Chess is an art. Hence, the game deserves to be played in museums. This was the reasoning of the organizers of an international tournament dedicated to the memory of the great grandmaster Alekhine. The event was held at Louvre in Paris and at Mikhailovsk Palace in Saint Petersburg .

One of the galleries of the MIkhailovsk Palace has been transformed into a chess cafe for a few days. Here one could follow the video live broadcasts of the tournament. The games were being commentated in three languages - Russian, English and French. A few hundred thousand chess fans all over the world have watched the Internet broadcast.

Like any museum, the playing hall where the strongest grandmasters are competing is perfectly silent. It is not being interrupted neither by conversations, nor even by sounds made by cameras.

"A chess event of such scale hasn't been held in Saint Petersburg for 27 years since the Karpov-Kasparov match. It is very interesting to meet the top players in person" - says Vadim Nikiforov.
 

Where else can you see such famous grandmasters walking in the parade hall of a palace while thinking over their moves?

The answer is France. The first stage of the international tournament dedicated to the memory of Alexandr Alekhine took place in the famous Louvre.
 

"Museums are a great place for playing chess. The atmosphere is inspiring; it helps become fully focused. The city is also very beautiful. I have visited a few museums in Saint Petersburg and liked them a lot" - says GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. 

According to the first Russian chess champion Alexandr Alekhine, chess is more of an art than a sport. Gennady Timchenko, who is more well-known as the President of the Saint-Petersburg hockey club SKA, also shares this point of view.
 

"I have at least some experience in playing hockey. The same can't be said about chess. These two sports are very much different. Each of them has its own charms, so I can't choose a favorite one. I think that in chess I have a bright future ahead of me, I will try to do my best to master the game" - says the co-organizer of the tournament, Chairman of the Economic Council of French and Russian Businesses of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFR) Gennady Timchenko.

The players are employing increasingly cunning combinations and surprising tactical moves. It was hard to predict the outcome of the tournament in advance. The reigning World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand finished in third place. Levon Aronian, three-time Olympic chess champion, won the first prize. He received a special porcelain vase which replicates the first major trophy earned by Alexander Alekhine in an amateur tournament in Saint Petersburg in 1909.
 

"He is my favorite chess player. I have always been saying that and have been trying to imitate his best games. Sometimes I succeed in doing so, sometimes not" - confesses grandmaster Levon Aronian.
 

The spectators have been surrounding the champion for quite a while. In a surprisingly patient way the victor was signing autographs and posing for pictures taken by his fans. Who would have thought that he had played a rigorous 5-hour game just before the closing ceremony?

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