Page 80 - bneMag Dec22

80 I Eurasia bne December 2022
sides. We agreed that these contacts, these negotiations, these consultations will be continued," Putin said.
According to Putin, the decision to extend the mandate of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh depends on other issues – the possible conclusion of a peace treaty and the delimitation and demarcation of the border between Armenia and Azerbai-
jan. "If these issues are resolved, then the issue of peacekeepers will stand differently. If they are not resolved to some extent, then the fate of our peace- keeping contingent depends on it,"
he said, adding that Armenia and Azerbaijan "expressed their gratitude
to Russia" for their work on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
None of the parties made public state-
ments right after the summit or their separate talks with Putin. The Sochi summit underscored Russian efforts to regain the initiative in the Armenian- Azerbaijani negotiating process, coordinated by the United States and the European Union in recent months. Moscow has been very critical of the Western mediation, saying it aims
to "squeeze Russia out of the South Caucasus".
Mongolians and chess, almost as traditional as herding and wrestling
Antonio Graceffo in Ulaanbaatar
At this year's 44th World Chess Olympiad, Mongolia shook up the world when the Mongolian wom- en’s team defeated the seventh-ranked Americans. Overall, the Mongolian men’s team placed 35th out of 188 countries, while the women placed 15th out of 162.
When one thinks of Mongolia, one very probably thinks of horses and wrestling, but certainly not chess. But chess has a long history in the country. Mongolians’ ances- tors played ankle bones and chess during the 13th century, and possibly before, while Mongolian traditional chess, shatar, dates back to the Great Mongol Empire.
The Mongolian word for international chess is in fact shatar. A medieval varia- tion of the game is called Hiashatar, which means “Bodyguard Chess” (Shatranj). The pieces are the same as
in traditional chess except that there is an additional piece called a Bodyguard (also called 'Senior Adviser' or 'Warrior'), which can slide one or two steps in any direction. However, a Bodyguard cannot checkmate the enemy king. 'Hiashatar' is believed to be about 500 years old.
An ancient legend about the origin of
www.bne.eu
International chess master Jigjidsuren coached the Mongolian national chess team until he turned 70. / Courtesy of Antonio Graceffo.
Mongolian chess tells of a khan, or king, who lived “long, long ago”. After fighting in many wars, he decided that training alone was not enough for victory. So, he established the position of bodyguard
in his entourage, and the position was then added to the game of chess.
The Mongol names for the pieces are:
One of the proudest achievements for Mongolians in international chess came in 1967 at the Sousse Interzonal when American Bobby Fischer played against Mongolian champion Lhamsuren Myag- marsuren. Myagmarsuren won the Mon- golian national title four times in 1965, 1980, 1981 and 1982, and was awarded the title of international master in 1967. His nickname in the Internet Chess Club is "Shatar” (the Mongolian word for chess).
Although Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren lost to Fischer, the match resulted in a new technique called The Mongolian tactic. According to the tale, Fischer had asked Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren his name several times, but could neither spell nor pronounce it. So, he just wrote “Mongo- lian” on the paper. Since then, Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren’s special technique has been known as the Mongolian tactic.
In 2020, the International Chess Federation awarded stipends to a number of retired players including Lhamsuren Myagmar- suren. His match with Fischer has inspired Mongolian chess players down the decades. There is even a photo of Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren hanging in Zuunii Shatar chess club near the centre of Ulaanbaatar.
King Queen
Knight Rook Bishop Pawn Bodyguard
noyon (prince, duke) bers (fantastic animal resembling a big dog) mori (horse)
tereg (chariot, vehicle) teme (camel)
fu (child, young)
hia (senior adviser, warrior, bodyguard)
The first Mongolian national chess championship was held in 1948, and the country’s first women’s chess champion- ship was held in 1954. The Mongolian Chess Championship is currently organ- ised by the Mongolian Chess Federation (Mongolian: Монголын Шатрын Холбоо). Bazar Khatanbaatar holds the record for most national champion- ships won, with eight victories; Tsagaan Battsetseg holds the women's record, with seven.