On April 2, 2013, the Chess for Children Foundation organised the first female advanced chess match in the world, which was also the first advanced chess match in the history of Ukraine. The participants of the match were Anna Ushenina (the 14th female world champion, International Grandmaster) and Olena Boytsun (Founding President of the Chess for Children Foundation, Women International Master).
Advanced chess is a fusion of creative chess play and up-to-date computer technologies. According to the rules of the game, chess players are allowed to consult any computer programme to analyse the position and make decisions about the next move. Thus, the game eliminates the element of randomness and blunders, which improves the quality and increases the educational aspect of the chess game as a whole.
The match was held under the auspices of the International Chess Federation FIDE with a time control of 30 minutes + 5 seconds per move for each participant. The game lasted 38 moves and ended in a draw. The participants used the chess database ChessBase and the Houdini computer program during the game, but they could not see each other’s computer screens.
The board of arbiters for the match was headed by the international referee Oleg Tovchiga. The commentator of the match was the Kyiv grandmaster Spartak Vysochin. According to the results of the drawing, Olena Boytsun got the opportunity to play white. The game lasted 38 moves and ended in a draw in a position in which, according to the Houdini chess program, white had a slight advantage.
The match was intended to demonstrate to young chess players the advantages that they can get from good training and the use of the latest computer technology in achieving dreams. As part of the event, the organisers announced the establishment of the Sozonov Award for talented children within the framework of the charity program of the Chess for Children Foundation.
The 14th World champion Anna Ushenina noted that participating in the advanced chess match was an interesting experience for her:
«It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of Olena Boytsun and the Chess for Children Foundation to participate in such a significant event. The first advanced chess match in Ukraine will be a powerful impetus for the popularisation of chess in the country. Olena and I have been discussing the idea of holding the match for a long time, and I am glad that such a wonderful initiative as the “Chess for Children” Foundation has appeared in Ukraine, and we can move from a dream to action. I hope that this match will become a significant event in the history of Ukrainian sports, and Olena and I will contribute to the development of chess by our personal example»
Participant and organiser of the match Olena Boytsun noted:
«I am very glad that our event was held at the highest level, with the participation of honoured guests, experts, journalists, students of children and youth chess schools. For our game with Anna Ushenina we chose control of 30 minutes + 5 seconds per move for each participant, and at some point I decided not to go for risky options and to end the game in a draw. A draw with the world chess champion is an excellent result»
The match was broadcasted live on the international chess website Playchess.com and the website ChessforChildren.org. The match game is posted on the ChessBase.com website.
As part of the match, a press conference was held with the participation of the Minister of Sports and Youth of Ukraine Ravil Safiullin, the President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation Viktor Kapustin, the President of the Sports Committee of Ukraine Ilya Shevlyak. During the ceremonial opening of the match, there was a live teleconference with London, during which FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov congratulated the participants of the match and noted the significant contribution made by Ukrainian chess players to the development of chess in the world. The event attracted a lot of attention from international and Ukrainian media.
After the game Anna Ushenina and Olena Boytsun held an event for children: the chess players raffled a new tablet, on which several modern chess programs were already installed, allowing to train with greater benefit for themselves. The winner of the raffle was 12-year-old Yevhen Slipchuk, a chess player of 1st category. The event was held with the aim of popularising chess among children and youth and promoting scientific and technical achievements in the field of chess.