Chess City in Elista is no more

Chess City is a large complex devoted to chess located east of Elista, Kalmykia, in Russia. The idea and development of Chess City is directly the result of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Kalmykia’s and FIDE’s President. It was built for the 33rd Chess Olympiad and the 69th FIDE Congress. The complex also hosted other major FIDE tournaments, including the 2004 Women’s World Chess Championship and the 2006 World Chess Championship.

While Chess City is connected with large chess championships, it has always remained in the shadow of Ilyumzhinov’s affairs. Spiegel called the complex “The Hobby of the Dictator”, while NY Times criticized the contrast between the complex and people’s lives in the republic, publishing an article titled “Where Chess Is King and the People Are the Pawns”

The prosecutor’s office of Kalmykia, the supervisory authority of the region, has noted the appalling state of the main building (the Chess Palace, photo below) and various facilities in Chess City. The main building with an area of 5473 square meters has not been used since 2019. It is partially destroyed and the facade in falling apart.

The buildings and the 593 hectares of land around them are now property of the regional ministry, which will have to decide to deconstruct or repair the structures, as well as their future use.

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