The year 2024 marks a significant milestone for the Chess For Children Foundation. For the tenth year, the foundation has organized Sozonov Award competition to recognise talented young Ukrainian chess players who excel not only in chess but also in studies and other spheres.
We are proud that, over the past decade, the Sozonov Award has become a source of inspiration for young chess players, encouraging them to excel in chess and beyond. We are also delighted to recognise the dedicated work of coaches and sports schools in fostering the holistic development of children.
The following chess schools prepared the highest number of awardees:
- Lviv Children’s Sports School “Debut”: 9 students, 9 awards.
- Kyiv Regional Sports School “Avangard”: 7 students, 10 awards.
- “Chess School” (Kyiv): 3 students, 4 awards.
- O.V. Momot Chess Club (Kramatorsk): 2 students, 6 awards.
- Children and Youth Sports School No. 3 (Kharkiv): 3 students, 3 awards.
- Children and Youth Sports School No. 9 named after GM Oleksandr Moroz (Dnipro): 3 students, 3 awards.
- Children and Youth Sports School No. 3 (Ivano-Frankivsk): 2 students, 3 awards.
- Children and Youth Sports School No. 4 ShK “Pishak” (Kharkiv): 2 students, 3 awards.
- Сhess club of the Children and Youth Sports School “Olympus” (Poltava): 2 students, 2 awards.
- Bortnyk Brothers Chess School (Mykolaiv): 2 students, 2 awards.
- Сhess center “Tovarysh” (Kyiv): 2 students, 2 awards.
- Lviv Chess Academy (Lviv): 2 students, 2 awards.
- Children and Youth Sports School No. 3 (Kyiv): 2 students, 2 awards.
Trainers play a key role in the success of young chess players. Their professionalism, dedication, and support help students achieve great results in chess while maintaining high academic performance. The Chess For Children Foundation would like to highlight the exceptional contributions of these mentors.
The coaches who prepared the most winners and prize-winners over the years include:
- Volodymyr Grabinsky: 6 students, 6 awards.
- Anastasia Hnatyshyn (co-winner, 2022), Solomiya Svitenko (2024 prize-winner), Yana Marusin (2023 prize-winner), Oleksii Karvatskyi (2021 prize-winner), Maksym Dubnevych (2020 prize-winner), and Roman Kovalskyi (2019 prize-winner).
- Volodymyr Baklan: 4 students, 6 awards.
- Ihor Samunenkov (winner, 2020; co-winner, 2022; prize-winner, 2019), Bozhena Piddubna (2022 prize-winner), Valentyn Hulka (2022 prize-winner), and Kyryll Shevchenko (special diploma, 2015).
- Leonid Nikolayev: 4 students, 6 awards.
- Artem Lutsko (2021 prize-winner), Danylo Biletskyi (winner, 2021; prize-winner, 2020), Nadiia Milovzorova (prize-winner, 2020; 2015), and Mariya Manko (2019 prize-winner).
- Dmytro Semenov: 3 students, 4 awards.
- Svitlana Russieva (2024 prize-winner), Andrii Palchuk (co-winner, 2022; “Outstanding Start” nomination, 2016), and Karina Skorobahatko (winner, 2013).
- Valerii Hryniov: 3 students, 4 awards.
- Valentyn Prokofiev (co-winner, 2022), Rostyslav Malynovskyi (2016 prize-winner), and Dmytro Komarenko (prize-winner, 2015; 2014).
- Oleksandr Holov: 3 students, 3 awards.
- Sofiia Krasnokutska (winner, 2016), Mariya Berdnyk (2015 prize-winner), and Yuliia Alekseienko (2015 prize-winner).
- Nazar Firman: 2 students, 3 awards.
- Valentyn Hulka (prize-winner, 2020; 2019) and Tymur Keleberda (2016 prize-winner).
- Volodymyr Vusatyuk: 2 students, 2 awards.
- Taras Rudenko (winner, 2024) and Artiom Andriienko (2023 prize-winner).
- Yurii Riabenko: 2 students, 2 awards.
- Murad Babaiev (2022 prize-winner) and Taras Rudenko (2021 prize-winner).
- Viktor Berezin: 2 students, 2 awards.
- Roman Melnyk (2016 prize-winner) and Danylo Volobuyev (2014 prize-winner).
- Andrii Rakhmangulov: 2 students, 2 awards.
- Yaroslav Shcherbak (winner, 2015) and Andrii Palchuk (“Outstanding Start” nomination, 2016).
- Svitlana Kelbas: 1 student, 2 awards.
- Anastasiia Kelbas (2020; 2014 prize-winner).
- Ivan Khabinets: 1 student, 2 awards.
- Valentyn Hulka (2019; 2020 prize-winner).
- Kostiantyn Khomenko: 1 student, 2 awards.
- Rostyslav Yurik (2019; 2015 prize-winner).
- Vasyl Palahitskyi: 1 student, 2 awards.
- Liudmyla Ivanytska (winner, 2023; prize-winner, 2020).
- Yurii Farafonov: 1 student, 3 awards.
- Roman Dehtiarov (2024 winner; 2023; 2022 prize-winner).
- Yaroslav Dumanskyi: 1 student, 3 awards.
- Maryna Petrenko (2022; 2021; 2019 prize-winner).
- Yevhen Litvinov: 1 student, 3 awards.
- Semen Mitsusov (winner, 2019; prize-winner, 2020; 2016).
- Andrii Kornytskyi: 1 student, 3 awards.
- Kamila Hryshchenko (winner, 2019; prize-winner, 2016; 2015).
- Andrii Punin: 1 student, 2 awards.
- Ihor Samunenkov (winner, 2020; co-winner, 2022).
The statistics for trainers is taken from the award application forms, filled out by parents.
We thank everyone who has been part of this journey. We eagerly anticipate welcoming new names among the award winners and prize-winners in the future!
From 2013 to 2024, the Sozonov Award competition was held for 10 times by the Chess For Children Foundation. During this period, 290 applications were submitted, with 202 children participating. Among them were 136 boys and 66 girls. Some participants entered the competition multiple times: 56 children participated more than once, 35 competed twice, 14 competed three times, 6 participated four times, and one contestant took part five times.
Detailed statistics, biographies of the children who won the Sozonov Award as well as testimonials can be found on the award’s page: https://chessforchildren.org/en/sozonov-award-en/.