Sozonov Award for 2023

Award named after Evgeniy Sozonov is a private national annual award. It was established by Olena Boytsun in 2013 with the aim of supporting talented children aged between 10 to 16 years old, who show good results in both chess and school studies. Since 2019, the Sozonov Award is issued in two age categories: from 10 to 13 years (inclusive) and from 14 to 16 years (inclusive).

For 2023, the Award was presented for the ninth time. Applications for participation in the competition for the Sozonov Award were accepted from November 1, 2023 to December 10, 2023, the results were announced on December 14, 2023.

27 applications were received for participation in the competition, 12 out of them in the age category of 10-13 years, 15 in the age category of 14-16 years. Boys made up 63% of participants, while girls – 37%.

The participants represented different regions of Ukraine.

For 2023, the Sozonov Award was awarded to the winner in the age category from 10 to 13 years (prize amount – 16,000 hryvnias) and to the winner in the age category from 14 to 16 years (prize amount – 16,000 hryvnias). In each age category, two runners-up were also determined, the prize money for the runners-up was 3,000 hryvnias each.

On February 4, 2024, the young chess players, who received the Prize for 2023, met with the Founder of the Sozonov Award Olena Boytsun to discuss their dreams and aspirations.

 

The results of the 2023 Sozonov Award Competition

Age category from 10 to 13 years

Winner

Domin Yan (Kyiv)

Yan Domin

(Kyiv, age at the time of receiving the award: 13 years, CM)
Trainer: Kislinskyi O.

Yan Domin is an external basis student of the 8th grade of the Varvariv Lyceum of the Oliv City Council, his favorite subject is the Ukrainian language. Yan has been playing chess for more than 2 years, but has already shown outstanding results. At the moment, he trains individually with coach Oleksiy Kislinskyi.  Yan has the title of Candidate for Master of Sports of Ukraine and was the winner of many Ukrainian and international tournaments. In 2023, under the guidance of Vadym Malakhatko (1977-2023), he won the Championship of Ukraine among boys under 14 years of age , became the silver prize-winner of the Championship of Ukraine among boys under 16 years of age. Additionally, in the same year, Yan won the title of the Champion of Ukraine in rapid chess (in the category for the international rating up to 2300). In addition to chess, Yan studies at the Children’s Music School No. 21 of the Darnytsky District of Kyiv, majoring in “Piano” and he is a laureate of many international and all-Ukrainian music competitions

“

To all my esteemed Coaches and Teachers, I sincerely want to express enormous gratitude for your work and talent, for your belief and support, for your skill and motivation!!! My victories are the result of the efforts of my Coaches and Teachers who put their soul into our common cause! Sincere thanks to Olena Boytsun and her team for the development and support of young chess players in Ukraine! Wishing everyone strong health, peace, and prosperity!

“

Yan Domin

Runners-up (10-13 років)

  • Alekseenko Mykhail (Dnipro)
  • Marusyn Yana (Lviv)

Михаїл Алєксєєнко

Mykhail Alekseenko  

(Dnipro, age at the time of receiving the award: 12 years, CM)
Trainer: Maksimov D.

Mykhail Alekseenko studies in the 7th grade of the Dnipro Lyceum No. 139 of the Dnipro City Council, his favorite subjects are history and mathematics. He is a prize winner of different school Olympiads. Mykhail trains at the Children and Youth Sports School No. 9 named after GM Oleksandr Moroz in Dnipro with the coach Maksimov Dmytro, Mykhail’s first coach was Liakh Anatolii. In 2023, Mykhail fulfilled the norms for the title of Candidate for Master of Sports of Ukraine, won the Championship of Ukraine among boys under 12 (classic) and became the silver prize-winner of the Ukrainian Championship among boys in the age category under 12 in rapid chess. In addition to chess, Mykhail intensively studies English, plays table tennis and likes to read fiction, in particular fantasy.

Яна Марусин

Yana Marusyn

(Lviv, age at the time of receiving the award: 10 years, 1st rank in chess according to the Ukrainian system)
Trainer: Grabinsky V.

Yana Marusyn studies in the 5th grade of the “Engineering and Economic School-Lviv Economic Lyceum”, her favorite subject is mathematics. The girl repeatedly took part in various competitions for schoolchildren and prepared educational and research projects. Yana has been playing chess for 5 years. At the moment, she is training at the Children and Youth Sports School “Debut” (Lviv) with the coach Volodymyr Grabinsky. In 2023, Yana became the silver prize-winner of the European Blitz Championship among girls under 10 years of age and European Champion as part of a team among girls under 10 years old in rapid chess, and won 6 medals at the Championships of Ukraine among girls under 10 and under 12 years old (classics, rapid, blitz), in particular, she became the Champion of Ukraine among girls under 12 years old (classics). Yana is a member of the folk-art collective of Ukraine “Radunytsia”. She likes to swim, draw, and write poems.

Age category from 14 to 16 years

Winner

Ivanytska Liudmyla (Ivano-Frankivsk)

Іваницька Людмила

Liudmyla Ivanytska

(Ivano-Frankivsk, age at the time of receiving the award: 16 years, CM)
Trainer: Palahytskyi V.

Liudmyla Ivanytska studies in the 11th grade at Lyceum No. 19 of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, her favorite subjects are computer science and mathematics. Lyudmila has been playing chess for 10 years, she is training at the Children and Youth Sports School No. 3 with coach Palagitsky Vasyl. In 2023, Lyudmila shared 3rd-4th place in the European Championship among girls under 18 (classic), became the silver prize-winner of the Championship of Ukraine among girls under 20 (classic), the winner of the Blitz Championships of Ukraine among girls under 16, 18 and 20 years old, the Champion of Ukraine in rapid chess among girls under 20 years old. Lyudmila repeatedly became the winner and prize-winner of chess tournaments both in Ukraine and abroad. In addition to chess, she plays basketball, likes to read and is actively preparing to enter university next year. Lyudmila was also a runner-up for the Sozonov Award in 2020. 

Update from 2025: Liudmyla entered the university and is currently in her 1st year at the Faculty of Computer Science at Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, majoring in Computer Science.

“

This year, my daughter won the Award named after Evgeniy Sozonov in the age category of 14 to 16 years. We would like to sincerely thank the Chess for Children Foundation and its founder, Olena Boytsun, for supporting talented children in Ukraine who have achieved success both in education and chess. I would like to note that the Chess for Children Foundation is almost the only charitable organization that rewards and encourages children to learn and practice chess, contributing positively to the development of children’s chess in Ukraine. I am sure that receiving the award encourages children to achieve success in any field, especially in such a difficult time when every child and every family dreams of victory.

“

Iryna Ivanytska

mother of Liudmyla Ivanytska

Runners-up

  • Andriienko Artom (Vinnytsia)
  • Dehtiarov Roman (Kharkiv)

Артьом Андрієнко

Artom Andriienko

(Vinnytsia, age at the time of receiving the award: 15 years, CM)
Trainer: Vusatiuk V.

Artom Andriienko studies in the 9th grade of the Podilsk Scientific Lyceum, his favorite subject is English, this year he is preparing a science project in physics. He has the title of Candidate for Master of Sports of Ukraine. Artom has been playing chess for 7 years at the Children and Youth Sports School No. 6 in Vinnytsia with coach Volodymyr Vusatyuk. In 2023, Artom secured a place in the national team of Ukraine among athletes with musculoskeletal disabilities and took the 2nd place among young men under 20 years old at the World Championship for People with Disabilities as part of the team. He also became a bronze medalist at the Championship of Ukraine among people with disabilities and the prize-winner of the Chess Olympiad for People with a disability as part of the IPCA team (The International Physically-Disabled Chess Players Association).

Roman Dehtiarov

(Kharkiv, age at the time of receiving the award: 15 years, FM)
Trainer: Farafonov Y.

Roman Dehtiarov studies in the 10th grade of the “Merefyan Lyceum No. 3” of the Merefyan City Council of the Kharkiv Region, he studies on an external basis, his favorite subject is algebra. He has been playing chess for 9 years, attends the Pishak club (Kharkov) and trains with Yurii Farafonov. He has the title of Candidate Master of Sports of Ukraine and Master FIDE. In 2023, Roman won a number of medals at the Championships of Ukraine in various age categories: he became the Champion of Ukraine under 16 years old (classic) and the Champion of Ukraine under 18 years old (rapid), the bronze medalist of the Championships of Ukraine under 16 years old (blitz and rapid), the silver medalist of the Championship of Ukraine under 18 (blitz). Also, Roman became the bronze medalist of the Championship of Ukraine among men in rapid chess. He is a multiple winner and prize-winner of international and all-Ukrainian tournaments. In addition to chess, he is fond of theater and likes to attend theater productions. Roman was also the runner-up of the Sozonov Award for 2022.