The mayor of Kazan checked the progress of the renovation of the Rashid Nezhmetdinov Sports School.

      In Kazan, on Butlerova Street, a major renovation is being carried out at the Republican Olympic Reserve Sports School for chess, checkers, and go named after Rashid Nezhmetdinov. In the historic building constructed in 1913, the dismantling of internal structures is currently underway. The mayor of the city, Ilsur Metshin, inspected the progress of the work. This was reported by the city administration. The major renovation will cover almost all elements of the building, which is a cultural heritage site. The school will completely update its engineering networks, plumbing, floors, ceilings, and roofing, perform waterproofing of the foundation, and strengthen the structures. The facade and drainage system will also be restored, wrought elements will be renovated, and windows and doors will be replaced. Additionally, architectural lighting of the building and landscaping of the adjacent territory are planned. At the same time, the historical appearance of the building will be preserved. According to the director of the institution, Rustam Garifullin, the facade will undergo careful restoration without changing its architectural features. The interiors of the school will be decorated in a chess theme after the renovation. Decorative elements related to intellectual sports will appear in the premises, and certain areas will be designed in the style of a chessboard — for example, the floors in some spaces will feature a checkered pattern. The design will not be limited to a black-and-white palette: a more diverse range of color solutions with thematic accents is planned. The building will house a tournament hall and nine classrooms. In each of them, small museum exhibitions dedicated to the history of the school, its outstanding alumni, and the achievements of the chess, checkers, and go departments will be created. Shelves with trophies, archival photographs, awards, and memorabilia will be installed there. Furthermore, the school will be fully equipped with new equipment. Modern tables, projectors, demonstration boards, chess equipment, and training tools will be purchased for classes. Another part of the project will be a sculptural composition dedicated to Rashid Nezhmetdinov. Several concepts for the monument are currently being developed, including an option depicting a game with young Anatoly Karpov, whom Nezhmetdinov trained at one time. The renovation work at the school began on March 6. As of now, the builders have organized the construction site, completed the dismantling of plaster on the third floor, dismantled wooden floors on the second and third floors, and have begun the installation of cutoff waterproofing. The major renovation is planned to be completed by the end of this year. The school building was constructed in 1913 according to the design of architect Mikhail Grigoryev. Over its more than a century-long history, various institutions have been located here, and today it remains one of the recognizable buildings in the historical center of Kazan. The Rashid Nezhmetdinov Chess School is one of the leading centers for intellectual sports in Tatarstan and ranks among the strongest chess schools in Russia. The institution was founded in 1975. Currently, 750 children are studying here in three areas — chess, checkers, and go. Over half a century, the school has trained 16 grandmasters and 35 masters of sports of the USSR and Russia. Each department of the school has serious sports achievements at the Russian and international levels. In checkers, the current world champion among adults is the school's graduate Dmitry Tsyman, while Ulyana Ivanova won the European Championship among girls. The go department was the European champion for 15 years until the pandemic period, and today the school's athletes maintain leadership in the Russian championships. In the chess department, the current world champion among children is seven-year-old Mikhail Shishov. During the inspection of the facility, the mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, spoke with the young athlete and wished him new victories. The inspection was also attended by the Minister of Construction, Architecture, and Housing and Communal Services of Tatarstan Marat Aizatullin, the Minister of Sports of Tatarstan Vladimir Leonov, the manager of the "Bank Tatarstan" branch of Sberbank, the president of the Chess Federation of Tatarstan Ruslan Salimov, the head of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky districts Albert Salikhov, and the chairman of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports Linar Garipov. Photo: kzn.ru