By Andrey Avsitidiysky
Freedom24 Chess Academy has opened in Limassol, run by the international master who defeated Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
The Academy was officially inaugurated in Limassol on March 1, 2025, with Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., encouraging young participants to strive for new heights in chess.
To mark the occasion, a rapid chess tournament with a €1,000 prize fund was held on the same day. The tournament was won by 16-year-old candidate master Olga Mikhailina, who secured victory with a perfect score, winning all five of her games.
Academy open to all
Classes at the Chess Academy on Christaki Kranou Street are held from Monday to Friday, from 12-8pm. At the moment the Academy has 24 students. For maximum efficiency and results, they are divided into five groups, according to their playing strength. Individual lessons are available on request from parents.
- Teaching languages are Russian and English. Greek will be added if necessary.
On Saturdays, online courses with visiting grandmasters are planned, as well as tournaments. The Academy’s doors are open to chess lovers of all ages and levels of play. In the case of adults, lessons are most often still offered on an individual basis, but it is also possible to form an evening group.
“The chess academy’s main goal is to develop children and provide professional assistance in achieving sporting results. The school’s objective is to produce strong athletes worthy of representing Cyprus on the regional and world arenas,” says Academy Head Artem Sadovsky.
In his opinion, the main thing in working with children and teenagers is to find a common language. For professional growth in chess, clear guidelines and a well-constructed curriculum are necessary. The teacher’s task is to interest the child and guide him or her on the right path by telling them about the history and fundamentals of the ancient game.
- Artem singles out the task of creating a friendly chess community in Limassol.
First tournament
Before the opening tournament, there was a special event for beginners. Children played, drew and solved chess problems. Four-year-old Zhenya Turlov solved the most problems, for which he received a cup, a medal and a certificate of participation.
- 16 children and teenagers took part in the Freedom24 Chess Masters Open 2025 tournament (15 minutes per game + addition of 10 seconds for each move) .
In the first round, the draw brought together the youngest participant, seven-year-old Anna Vasileva, with the ranking favourite, and 15-year-old Victoria Sokolova, the champion of Cyprus 2023. Victoria won in a hard-fought battle. The experience of tournament play and the ability to keep her concentration until the end of the game proved key, although Anna had more time and the position remained equal for the longest part of the game. As a result, Anna took fifth place and Victoria took third place.
The first place was decided in the second round in a game between nine-year-old Ivan Belyaev and 16-year-old Olga Mikhailina. Olga won the tournament without defeat, while Ivan came second with four points out of a possible five. In addition to cash prizes, the three best players received chess boards signed by the 15th world champion, Viswanathan Anand.
Olga has repeatedly taken part in Russian and European championships, and, in December 2024 she excelled in Bangkok at the 18th Asian Schools Chess Championship, adding 116 points to her rating.
Practising chess about three hours a day, her board books are “Tactics Tests for Highly Skilled Chess Players” (Valentin Konotop, Sergey Konotop), “Endgame Tutorial” (Mark Dvoretsky), and “My System” (Aron Nimzowitsch).
The man who defeated Carlsen
“For me, chess is my life. Sport, art, leisure, a tool for personal growth and development, meeting interesting people. Everyone decides for themselves what chess is for them, but in the end it is a game, and at a high level it is a very difficult game,” explains Sadovsky.
At the age of three he was taught to play chess by his mum, and at the age of seven the boy had his first coach and an understanding of what he was doing at the board. Sadovsky is a multiple champion of the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation among children and of the Tula Region among men. In 2018, Sadovsky was awarded the title of International Master at the FIDE Congress in Batumi.
His maximum rating in classical was 2429, in rapid – 2456, and in blitz – 2499. Sadovsky repeatedly defeated grandmasters in classical and rapid chess, but, in each of his three attempts to get a grandmaster rating, he himself fell short by half a point. In 2022, Sadovsky outplayed the 16th world champion Magnus Carlsen in a game of one minute each (without adding time).
“What can I say? I’ve played Carlsen once in my life and have a 100 per cent result. I could have won the game several times, then I ‘caught’ my own rook and the endgame became a theoretical draw. Magnus really wanted to win and tried to ‘cut down the flag’, but, in the end, he was left with a naked king against three tied pawns and lost by time,” smiles Sadovsky.
Sadovsky has lived in Cyprus for three years. In his estimation, the island has a shortage of players with titles and high ratings to lift kids from the 1400-1600 mark. In addition, there is a lack of travelling competitions, sponsorship of top athletes, a clear tournament calendar and a top-class coaching staff for the Olympic team. At the same time, the level of chess in Cyprus is growing and he is ready to do his best to accelerate this growth.
“Chess is played by talented and successful people. Chess teaches you to work on your mistakes and admit defeats. Chess is very important for children, as it opens up many opportunities for communication and also helps you to know yourself,” reminds CEO Turlov.