Nurgul Salimova played blitz chess with students from the 31st school in Sofia
The famous Bulgarian chess player Nurgyul Salimova played blitz chess with students from Sofia’s 31st school “Ivan Vazov” and showed them interesting techniques in the game. The school has a team in the ancient game, tournaments are regularly held on their territory and the students participate in competitions at national level. At the event, which was organized on the initiative of the Sports in Bulgaria Foundation and with the special assistance of the management of 31 “Ivan Vazov” Secondary School, Nurgül revealed details of her path to sporting success, and the students asked her curious questions related to the game.
“The most important thing I want to tell you is to have dreams and follow them, no matter how difficult the path is. Apart from good games, I have bad ones too, but every hard work gets rewarded in the end. I am sure of that,” said 20-year-old Nurgül, who is the vice-champion of the 2023 Women’s Chess World Cup in Baku and European champion with the Bulgarian national team in Budva.
One of the first people who introduced Nurgül to chess was grandfather ì Salim. An interesting fact is that the history teacher at the 31st SUCHEM, Boris Rusev, also played chess with him when he was a child. “I was born near Targovishte, as was her grandfather Salim. When I was young, he was the best chess player in the area and I often played with him, but he beat me every time. However, right now I can honestly say that she has surpassed him. I see continuity and development at the same time. It’s amazing,” said Rusev, who is also a 34-time champion of the BNT quiz show “Last One Wins.”
“We are extremely happy to be able to introduce the kids to Grandmaster. Perhaps the most important reason why everyone is here is because you, Nurgül, are the embodiment of all the lessons we want to teach these children – hard work, effort and perseverance lead to success,” added Velina Georgieva, director of 31 “Ivan Vazov” Secondary School.
Vyara Velikova, Executive Director of the Sport in Bulgaria Foundation, recalled that the Foundation officially announced its support to the “shining rose” of Bulgarian chess last year and added that this year it will organize events and initiatives that stimulate amateur and grassroots sport.
“Thank you to all of you who are here. We at the Sport in Bulgaria Foundation want to show you that it is fun to play sport. We know it is important for you to meet successful athletes and we will do our best to continue to make this a reality. Play sports! Sport is health and our goal is to provide you with the conditions for that,” said Vyara Velikova.
The meeting with the students of the 31st school is one of the last official appearances of the chess player before she starts her hard training for the Challengers Tournament in Toronto. After her success at the Women’s Chess World Cup, Nurgül qualified for this most prestigious championship in the world of chess. The tournament will be held between the 3rd and 24th of April in Toronto, Canada. There, Salimova will face the best female chess players in the world. If she wins this tournament, a battle for the world title awaits her with the current champion – Ju Wenjun.