Kremlin walls may be seen on the left, and the Gum complex is on the
right and the Historical Museum may be seen at the other end of Red
Square. As a result of the heavy military vehicles that parade through
the square (especially tanks) the cobblestones are in a state of almost
constant repair.
The Gum Department Store complex lit up at night. This is the view from
the entrance of Red Square, by the Historical Museum. The building was
designed and constructed in the last part of the 19th century.
This is the map visitors first see upon entering the Kremlin. The main
entrance is shown at the lower left of the map. Moscow, like Rome, was
founded on seven hills.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation within the Kremlin. Originally built
by Tsar Ivan III ("The Great"), the interior is quite striking, being
completely covered with frescoes. A porch was added in 1572 by Ivan IV
("The Terrible") from which he followed services, after having been
forbidden from attending, having contravened church law when he married
for the fourth time.
The Cathedral of the Assumption within the Kremlin. For centuries, this
was considered the most important cathedral in the Kremlin, where
princes were crowned and patriarchs interred.
The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great (grandfather of Ivan the Terrible)
within the Kremlin. Built in the early 16th century, with an addition by
Tsar Boris Gudonov in the last part of that century, it became the
tallest building in Moscow at the time.
The huge Tsar's Bell, in front of the Bell Tower. To get an idea of how
large it is, I am standing in front. The bell weighs over 200 tons, and
the broken piece itself weighs 11½ tons. A fire broke out in the Kremlin
1737 and when cold water was poured on the bell, it cracked.
The Trinity Tower, with the Palace of the Congress to the right.
Completed in 1499, it is the tallest tower in the Kremlin. It was in
September 1812 that Napoleon marched his troops through the Trinity
Gate. They left a month later as the retreating Russians set fire to
Moscow.
Here is a group at the newly founded chess library of the Russian Chess
Federation. Front row, left to right, Yuri Averbakh, Nicholas Kralin,
curator, Hanon Russell. And yes, I am still smiling...
It is hard to describe the breathtaking presence of St. Basil's
Cathedral at one end of Red Square. Tsar Ivan the Terrible commissioned
architect Postnik Yakovlev to design it to celebrate the retaking of
Kazan from the Mongols. Completed in 1561, legend has it that Ivan was
so struck by the beauty of Yakovlev's work that he had him blinded so
that he could not replicate it anywhere.
Russian State Library, the country's equivalent of the Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C.
The imposing Statue of a contemplative Fyodor Dostoevsky in front of the
Russian State Library.
The Tretyakov Art Museum, which houses the largest collection of Russian
art in the world. It was founded in 1856 by wealthy merchant Pavel
Tretyakov.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with the Kremlin wall behind it. It is
located just outside the main entrance to Red Square.
Curator of the Library of the Moscow Central Chess Club, Tatiana
Mikhailovna, examining a rare edition of Philidor's book with Yuri
Averbakh.
The visit to the Moscow Central Chess Club's library
finished late Friday afternoon. The next day we did battle with Saturday
afternoon gridlock, taking two hours to make the 50 km return trip to
the airport. After a fatiguing flight of almost 11 hours, we were home
again, our long journey at an end. We thank all who made our trip so
memorable – Mark, Yuri, Tatiana, Misha, Isaak, Vladimir, Murad, Sergey,
the unbelievable staff at the Metropol, the friendly Muscovites. Bolshoe
spasibo vam. An American chessplayer had returned home, but with some
nice memories...
All photographs by Hanon W. and Carl G. Russell.
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